Baby Scare

First of all, I'm not talking about the "ohmigosh, I think I'm preggers" baby scare. Nor am I talking about the "she's putting her finger into the wall socket/he's teetering at the top of the stairs/she's sitting in the litter box" scares. Sure, those are valid baby scares. But I'm talking about the most dire baby scare - the baby's got a stomach bug! Those words strike fear into the hearts of that baby's family - at least at my house. Let me explain.

Many moons ago when my children were little, one of them came down with a stomach virus. I know - poor baby. He/she had the poops/throwing up, to which I nursed as best I could. Since I had three children, the virus went through each one, and I did my best to diligently tend to the afflicted one. When the last one recovered, I breathed a sigh of relief, since I felt that I had seen my last episode of vomit. I should have just held my breath and passed out because the worst was yet to come. Steve and I were next on the virus hit list.

When little kids get a stomach virus, they expel their sickness but manage to carry on with their little lives. They watch tv or play with a few toys. When parents get the virus, they lie on the bathroom floor and beg for death. Or at least a knife so that they can excise the offending digestive tract out of their abdomen. In other words, the same stomach virus that causes discomfort in a child spirals out of control in an adult - and it's a nightmare. Just when you think you will live again, it starts over and you run for the hills - if that's where your toilet is located.

As you can see, this historical incident caused an indelible impression on my life. So last year when a similar stomach virus hit the family, we all blamed it on Lindley, and whichever day-care urchin who gave it to her. Somehow we all managed to get through it with our digestive systems intact - and still in our bodies. We survived.

So you can understand when last week Lindley got another case of the poopers. We tried to attribute it to everything from cutting teeth to innoculations to a general disappointment with her first birthday presents. We were delusional. It was a stomach virus.

At least this time we knew what we were in for. Molly and I made a run to Kroger like a Nashville blizzard was on its way and stocked up on ginger ale, Sprite, Lysol (wipes, spray, and inhaler), Pepto-Bismol, and several cases of toilet paper. We wiped down and disinfected every surface that we touched. We were as proactive as we could be. But alas, we still caught the virus, each in our own way. It wasn't as bad as last fall's plague, but it still wasn't a day at Disney World. But we survived with the hope that it's the only stomach virus that we'll get in 2011.

Hope springs eternal - at least I know the way to Kroger!

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Today's blessings: picking up Lindley at day care; back to butt camp; Disney store delivery