Exhaustion

Last night we had two very sick kids and today we have two very exhausted parents. It has been a long day but not a hard one. Yes there were moments I needed toothpicks to hold my eyelids up and just wanted to crash. But there were also moments of cuddling, love and thankfulness. I never want my little ones to be sick but there is a silver lining of getting to cuddle up with them. It won't be long before they close the bedroom door to sleep when they feel sick. I won't be needed to hug them, kiss their heads or rub their back. I cherished each cuddle today as I soothed Maggie's tummy and Ricks' feverish head.

In the midst of the madness and exhaustion, Maggie climbed up on my lap. She was eating her afternoon snack and watching a show of her choice. Out of the blue she told me, "Mommy, thank you for taking care of me last night when I was throwing up. You must love me very much!" I sat up and hugged her as tight as I could. I told her that I loved her infinite amount and kissed her as many times as she would let me. Those few little words made all the tiredness so worth it. It didn't matter that I hadn't slept since 2ish. All that mattered was my little girl was sweet enough to thank me.

I also didn't have to battle the germs alone. Rick got up with Maggie when she started her tummy trouble. We sat with her and rubbed her back. He cleaned the pan and got her pillow so she could lay down with us. He held vigilance with me as we waited for the next time she got sick. When Ricks woke up with a high fever, he took over Maggie watch. She had fallen asleep on our bed but he couldn't sleep. He was afraid she would fall off the bed so he cuddled up with her watching tv.

Ricks and I hung downstairs. When Ricks got sick to his tummy all over the living room,dining room and kitchen, it was a bit overwhelming. I immediately called Rick who came down to clean up while I cleaned up the Ricks. After we got the house cleaned and Ricks settled on the couch he went back up to bed with Maggie. I can't begin to put into words how grateful I am for his being present in those moments. There was a lot of studying for him to do today and a quiz to take. Rick never mentioned them and did what needed to be done.

Today he slept in and I tried to catch a quick nap. We are both still exhausted. His quiz is over and I hope he soon comes to bed. I am heading there right after I finish this post. I am afraid that once the ibuprofen wears off, Ricks will be up and screaming. His fever hit 105.3 tonight and it wasn't pretty. We tried the bath and fought with him to take the medicine. I consistently fed him ice chips to keep him hydrated. Once the medicine worked he ate some dinner and is now jumping in his crib. I am going to take advantage of the sleep time while I can. Good night and God please kiss my baby on the forehead. Grant him a quick recovery and please grant me some sleep!