Have you ever had a day where it just seemed like everything that could possibly go wrong did? And then things got so bad that you wanted to cry but all you could do was laugh because it just seemed unreal that everything that was happening was happening? Yeah, that was Monday.
On Sunday morning, I woke up to find that we were completely out of formula. I swear there was a can on the shelf when I went to bed Saturday night, but on Sunday, there was nothing. And I can't let Foster starve, so we had to run to the store real quick on our way to church and get some formula. I try to always be as prepared as possible for Foster, so I felt really bummed that I had slipped up so badly. But I tried to not feel too bad about it.
The next day, Monday, started out as normal. We were staying at my parents house for a few days to take care of Peanut while they were with Madelyn's band at the state marching contest (go ND!). Seth left for school early in the morning. Foster had slept through the night, which he has done for the past few weeks. It has been soooo great! He woke up, I gave him his bottle, and about an hour later he was ready for sleep again, and slept for 3 hours. Can I get a hallelujah?! This kid is a champion sleeper/napper. I'm very blessed.
When he woke up from his nap, though, after I gave him another bottle, he started acting a little bit funny. He was just sitting on the rug, just staring. I thought, "Oh dear, he's making a dirty diaper." But then, he barfed. It was a little bit more than spit up, and he looked like it hurt him. I felt so bad, and started to clean him up. And then about 10 minutes later, he barfed again. But this was a big barf. And this happened about 4 more times in the space of an hour. And he would cry and looked like his stomach was hurting him terribly. There was vomit everywhere--all over me, all over him, and all over my mom's house (sorry mom...). So after getting cleaned up and changed, he seemed fine. He started playing with some toys and was laughing, so I thought that maybe his teeth that are starting to come through (finally!!) were hurting him. Maybe his teeth were causing the vomiting.
I then went to change his diaper, only to discover that we were OUT OF DIAPERS. I am a really good mom.
My son wears a size 4, and my mom had some size 3 diapers at her house for my niece Felicity, so I squeezed poor Foster into the size 3 and knew that we had to go to the store and get more diapers.
Then we got in the car to make the trip to Longview. And it was a really rough ride.
It was the day before Seth's birthday, and I had a few things I wanted to get before we celebrated, so I loaded us up and off we went. A ways down the road, Foster sounded like he was choking. I looked back and saw vomit everywhere. Everywhere. I pulled over into the parking lot of a bank, and what a sight. My little boy covered in vomit from head to toe. It was the worst. All over the carseat. In his hair. Just everywhere. I had only brought one burp cloth with me, and no, it did not help. I lifted him out, he was sobbing, and took off his jacket and socks and let him finish barfing. We were there for a good bit. He looked at me like, "Mom, why is this happening??" I felt so bad for him.
When it seemed like he was finally done, I (the wonderfully prepared mother) realized that I did not have a second outfit for him. I also realized that this was not normal, and I didn't think it was from his teeth anymore. So I called my mother-in-law because she is a nurse and she would know what I should do. She suggested going to the doctor. I called Foster's doctor, left a voicemail with the nurse, and waited for a call back.
We stopped at Target on the way to grab a fresh new outfit because my poor baby had the terrible stench of vomit. And of course while we are there, we run into everyone I know and we look like 2 homeless people (and probably smell homeless, too). I grabbed a box of diapers, and out the door we went. While I was struggling to unload our cart (it's difficult because the back of the Jeep does not stay open by itself. You have to hold it up with one arm while you use the other arm to load your stuff). So, I had screaming, vomiting Foster in one arm, the back door of the Jeep resting on my head, and the other arm trying to lift the box of diapers into the trunk. I'm sure it was a sight to everyone who saw.
And then there was a new odor. The odor that every mother knows and dreads. The odor that screams "Code blue! Code blue!"
Dirty diaper time.
I did not want to go back into the store, so I decided that I would just change Foster in the car. So I had to go back to the trunk and open the box of diapers and I changed him in my lap in the car, him screaming, me feeling like a CHAMPION, and got him dressed into his clean clothes. And yes, a car pulled into the space next to me while I did this and the woman looked completely disgusted, but hey, duty calls. Get it? I know, bad joke...
Anyways, then the rain came. Super! Since this trip is going so well, let's add some rain!
I still hadn't heard from his doctor, and I really didn't want to drive back to my mom's house if they might be able to get him in today, so I decided to stay in Longview. Looking at the clock, I realized it was 2:30 and I hadn't eaten since about 7 that morning and I was starving! So I drove through the McDonald's because it was in the same parking lot and I got a quick lunch. I still hadn't heard from the doctor, and I called Seth to see what he thought I should do.
I think a lot of first time mom's can identify with me here on this one. Sometimes, older women will say things like, "Oh, you're totally a first time mom." "You don't know yet, you're a first time mom." I think they have forgotten what it's like to be a first time mom. This was my first experience with my child projectile vomiting multiple times in the space of just a few hours. I didn't know if it was normal with teething, or if I should be concerned. I don't mean to seem like an over protective, worry wart type of mother, but something in my gut said that it might be more than just teething. So Seth and I said a prayer over the phone, and both felt like he should go see the doctor. So I just drove on up there and they were so great and got me right in with his amazing doctor, Dr. Whitney.
She checked him out (Foster screaming all the while) and said that it was most likely a stomach bug--too much vomiting for teething. So we switched him to a Pedialyte diet and went home. On the way home, I was so exhausted and worn out, and it was almost 5:00. (I had left the house at 12...totally not prepared for this long of a day!) So I stopped at McDonald's again and got a little treat...an Oreo McFlurry. I am not ashamed. It was a bad day. And of course, the same 16 year old kid is working the drive thru still and he looked at me like, "Lady, is you addicted to McDonald's?" So I just said, "Yep, it's me again. One of those days." and drove through to get my beautiful McFlurry. It's been a rough day. Sue me.
Upon my return home, I realized that I had only buckled Foster in halfway. What is wrong with me?!
When we got inside, I managed to stub my toe like you wouldn't believe, and it hurt so dang bad, but all I could do was laugh and say, "Of course I stubbed my toe! Today wouldn't be complete if I didn't!" Our first Pedialyte bottle attempt, I poured it all over the counter. I discovered that I was getting a zit on my cheek. I noticed a spot of vomit on my shirt that I hadn't seen earlier, meaning that everywhere I had gone that day, I had had that lovely patch of vomit for all to see.
Seth and his dad gave Foster a blessing that night, and then Seth left for work. I was able to get Foster into bed finally, and then I sat down to do my homework, which was all about terrorism. Wahoo!!
Tuesday morning, we were back to vomiting, and my cell phone and the couch cushion were both covered. Yes. Cell phones, despite what you might think, do not do well with vomit, and as a result, I am having an extremely difficult time hearing people when I talk on the phone. It will be a miracle if my phone makes it through the week.
But by the end of Tuesday, Foster was seeming a little bit happier, and this morning, he finally got to drink some formula again. Happy day!!
I think that all moms (and not just moms, all people) have had days where it just seems like absolutely everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. When I was a kid, I got teased a lot, and I always took it very personally. But my parents would always tell me to laugh it off, and to learn to laugh at myself. I didn't really take their advice until I was older, and I try to apply that every day now. So what if I was covered in vomit and poop on Monday? It's funny looking back now! If Foster can manage to keep laughing and smiling while having a day full of barf, so can I.
