Another Poop Blog (of sorts)

Well, my weekend aspirations of rest, recuperation and rejuvenation never materialized. Although I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with my Mom, I ended up being busier and more stressed than I had anticipated. My sister's three children were home from school and I love them all dearly, but wow they can be a handful! They weren't necessarily bad, they just produce a whirlwind of constant commotion that is foreign for me. I honestly don't know how my Mom is able to do it!

In the middle off the kid tornado, Timmy acquired a tummy bug. He was producing copious amounts of diarrhea, habitually soaking through his diapers and clothing every two hours. When he wasn't experiencing a fecal explosion, he was happy and content, but everything changed when the cramping returned. 

Although dealing with the mess (and there was a lot of it) was frustrating, I felt horrible for my little Timmy. As the issue crept into the third day I began to worry. Once prolific vomiting entered the mix, I knew that dehydration was a real danger. I called his pediatrician who encouraged me to take him to the ER.  I packed up Robby and his bum sore little brother and began what turned into an extremely long drive back to VA. Thankfully we didn't hit traffic, but we did have to stop several times for baby wardrobe changes.

As it turns out, instead of chilling out with my Mom, my Saturday night was spent with Timmy as he experienced his first ER visit. I hated that he was at the hospital, but his lips were already becoming chapped and no home remedies were providing relief. After demonstrating the viciousness of his ailment by thoroughly dousing the doctor (and her assistant) while they were trying to take a rectal temperature, the examination and treatment moved quickly. He was given something to calm his little tummy, fluids to replenish what was lost and we were sent home with the warning that the diarrhea could persist for another 2-5 days. 

So, the next few days I will continue to delve into the not so glamorous side of motherhood as I contend with vomit and poop simultaneously.  He has a fever but continues to remain relatively happy. Seeing him smile through his diaper changes certainly helps to soften the disgust element of the task at hand.  Fingers crossed that this doesn't spread to anybody else in the family.