It's been a tough week for our little family - especially Caiden. On Monday morning, he woke up and promptly emptied the contents of his tummy. We weren't entirely sure what to make of it, and since he was acting pretty much like himself, we thought it might've been a one-off thing. Boy were we wrong! As the day progressed, the poor little guy couldn't keep anything down. Not even water. He and I spent the day snuggling in bed or on the couch and watching Sesame Street (thank heavens for on-demand programming!). By 6pm, he finally stopped vomiting, but per nurse's orders, we had to restrict his water intake for the next 4 hours. If he could go 4 hours without throwing up, we could start giving him water 1 tsp at a time every 15 minutes. Can I just tell you how heartbreaking it is listening to your child beg for water and having to tell him no?! At least we could let him suck on some ice cubes which helped a little bit. By 10pm we were finally able to start the teaspoons, and he was so good about waiting the 15 min increments. We had to do that for four more hours before we could increase it to a whopping 2 tsp of water. B and I took shifts in the overnight hours, and Caiden finally got in 3 hours of solid sleep between 4 and 7am. I opted to crash on the floor in a makeshift bed of pillows and got some much needed rest myself.
By morning, he was able to drink as much water as he wanted and we started giving him a little bit of solid food. B worked from home that day and let me get some extra rest in the morning. When I came downstairs, I saw Caiden sitting in his little camp chair wearing a fleece over his jammies and his blanket was wrapped around his legs. He looked like a worn out little old man sitting there with his bowl of oatmeal - I felt so sorry for him. But at the same time so relieved to see him eating a little bit.
He and I spent the day hanging out on the couch or in his room. We watched lots more Sesame Street (He has watched more TV this week than he has in his life! But I believe concern over screen time goes out the window when you're sick. This was a special treat for him to enjoy.) while he snacked on crackers. I could tell he was feeling achy and icky and he was pretty listless. He wanted to be carried everywhere and would just start moaning/crying on the couch throughout the afternoon. After he got some ibuprofen in him, he started showing a few signs of his old self which was so good to see. Not long after, he had his bath and got settled into bed for a much better night's sleep.
Wednesday was mostly a repeat of Tuesday. He started eating a little more and showed a bit more interest in his toys, but he still preferred to hang out on the couch. I think the bug was starting to move into his intestines and causing him lots of gas and discomfort. He had some good naps and another good night's sleep, but boy oh boy did we wake up to an explosive mess today!
He is definitely more perky and animated today, but he seems to have definitely moved on to the runs. All of his bedding and a couple stuffed animals went thru the wash this morning. Caiden got to have the exceptionally rare morning bath to get him all cleaned off. And man, did his room ever stink to high heaven!!! We did manage to get out of the house today and attended his weekly music class. I think the change of scenery did him good, but he was more than ready for a nap by the time we got back home. He is snoozing as I type this, and I hope it's a good long nap cuz he needs it,
I tell ya, caring for a little one who is so sick is exhausting work. But at the same time I don't even give it a second thought. I have been consumed with doing whatever I can to make him comfortable and happy. I've somehow been able to not worry about getting various chores done or upset about not getting out of the house to do grocery shopping and the like. Sure, our dinners have started to suffer for it, but I know that this won't last forever, and we'll be able to get back on track soon enough. And I do enjoy the extra cuddle time it affords me with Caiden. He would just curl up next to me on the couch and rest his head on me, or he would ask to go upstairs and rock together. It's easy to forget about the mundane every day stuff when all you want to do is help your little guy feel better.
So that's what's been going on here this week. Fingers crossed that B and I don't succumb to this thing next!!
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