The Winter Blues: Flu Edition!

My poor little man

Man, oh man! Ol' man winter came knocking on our door last week and brought nothing but viruses and flu bugs! We have been one sick household and am so thankful today was our first day back to (semi) normal! Starting last Tuesday, Ethan threw up all day long...six different times! We thought maybe it was the 24-hour flu bug because some family had it the week before and said he should be fine by the morning. The next day he was so lethargic and could barely lift his head so we literally camped out on the couch and enjoyed mommy/son snuggles. Wednesday was another day of him not having any energy whatsoever, throwing up, and sleeping/resting on my chest all day. By Thursday, he was actually sitting up and drinking small amounts of milk...maybe 3 oz. because we didn't know how much he could handle. I gave him a bath that evening and he was up walking around in the kitchen and threw up again! Friday morning, after more vomit, I knew something was up so I called the doctor and  made an appointment. They said he had a gastrointestinal virus that should last 7-10 days.

We had been keeping a close eye on him to see if he was staying hydrated because not only was he vomiting, but also having diarrhea. He's never been a fan of Pedialyte and was barely drinking water, but the doctor reassured me babies don't need that much liquid to keep them hydrated. They weighed him at the office and he had already lost weight =( He's the last little munchkin that needs to lose weight! Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I would find him in the mornings covered in puke...but then he would be okay during the day. We were so cautious on the milk and tried giving it to him in smaller amounts more frequently throughout the day...we knew the little guy had to be starving!

So pitiful =(

Yesterday, his appetite started to come back a little and he ate a couple bites of solid food which was encouraging. Little man had quite the week - we felt so, so bad for him and it's just heartbreaking to see him not feel well. The doctors certainly knew what they were talking about, though, because he got sick for seven straight days! Thankfully, it seems like it's out of his system and definitely looking forward to a better week!

Friday night, after taking Ethan to the doctor that morning, I got hit HARD with the flu bug!! I started to feel funny around 9pm and said I was going to go lay down. Not an hour later, I'm violently puking and continued to do so for the next.nine.hours.straight! Oh my word, it was absolutely brutal. I was so sore for about two days after because of all the muscles I pulled/strained in my torso. I spent pretty much all day Saturday in bed and was so grateful Eric was home over the weekend to take care of Ethan. I started feeling better on Sunday and had my first real meal yesterday - it was delicious! =) Today I feel like I'm making up for all the lost calories because I want to do nothing but eat! Baby's hungry!!

 

It is a godsend that Eric didn't get sick through all this! We laugh because he's the only one who didn't get a flu shot this year...funny how he's the healthy one! He had his work cut out this weekend taking care of both Ethan and I and he did an amazing job! Here's to hoping all germs are gone and we stay healthy the rest of the winter!!

Sitting big in his chair!

I brush my own teeth!