Sick.

Let's just say it's a really good thing that I never did become a nurse. My parents knew the entire time that it was a crazy idea anyway. After all, growing up I used to run and hide the minute anyone in my household even looked the tiniest bit sick. And during a flu episode in our house (which happened all the time), I would lay awake all night anxiously hoping and praying and begging God to please please PLEASE let me not get sick. 

And then I decided I wanted to be a nurse?

Yeah. That wasn't gonna happen. 

After a year of biology classes at the University, I switched to Art with a K-12 teaching certification. Never looked back. 

And then I found out I was pregnant. And my phobia of vomiting was revisited. Morning after disgusting, gut wrenching morning... until after a few weeks I felt like perhaps my phobia had been resolved and I could move on with life during illness. After all, it only lasted month or two. 

But then the universe had other intentions. As payback (probably) for always being mean to my sick siblings and running away and covering my ears whenever I thought someone even looked like they had a stomach ache, I had the worst second pregnancy of my life. It was like I was bulimic. For NINE MONTHS. Unintentionally. Of course, people look at me now and can't believe I had a baby five months ago, but listen people - I would rather have gained weight than throw up every single thing I put into my mouth for nine months! [ok, obviously I am exaggerating a little...once I started my meds I was able to keep down about half of what I put in. But even so, half isn't a whole lot]. So now I am used to throwing up. Fine. It's not so scary as it used to be. Disgusting. Revolting (and yes, I will still run if you say you feel sick). And horrible. But not scary. 

And now I am a mom to Lexi. She throws up often. Weird times. For no apparent reason. And yes, I have had to clean it up. And no, I didn't run. Unfortunately, if I run it will still be there when I get back...

Lexi has been sick for the past five days. Funny enough, I would almost rather she had the flu this time than what she ended up getting. No throwing up, but some things can be worse. For a kid who rarely even gets a common cold, high fevers are really really scary. And when she won't eat for days and days and screams about pain that you can't see and she can't articulate, well...that's way worse. 
Fortunately, we know what it is now (we think), but it's a virus, so it has to run its course. And thankfully, after four days of eating nothing and screaming hysterically every time we forced her to take a sip of water, she finally was able to eat some oatmeal today. And by some I mean five bowls. I guess she was really hungry. 

Five days is a long time to have a sick two-year-old. I'm exhausted. Ready for her to be healthy. And of course, now Eric says he is coming down with it. I am hoping it's more mental than physical, but you can't really fake a fever, I guess...

We did learn a little something during this whole fiasco though. Never ever EVER take a weekend car trip with a sick toddler. Because no matter how much I wanted to be at that wedding, it wasn't quite worth what we went through during the nine hours drive there, the 30 hours with the family (most of which was spent consoling Lexi through the night and then taking her to an urgent care clinic in the morning and then pouring meds down her throat and trying to keep her from crying out in pain during the wedding), and then the nine hours of driving to get home. To recover from that supreme stupidity on my part, Lexi and Lyla and I spent the day in bed watching Curious George and Pixar movies. 

And now my cat just laid down on top of Lyla's head and in return Lyla is now chewing on her tail. 
What a crazy life. Time to go to bed so I can be awake to nurse my sick family back to health tomorrow. That's love right there.

[I would so much rather be painting.]