RECAP

WARNING: This is a long one and I may ramble a bit but here it is...

I started a post on Monday night and couldn't even finish it because I was falling asleep. I was just THAT tired. Let's see if I can recap this crazy week before I get too sleepy tonight...

SUNDAY INTO MONDAY: Michael woke up in the middle of the night to get into our bed. Then around 4:30am, he woke up to vomit- by some miracle, none of it ended up in our bed. So began our sickly, stressful, laundry-laden week.

MONDAY
Mike had off thankfully and while my office was technically closed, I had opted to attend a meeting at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (known around here as "CHOP"). It was an advisory board meeting related to their autism research. I am now a member of the advisory board! They are doing some amazing studies. I was worried the whole time about Michael but he was in good hands and overall I am glad I went. ALSO, in the afternoon I had a mammogram- hello 35, this is what I get for crossing over the mid-30s threshold. Now, to fill you in, I have had some benign cysts in the past but have always had ultrasounds. Now that I am 35, it's time to bring in the breast compressor.
I was SERIOUSLY nervous about this test. I was wondering if I have "enough" for them to even DO a mammogram. Well, I had the test, the technician was so sweet and it was really no big deal. Very minimal discomfort, didn't take too long. I got the results today (Saturday) that everything "appears normal"--how's that for careful wording? Anyway...

TUESDAY
I stayed home from work to take care of Michael. Liam also skipped school. While I enjoyed being home with the boys, I wish it were for a different reason. Michael was very sleepy and still puking. I just tried to keep him comfortable and keep Liam from getting bored. I also attempted to take Michael to the doctors because I was concerned that he had strep throat. Attempt #1 was for a 3:40 appointment. Michael threw up ALL OVER both of us on the way out to the car. I had to knock on my neighbor's door & ask her to get Liam out of the car for me. He was crying and I knew he would be hysterical if I went inside to change before getting him. It was a MESS but we got it all cleaned up. Attempt #2 was for a 6:20 appointment which was successful and his test was negative for strep.

WEDNESDAY
Liam was fine so I brought him to daycare and I worked. My mom and Mike were able to coordinate things to be home with Michael.

THURSDAY
Liam started with diarrhea. Michael started to keep solids down and also started with diarrhea. I had to take a half day to be home in the afternoon due to Mike's work schedule. That meeting on Monday turned out to have the added benefit of some flex time that I used to cover part of my missed hours.

FRIDAY
Both boys with some really nice (explosive) diarrhea...Mike was home with them all day so I didn't have to use up any more sick time. ALSO, my good friend Emily has been in town this week with her daughter. While we couldn't get the kids together for obvious reasons, the two of us did get to go out for a couple of beers last night (with Mike's blessing). Although I was tired, it did me a world of good to just go out and think about something other than the stress from the week.

SATURDAY
While the runny diapers persist, appetites are improving and the boys both seem to be feeling better. I was SO worried about Michael. This virus really wiped him out but because he got alot of sleep yesterday and today, I think he is feeling stronger. Liam is not really affected other than being very tired. He is still pleasant as ever. While I am trying to feed them both foods that fall under that whole BRAT diet, they are asking for different things and I am very happy to know they are starting to get some more calories in the mix.

I pray that NONE OF YOU have to deal with this any time soon because it is THE WORST. I want to Lysol and Clorox wipe my entire house right now. I wish they had some sort of sanitizer "bomb"--like a bug bomb that exterminators use. Just clean it all in one shot.

ANYWAY, let's see what else can I add to this already lengthy post?
While I have been reading my usual favorite blogs, I just feel so out of touch when I don't post regularly.

Thursday-- Two people were arrested in relation to the recent arsons that have plagued this area. I knew something was going on when we went almost 2 weeks with no fires. I wasn't sure if it was good or bad--but this is definite progress.

Today I went to church with my mom. My church has a 4:15 service which is pretty convenient. I hate rushing around Sunday morning so the evening mass works well for me. I do go to church regularly but am not always the most focused person while I am there. For whatever reason, today I felt very much at peace--maybe because the music was uplifting or maybe because it is the only quiet time I have had this week. There was one hymn that it seemed like everyone was singing and it was just such a spiritual moment. I don't always experience that these days and it was just really good and something that my spirit was in desperate need of. I might as well tell you that I am still struggling to adjust to life as a working mom...and this week was particularly awful for me. So that chat with Emily last night and this nice, peaceful church time this afternoon were just what I needed to let some of that stress go and realize that not all weeks will be this crazy.

If the diaper blow-outs settle down, I'd like to take the boys SOMEWHERE tomorrow. We'll see...