Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Vomitus Eruptus

Okay, so you can probably tell this already by the title, but this post is not for the squeamish....

If you've been wondering where I've been the last few days, my daughter has been sick. It's mainly been fever, but with a little stomach upset thrown in here and there for good measure. Which leads me to the subject of this post.

Night before last, we were all up at about 3:00 am. Liv had woken up earlier with her fever and was having a hard time getting settled back in. In the bed, out of bed, calling for us, crying, etc. It was in the middle of all of this that we hear her hacking and coughing, and then crying. Tony goes in her room to check on her, and a few seconds later he calls to me, "Mama, we need some help in here!"

I get up and head down the hallway, only to see my husband running across the hall to the bathroom with his hands cupped. I pop my head in to see him dumping the contents of his hands into the toilet. Guessing what had just happened (and amazed at the resourcefulness of my husband), I grab a wet wipe and go into Liv's room to clean her up. I dab at her cheek with the wipe, only to see her heaving again. This time it's my turn to assume the position. I cup my hands in front of her, and she fills them up. Now I'm running to the bathroom, while my husband is going in to check on her.

We did this bizarre little relay race a few times before her stomach was completely emptied. I'm proud to say that the sheets and the stuffed animals surrounding her all came through the ordeal unscathed.

I don't know that there is any book that could have prepared me for think-on-your-feet, suck-it-up moments like this. I'm the girl who can't pick up a bug carcass to throw it away, even with all the wads of toilet paper in the world. (That's what vacuums are for...) I'm the girl whose stomach gets weak at the thought of another child's dirty diaper. But with my own child, that's not an issue. Especially when she's sick and feeling so vulnerable, and needing the comfort of someone bigger and more in control than she is. And so we cup our hands in front of her and tell her it's okay, to do what she needs to do. It's not the cuddle-on-the-couch, Hallmark greeting style tenderness that one thinks about when they think of parenting. But it's tenderness nonetheless.

7 comments:

Denise Felton said...

Oh, girl! This is SO not what we were thinking about when we signed up to be moms. But it really is what it's all about. As parents, we discover not only our children but also ourselves. Y'all are some of the most awesome parents I know.

Julie Anne of Diamondmeenuh Creations said...

Liv is one lucky little girl to have you and Tony as parents. I sure hope she's feeling better today. She and both of you, are in my prayers.

Janna said...

Ahhh, the joys of parenting... Bless her heart. I hope she's feeling better. And I hope that you and Tony don't catch it.

I so know how you feel. For some reason, whenever Zach is sick and needs to, um, lose his cookies someplace, for some reason, he thinks my lap is where it should go. My husband calls me the vomit magnet when Zach is sick.

Hang in there, good times are just around the corner.

Unknown said...

OMG, you are such a lucky mother to have your darling daughters vomit cupped in your hands. LOL, how gross!! I'm sorry your little one was so sick! It breaks my heart when my kids are sick. What loving parents you are, too!!

My daughter recently had a stomach parasite, and it was pretty awful for about three weeks, especially the last week, so I can really sympathize with you!!

Lisa_in_AR said...

Poor Liv! Lucky girl to have a Mommy and Daddy to play catch.

On a funny note, take a look at your blog archive. It says "Vomitus Eruptus It's like porn for me..."
Just had to share.

dogwood said...

Awww, poor little one. Hope she gets to feeling better.
Motherhood... laughter, hugs and kisses.... and bodily functions.

Anne said...

Lisa, That totally cracked me up!! Now you know my deep, dark secret!