This Family

Whew! This has truly been one hell of a week (and then some)! Coulby endured the nasty stomach virus that seems to be running rampant throughout the United States (okay, okay, the Drama Queen is coming out in me...but it has been hitting HARD in MD and surrounding states), landing him at Hopkins for 4 days! Read previous blog posts to see how that hospital stay went, and you will understand when I say we all went through hell and back, but especially Coulby.

Once our family of four was reunited at home, it was only a day before my hubby and Caroline were competing in an all-night vomit marathon, plagued by the same above-mentioned stomach virus that Coulby had. Being of weak mind and stomach when it comes to others vomiting, I swore I would be joining in if I had to keep hearing or seeing anyone else do it, so I quarantined the hubby and daughter in a room for a little over a day and focused my attention on Coulby. He bounced back from his illness and hospitalization with flying colors! Resilient little guy!

All vomiting had ceased. Finally. We washed everything and the house smelled like a bleach bomb had exploded in it. I love that smell! It reminds me of all things clean. And all things germ-free! So we thought we were in the clear...ha ha! How could I have been so naive as to think that after being exposed to such a nasty virus, I would not get it too? I mean, I think I knew I had a 99.9999% chance of ending up sick as well, but I figured if I willed it away it might just leave me alone. Fate would not be so cruel, right? WRONG!

As if we had not been through enough, I ended up sick as well. It started as a little stomachache that took on a life all its own by the middle of the night. My stomach rebelled against me, only tolerating Ginger Ale. I was not hit as hard as my poor hubby, but also did not rebound as quickly as my resilient children. I slept a whole day of my life away. A whole day!! AND managed to sleep through that night after sleeping through the whole day! If I had any catching up on sleep to do, I more than made up for it. But I survived! I am awake today, out of bed, showered, dressed, eating and drinking...back to the land of the living. Not feeling 100% better just yet, but about 99.9999% there.

And my point? Well, it is not to feel sorry for my family or myself. It is not to say, "Hey, look what we have been through. Poor us!" It is certainly not to say that we have had things any worse than some because I know someone always has it worse. What I really want to say is that this family, my family, might be dealt some punches in life. They might come fast and furious. It might feel like we will not get back up after having the wind knocked out of us. But we always do. We always bounce back. Better and stronger for all of it!