We were in the car on the way to Shoprite, all 4 of us. Benji was screaming, so naturally we had Neil Diamond on, full blast. Judah begins to whine, presumably because Benji is so loud, and I get a whiff of peanut butter. That's when I know.
To spare you more gruesome details, over the course of the next few hours, there is more vomit. Over the course of the next few days, everyone is sick. This leads me, ultimately, to my first official blog post.
How To Deal With The Stomach Virus
1. Once there has been an official vomit (one that cannot be attributed to gagging or consumption of a spicy/irritating food), it has begun. Clear your schedule, cancel your plans. You're in virus land now.
2. Assume everyone will get it. Thinking you're special, or the baby is exempt, or your husband with the immune system of steel will be passed over, will just lead to disappointment and frustration. Commit, commit hard, and commit early.
3. Get yourself a vomit bowl. A good vomit bowl is unbreakable and deep with high sides. Make sure you like this vomit bowl. You will sleep with it. You will hold your toddler over it. You will hold your infant over it. You will be face first in it. You will carry it everywhere. (My fleishig salad bowl worked great).
4. Send someone for essentials. Essentials include: Pedialyte, Pedialyte popsicles, ginger ale, saltines, Resolve carpet cleaner.
5. If you're breastfeeding, it can be difficult to control how much volume is going into your infant, and reduction of volume is key in stopping the cycle of vomiting. Much to Benji's chagrin, I nursed for a minute and pulled him off. I did this a bunch of times. He hated it, since he's used to comfort nursing. However, a long session of comfort nursing was always followed by an eruption of puke. I did not have the time (Judah is puking too, remember?), hands, or desire to express breast milk and administer it a tablespoon at a time. Since he is "older" (10 months), I did give a few sips of Pedialyte to speed the absorption of vital electrolytes. I am the BIGGEST breastfeeding advocate and I did not like/enjoy/believe this advice when I first got it, but ultimately it was the healthiest thing to do for Benji. Who wants to have their baby in pain? Puking hurts.
6. Make sure all your towels are clean. Luckily, I am a hoarder of bath towels.
7. Co-sleeping family or not, you're going to want to bed close to the Puker, whether it's in their bed or yours. Lay towels down in the bed, so when someone misses the bowl, you can just roll up the towel and put down another.
8. It ain't over 'til it's over. And you never know when that is. So don't get cocky and start leaving the bowl on the first floor when you're on the second. That about guarantees puke on your carpet.
9. Relax your TV rules. This isn't the time to create meaningful recycled art, you crunchies. Stream the Netflix, use OnDemand, let your Fios flag fly!
Good luck, my friends. You're going to need it.
Information that helped us survive Puke Week 2012:
Genius. Pure genius.
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