Sickness Squared

Unfortunately, this past week was full of some sicknesses. Last Monday I watched my friend’s two children (who are friends with my kids), and from there it went downhill. The next day her daughter starting puking, and according to a strep test at the doctor was diagnosed with strep throat. 2 days later (after her daughter was feeling better), we all went out for ice cream and as I ordering at the walk-up window, my friend says, “Uh oh, he’s puking…”, referring to my son, Andrew. (My kids have a knack for puking as soon as we enter a restaurant establishment–—my older son did the same thing in a Chik-Fil-A several months ago. I felt lucky, though that neither had puked 2 mins earlier, which would have been all over my car. Restaurant workers just love us.) So after stripping him down, wrapping him with a towel which was handily in the trunk, my friend took CJ, while I whisked Andrew back home. It certainly put closure to the cranky mood he had been exhibiting for the past 48 days, so mystery solved there.

But wait, this story is not over.

Flash forward to Saturday afternoon, when Andrew is feeling better and it’s gorgeous weather. We all take a ride to the park, and within about 30 mins of being there, CJ starts spiking a fever. But he’s “OK, mom” according to him. Yep. So back at home, he lazily makes his way through the day insisting he is not sick when he’s sweating from a fever, not talking (extremely unusual), and refused a bowl of ice cream, claiming he wasn’t hungry. The refusal of ice cream sealed it for me. So, even though he never ended up puking, he suffered through the weekend (which did I mention was gorgeous weather?) with a fever. As of this morning when I left for work he was rather sprite and chewing on a banana.

But wait, this story is not over.

Back to my friend. Her and her family had plans to go away to PA this weekend, about a five hour drive from where we are in Columbus. While all went well in PA, on the ride back, her 6 year old son was puking the whole way home.

Isn’t this August? I thought we weren’t supposed to be dealing with mystery stomach viruses. I thought all that was saved for the winter months when we are either coughing, sneezing, puking or aching?