We Survived

Seriously - I feel like we deserve a bumper sticker that says, "My Family Survived the NoroVirus."  What an icky, awful virus!

When Aaron first got sick, we didn't know what it was. It seemed to hit him fairly easy... he had diarrhea and threw up 4 times Tuesday evening ... after that he was simply clingy and whiny (the normal, "I'm sick, hold me," child whine). We assumed he had the flu, I felt like a terrible parent for only having him get one flu shot, and we moved on...

Here we are Wednesday when Aaron only had diarrhea left - he was super snuggly. And then he discovered the pull strings on my hoodie...

 Then Wednesday night, I fell. I'd had a hard day anyway - contractions consistent for a few hours (yes, this happens regularly) and a migraine. When Eric got home, I collapsed. We put Aaron down early and luckily, he went down. I laid as still as possible till 9 pm when the system reboot began. This virus makes makes your intestines and stomach inflamed and forces you to purge everything ... There is intense cramping and lots of throwing up. The cramping lasts for a few days. For me, the throwing up lasted until 2:30 am. I won't upset you with the number of times I threw up, but at one point, I was so shaken and so miserable I asked Eric for a Blessing. I have a very strong testimony in the Priesthood and knew that through it, I could get the peace I needed to sleep. I was obviously very scared for the baby inside me - I needed to provide nourishment and that was something I simply could not do. In the Blessing, Eric said that through this virus, I would learn the power of prayer... huh - well, ok. After the Blessing, I was more calm. At 2:30 was when I stopped throwing up. I knew I had to get something in my for the baby so little by little and prayer by prayer, I had a few sips of water. My cramping was still miserable, but at least I was keeping down what I drank - even though it caused the cramping to be worse.

Around 3:30-4, Eric started writhing in the bed. The cramping had begun for him and it was so intense he was in capable of holding still. I stroked his hair and did what I could, but wished I could do more. Then, I remembered my Blessing - that I would learn the power of prayer. I don't think Eric could hear me, but I whispered to him that though I could not give him a Blessing to help his body calm as he did for me, I could pray for him. I leaned over near his ear and said aloud a prayer for him and for our family. It was not long after that his movements calmed and his breathing regulated. He was asleep. He slept until 6:30 when Aaron woke (Aaron slept through the night. He woke each time I threw up but put himself back to sleep. Thank goodness). He felt well enough to get up and get Aaron ready to depart for Mark & Ane's home. Now that Eric and I had each experienced the virus, we knew what we had. I called a friend of mine, Britney, who is a nurse and had just gone through the virus herself and learned how it spreads. With caution, we knew Mark & Ane would be safe - there was no way Eric and I were capable of taking care of Aaron. Aaron was lucky and it appears the virus did not hit him hard - he did not seem to have the pain we experienced and he bounced back ridiculously fast.

We spent the day in bed. Aaron was brought back in the evening and put straight to bed. We finally ate a meal Friday evening. Prior, it was all crackers and clear liquids (Thank you Britney for the medication and Ane for the crackers, liquids, and the soup we were finally able to consume). Aaron was bored since we weren't terribly active, but he found ways to entertain himself.





Saturday, Eric was weak, but healed - I was still healing. Come Sunday, we knew we should stay home from church, but we felt well enough for a celebratory breakfast:

Can you tell which plate belongs to the crazy, over eager, pregnant lady who over did it and paid for it later, but it was so totally worth it???

I am so grateful for the people who helped us through this virus and for the Lord - He Blessed us in many ways and I learned a lot from this experience. One other thing I learned... Aaron loves music - he always has. Every night before bed (and recently, every nap), he asks for a song. This week, I was singing I Am A Child of God and something hit me. I had always sung it as a declaration that I am indeed a Child of God ... but as I sang the other verses, I realized, it is also a plea - a plea from the children to their parents to teach them and guide them in the ways of righteousness... The line in the second verse, before it grows too late scared me, but I am grateful I caught it while my children are this young. Aaron's bedtime routine involves him brushing his teeth, then climbing on Daddy's lap to read from the Children's Book of Mormon. Aaron then races to his bedside to kneel for prayers (p.s. he is pretty awesome at saying his own prayers with our help). I know that he is on the right track and is gaining a love for the Gospel. We show him pictures of Jesus and the Temple, but I know that I can do more to integrate Christ into his life. I am taking this song to heart and accepting the challenge to do so.