Here’s a recap of what’s gone down in the last 24 hrs starting with the most recent. (You might want to read starting from the bottom so it makes more sense.)
9:00 pm. I sit down to write this blog post, with a slice of carrot cake for comfort. I am truly exhausted. Contemplating going to bed now. But I feel bad not staying up to hang with M.
8:00 pm. I sneak out of the house to pick up two books on hold for me at the public library. I am back by 8:20 pm.
7:20 pm. I read to V and get her ready for bed. By 7:35 pm, she’s asleep. Z is downstairs already asleep apparently.
7:05 pm. I tiptoe out of W’s room, after putting her down in the crib. I hear her cry. M goes to her.
5:55 pm. I take W up to her room and get her ready for bedtime. She is so tired from having a day of broken naps. I hope the night is relatively good.
5:30 pm. M, W and I sit at the dining table and eat our dinner. The other kids are still watching tv – cruise control. We have a plan – to move Z’s mattress down to the spare room on the main floor and M to sleep with him.
4:55 pm. I learn that we are up for a renewal and may potentially be able to use this opportunity to buy another house. Hmmm. Interesting idea. But I bet there are no houses available that are affordable.
4:10 pm. We’re on cruise control. Kids are watching tv. Z is on the iPad. I tell M about the business card and the visit from the guy. He then gives them a call. Turns out, our 3-yr mortgage term has ended and we were supposed to contact our mortgage company to renew. We didn’t receive any notice – no letter or phone call. Their excuse was that they only had our work number and left several messages. That’s not true at all. M only got one today.
3:25 pm. Z moans again. And he throws up all over the bed and some on the floor. I hear the front door open. M and V are home. Some relief. I am so tired.
3:17 pm. The door bell rings. Who could it be? Some guy with a business card that is from a property management company. He asks for M but I tell him he’s not home and I ask what this is regarding. He informs me that it’s concerning the mortgage. I ask what about. He then says the company wants to make sure that we are still the same occupants in the house. Weird.
2:50 pm. W is awake. I can hear her from his room. I go get her and bring her in to Z’s room. He doesn’t want me to leave his side. So I stay. I put away laundry that has been sitting for a couple of days now. W starts to get antsy.
2:38 pm. I hear Z moaning. I take him out to his room so he doesn’t wake W. I stay with him, lying in bed snuggling. I feel bad for him. He’s scared. He asks me if dehydration is bad. I tell him it can be. He also asks me what’s going on with him because he doesn’t know why he’s feeling so sick.
2:00 pm. I managed to convince Z to nap in our bed – all three of us. He agrees and hits the sack. I nurse W in my arms as I sit on the bed and she falls asleep. (Third attempt at a nap.) I lay her down with her still attached to me and I try to get some rest. I’m at 16% battery life on my iPhone. I’ve been texting M and updating him on our status. He texts me and tells me that Z might have Norovirus. I look it up. Not good.
1:45 pm. Just chilling with W and Z on the iPad. He wants Roblox but it’s rated for 12+ so I don’t budge. He was getting frustrated with choosing a game to download. Then he complained about his tummy hurting again. So I straddled him on my legs to hug him. Then he gagged and vomited. He tried to keep it in but it came out – all over my neck and right shoulder. I clean up the mess again. Where’s the baby this whole time? She’s standing there crying because Z is crying. (It’s going to be a long afternoon.)
1:15 pm. Z is watching as Scooby Doo lying on the couch. Then he lurches forward and throws up on the floor. He starts crying and tells me his tummy hurts. I clean up the mess.
12:30 pm. I can see that Z is struggling to function with the iPad. He’s undecided about what games to play – it’s worse when the App Store is open. So I convince him to just lay down and watch tv. He has only had a cheese stick all day so he’s low on energy.
11:54 am. I am woken by screams and howling. Z is in the hallway very upset. I quickly put W in the crib, hoping she wouldn’t wake. But she does – yet again. I administer Tylenol to Z coz he feels hot. Then I offer him the iPad to play with on the couch.
11:30 am. I take W up to her room to try and nap her for the 2nd time – because she really didn’t sleep this morning. I am so exhausted I fall asleep in the chair.
11:00 am. Back at home again. I make lunch but neither kid is hungry. All Z wants is the iPad but I can see that he’s so weak and needs to lie down. So I ask him to go up to his room, change and lie down in his bed.
10:20 am. Back in the car, on the road to pick up Z. He’s got a sore throat and a low-grade fever. I watch him in the rearview mirror and see that he’s clearly not himself. Even W is trying to talk to him but he’s got no energy.
10:05 am. My phone rings. It’s Z’s school. Panic sets in. I don’t pick up because W is in my arms. I attempt to place her in the crib again – this time, she’s up for good. Darn!
9:27 am We arrive home. I take her straight up to the bedroom to get her ready for her morning nap. I attempt to put her in the crib twice and no luck.
8:40 am We leave the house to drop off M and then V. W manages to stay awake for most of the ride until we are about 3 min from home. She is so drowsy – her face I just want to kiss it. Poor tired girl!
6:40 am I’m up for the day since W is awake. M slept in the other room all night, taking turns with Z and V.
4:30 am I am back in the rocking chair with W.
11:40 pm. I’m rocking W back to sleep after nursing her. She coughs so hard that she vomits all over my front and herself. I quickly change her and myself.
life as 5 