Flu induced January hibernation day.

Warning

There is a wave of stomach flu sweeping across our town! Time to break out the hand sanitizers! In our case it was Will who picked up this nasty bug. He was all whiny and droopy for a day and then, while playing peacefully on the living room carpet just before bedtime, he projectiled the days menu. Now, Will is a practical fellow, he doesn't have the emotional, post-vomit response of shock and horror most people get. He can happily resume his interrupted activity with what must be an awareness of having relieved himself of what had been the cause of some discomfort. He is a relatively easy patient who, with a little cuddling and cooing can recover fairly quickly.

24 hours after Will seemed to be coming out of the woods Jack deposited his stomach contents across the wood floor. Jack is fairly stoic and can endure the tummy pain, muscle soreness and chills with relatively minor whining and few demands. He would call out in the night if he was being sick, for the moral support of having someone witness just what he is going through. When he yelled "MOM!" at 3 am I came running to find him sitting up in bed to notify me that he was feeling better.

24 hours after Jack's recovery Olivia experienced the same night time scenario. She can make it to the bathroom and endure what she must without me on the sidelines cheering her on. It is afterward that she starts with the demands of trips to the store for ginger ale. for a straw, for the TV to be turned off, for the TV to be turned on, for a blanket, water with ice too please.

24 hours is approaching again and I just went to the school to pick up Mitchell, who was having terrible stomach pains. A quick perusal of the sign out sheet confirmed my suspicions, we are not going to be the only hibernating family tonight. At about 8 pm Mitchell is going to vomit and then he will start moaning and groaning about the incredible pain he is experiencing. It's another sleepless night ahead for us I can see. We had to scratch the hockey practice for this evening.

There is a bright side to this I guess, we can all be together on a cold and snowy January night.