May
2018

Nasty tummy times…

I am sick. I don’t like it.

He said

It was a really great start to the week. However, as the week progressed we had a bummer of an end – quite literally – for our little girl. But more on that in a bit. I had Sunday and Monday off work together so it meant some non alarm clock wake ups, some trips to the gym and lots of time to be with Danielle and Emelia. But with two days off at the start of the week that mean a six day stretch that ended today.

The big highlight for Danielle and I this week was a mid week grownup night out on Thursday evening to see a concert here in the city. Thankfully Dad was able to come over and keep an eye on Emelia so that we could go out. The show headliner was Matt Mays but the opener was the real reason we were going: Kathleen Edwards. Danielle and I both love her music and one of our shared favourite concert experiences ever was seeing her show off her new album at a guest-only concert at the CBC in Toronto in 2012. And it doesn’t hurt that our friend Jim Bryson who has played guitar with her live for years, was going to be playing along with her!

Kathleen hasn’t played much live for at least four or five years having decided to open a coffee shop in Stittsville (appropriately) called Quitters which we’ve had the fortune of visiting a couple of times. But this string of two or three shows is the first real live shows she’s done in some time and why it was a not miss for Danielle and I. And Kathleen and company did not disappoint. Along with hearing some of our favourite songs she does, there was also some new material! It was such a great night of music spent with friends who feel the same. But, by the end of the night, we’d received a message from Emelia about how she wasn’t having any luck getting to sleep. We knew that was our cue to get home.

Within twelve hours, Emelia was spending time in the bathroom with her stomach in an absolute war with its contents. She was not in a good way, but soldiering through as best she could. I had to head into work to open the store, before I left it was already decided Emelia was not going to school. Not long after her entire day’s plan was cancelled. And not long after that the entire weekend too.

She spent much of the day in our bed and then running to the bathroom. By the time that I got home at the end of my work day she wasn’t doing much better, and pretty much just wanted to be next Mummy between any moments of awake. She did get some decent rest Friday night and into Saturday and for the most part her stomach had settled for rejecting everything in it, but then she was achy, tired and had no energy. She has spent the rest of the weekend pretty much in that state. Thankfully I am off tomorrow so I can spend it with her to give Danielle some relief. We’re hoping she’s on the upswing by tomorrow, or we’re gonna make a visit to our family doctor. It’s not great seeing your kid this sick and not being able to just fix it, but she’s also handled it about as best as I could have hoped. Hopefully by this time next week this nasty bug is long behind this household!

 

She said

This week should have been all about settling down in a normal routine. We had Emelia’s normal training for gymnastics and things wrapping up at dance so lots of practices to get ready for the year end dance recital and training for her upcoming competition. As the week started wrapping up leading into a fun but busy weekend Emelia’s body took a turn for the worse.

Thursday was a normal day. Both John and I worked and as we wrapped up dinner Doug came over so John and I could have a date night to see one of our favourite musicians. As we were heading home I got a message from Emelia that she was having trouble falling asleep. This isn’t unusual for her, she has never been a sleeper and even worse if she knows we aren’t home. We got her settled in, said good night to Doug and headed to bed shortly after.

The night was uneventful ‪until 6:15am‬ in the morning when we heard a yell from the bathroom. John was already up for the day and went in to see what was going on. This was the start of a long 15 hours. What started out as a few bouts of diarrhea turned into vomiting and continued back and forth for the rest of the day and night. Emelia thankfully is very independent and other than running up checking on her I was able to do double duty with all the little ones here and John at work. As the little ones left for the day I moved upstairs and camped in our room with her. After a long day she finally stopped constant running to the bathroom but it was pretty apparent at that time that she was going to be at least out for the count for the next day.

Off I went to cancel much of the plans for the weekend. I had already pulled her from gymnastics training for Friday but when she woke really weak on Saturday I messaged Jenna to let her know that she might be missing Sunday. We had a very busy Saturday that all had to be cancelled. I messaged my friend sadly telling her we weren’t able to go to her son’s 1st birthday party, called the dance studio to tell them she would be missing her jazz class, called to cancel her dentist appointment and we had already cancelled her sleepover with one of her best friends that was planned for ‪Saturday night‬.

I had already decided that gymnastics wasn’t possible because with all the illness Emelia isn’t eating, barely drinking and therefore really weak. I have never seen her get hit this hard with a virus. She has had bad migraines from it, no fever but wanting an ice pack on her head most of today. We are getting close to that point of she doesn’t improve by the morning I will be calling the doctor to see if we can get her checked to assure this isn’t just the virus that is running through her school. She has never had something last this long. She doesn’t get sick often but man when she does she does it big!

That sadly was the week that was. Next week we are hoping things are back to normal for her so she can get back to her normal life as she has lots of fun things going on next week I hope she’s healthy enough to participate in.

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