Statement Retraction: Groundhog Day

It pains me to do this, but I feel I must retract my statement with regards to Groundhog Day. Don’t get me wrong: I am aware that there will be more snow and frosty temperatures, but the past few days have been absolutely beautiful – puddles and brown grass appearing where previously there were piles of dirty snow, the sun shining, and the sky a postcard Alberta blue. Yesterday the boys and I took the dog for a walk, all three of us wearing only down vests and shirtsleeves, and our new rubber boots. It really felt spring-ish, and yes, I know, I know, it’s deceptive, but still: I’m sorry, Balzac Billy. I’m sorry for laughing at you and disbelieving you and making fun of the fact that you are just some guy dressed up as a groundhog. Could you please not see your shadow every year? Thank you.

So it’s been a glorious weekend, despite the fact of absent husband. As an aside, I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and ran into a friend’s husband and mentioned that Rob was in Vancouver. “I’m living the single girl life!” I said cheerily, and he raised his eyebrows. What? So I’m in Wal-Mart at 10:00 a.m. with a cart full of Mini-Wheats, children’s Tylenol, and Kleenex, with two kids jonesing for McDonald’s yogurt parfaits. Isn’t that what all the single girls are doing these days? But I’m especially happy because – and I’m superstitious just writing this, so I’m knocking wood – no one has been vomiting.

There has been a stomach flu going around, I discovered the day after our sick day. I was waiting for the kindergarten to be let out, chatting with another mom, who was telling me a prolonged story about the vomiting going on in her house, and she casually mentioned that her youngest son – a classmate and friend of Mark’s, who was in class that day – was throwing up only the day before. The day before! I probably looked like a caricature of a crazy person – or maybe I am a crazy person – as my eyes widened with this knowledge that the VIRUS WAS AMONG US. Once the class let out I accosted Mark and slathered him with hand sanitizer. I would have ripped off his clothes and burned them if I could have figured out a way to do it without it being weird.

I really, really want to be one of those people who are all casual about illnesses, all kids-get-sick-and-barf-no-big-deal, but I am not. I am still somewhat scarred from the first time Mark ever got sick: it was the rotavirus. He was 19 months old, and Jake was four weeks old and colicky. And Mark, along with my husband, contracted the rotavirus. Once we got through that, only three months later Mark – and my husband – contracted a virus akin to Norwalk. Jake was still colicky. Mark threw up for a week, and didn’t eat for ten days. For those of you who also have skinny kids, you know what it is to see your toddler’s ribs and toothpick legs after an illness. I was practically deranged from a lack of sleep and worry. The upside of all this is that I was so stressed out that I didn’t eat and ended up losing the remainder of my pregnancy weight, which is to say there is always a silver lining.

I have gotten a lot better about my germ paranoia, with the boys being older and sturdier, and with me being a more confident and rested parent. But I’m still overjoyed that we had such a lovely weekend, and that we seem to have missed this particular virus. Hoo boy. I better go knock wood again.

Comments

  1. I got a picture of you ripping his clothes off and burning them and I laughed and laughed and laughed.
    Thank-you for making my day.

  2. Tee hee! Good luck with the no barfing…

  3. Ugh! My middle daughter once had the somach flu for 11 days. Your description of the ribs and toothpick legs rings so true.
    Why, oh Why? do people think a child who has just quit barfing is a healthy child? I will never understand this thinking.

  4. Midday Escapades says

    Howdy. Thanks for linking up with Friday Follow! I am now your blog follower. It is a pleasure to meet ya and have a great week!

    ~ Lynn
    http://www.middayescapades.com

  5. Oh my goodness – I can SO relate to the vomit thing. I am terrified of anything that might bring a round of vomiting to my home. I have 2 dayhome kids who were back in my care WAY too soon in my opinion and my daughter is now suffering with a cold because of that. This week I almost shut down my dayhome. Not because I’m afraid of cold germs, but because it could have been flu germs!

    And I have had friends say to me, “He threw up for about 6 hours yesterday then he was absolutely fine after that, so he’s back at school today.”

    Um, NO! That is not long enough. Please wait 24-48 hours after the last vomit or other end mess before resuming contact with the outside world. That is my one request! LOL

  6. I’m totally with you on fearing sickness. And really WTH is with that woman bringing her kid to school if he spent the day before barfing everywhere? That is totally uncool in my book.

  7. stopping by from FF. Have a great week!

    justanightowl.com

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