Love is Quarantined

It all started on a bright sunny 82 degree day in December right after Christmas. I awake to Love telling me her head hurts and she needs to take a shower. It's 9am and I was still sleeping so I bribe her with a little Noggin on tv and she lays by me. Ten minutes later she awakes me to tell me she has to take a shower; I reply with "ok in a couple minutes". So we finally make it into the shower; I blow dry her hair and she looks in the mirror as she always does and says "oh my hair is gorgeous" and we go about our day.

We proceed to venture out for lunch as hubby is going a little stir crazy and says the 4 walls are caving in on him; I don't understand that part as we live in a 2 story home so if the walls downstairs are caving in on him, upstairs would be a change of pace or 4 new walls...right?

We go to about 5 restaurants. The first being our diner and the parking lot is empty; it wasn't a good sign since it's normally packed; granted we haven't been in a long time but then hubby recaps by saying "I just read a bad review posted earlier this year"...ok on to the next stop. We stumble upon a German restaurant that is also a gaming place equipped with a bowling alley and arcade. Hubby has a great idea to bowl and have lunch snack bar style but none of us have socks on (don't laugh everyone who is bombarded with snow; I said it was 82 degrees so we all had flip flops or Crocs on...and for the record I don't wear Crocs...Love does) so we decided to come back later that night. We got to the 3rd restaurant which was a quick stop Italian place; you know for a slice or sub and Love wants a cheeseburger...or chicken nuggets neither which they have so we leave.

We finally arrive at Five Guys Burger and Fries. We have seen this place before but have never gone in; it was quite crowded and the sign said "best value or affordable dining yada yada yada" so $32 later for burger and fries we ate; and Love didn't even eat her lunch. By this time she has chills and hubby had to get his leather jacket out of the car to cover her up.

We leave and head home and I look back and my spunky girl doesn't seem herself. I know she is definitely tired as it's 3pm and she hasn't had her nap; this girl has to have a daily nap. We arrive and I put her to bed and she sleeps almost til 6pm; I didn't want to wake her up. When she did awake she was running a fever saying her head hurt...so I am thinking "ok it must be an ear infection right". So I filled her antibiotic that her doctor had me promise I wouldn't fill unless she had a fever over 101...which she did so I filled it (doctor was going to be away and did this for a just in case).

After trying to coerce my 3 year old going on 15 year old that it would make her feel better she wasn't having any of it. She proceeded to gag when I tried to break up the chewable pills and told her it was just like her allergy medicine (which is a chewable but she just likes to swallow with water...go figure); she wasn't having any of it. So I crush it in a pill crusher and put in pudding; she found each little granule and decided to throw it up...it's always fun trying to give this girl medicine.

Sooooo I told her she had to take Motrin; it's Grape flavor and all kids love it but her hands go immediately to her mouth to shield it from the little medicine cup I am about to give her and says "I don't wike it". So after pleading that it will help her fever it takes her a half hour sipping 2 tsp of Motrin while alternating with water.

Her fever comes down and she is resting.

Sunday morning we awake and Love is throwing up, high fever again and complaining her head hurts. This goes on all day and after giving her the Motrin she throws up. So like any Mom I worry that she just threw up the medicine but I don't want to give her more so I wait until later and it's high again and she finally takes it...again a half hour later and a lot of bribing about buying a Sleeping Beauty dress once she feels better...and she eats for the first time...a half of grilled cheese sandwich. She devoured that thing like it was the last piece of food on this earth.

I watch her for a while to ensure it stays down while getting her to sip water and alternating with apple juice...and she falls asleep. I wouldn't let her leave the guest bedroom at all only to take her potty so I could hear that she was actually going because I worry of dehydration...especially with all the vomiting.

So today Monday; I have to go to work as it's the end of the month/year for home closings and hubby has to cancel a breakfast meeting so he can stay with her.

He informs me that her fever is down but still throwing up. About an hour later he texts me to tell me her fever has gone up again to 102.7...so now I worry is it an ear infection or the flu? I haven't been giving her the antibiotic because it's unlike her to throw up with an ear infection; my hubby recollected it was possibly the flu...but we got the flu shot? He replies "it could be a different strain" so I call the doctor.

I felt so much better after doing so; even though she was out of town and visiting her sick father she assured me it was a bad stomach flu going around and the vomiting last 3-4 days, fever 3 days and diareah 5-7 days. She informed me that her fever was high because the white blood cells were fighting it off to continue to give her the Motrin so she felt comfortable...and then she said it "Rachel it's highly contagious...make sure you keep washing your hands; it's been my experience the mother gets it next" WHAT???? So then I say to myself "well my hands feel like sandpaper from all the hand washing so I should be good right? But what if I forgot once or twice???

It is safe to say that she will be in that room until she is much better and I think I need to pick up a can of Lysol. Oh my poor Love...I think tomorrow will be day 3 so we are on the road to recovery.