Santa and Sicknesses

One might be wondering what Santa Claus and sicknesses have in common. Well, let me tell you. In my household this week the two are sin-ominous with the topsy-turvy roller coaster ride of holiday cares and worries, excitement and surprise, health and happiness, and sickness and vomiting.

As we all know, traveling during the holidays is fraught with frustrations and dangers: loose wires, burnt fuses, and blown low beam lights; threats of traffic tickets, drunk drivers galore; and unfamiliar bugs, viruses, and colds to contend with, to name a few.

Our seven-hour trip to Vermont went off relatively smoothly. The initial plan to leave the night before, at 9 p.m., was scrapped for a more realistic plan of leaving at 3 a.m., the following morning. Then again, that idea was laid to rest before full gestation; and we finally agreed to embark on our momentous sojourn a little before 8 a.m., our day one of three out-of-state. For much of the drive– almost five-and-one-half-hours worth– the kids were great! Playing, laughing, entertaining themselves quickly became the norm. It was only after leaving the speeds of Interstate travel for the serpentine roads of backwater NY and Vermont that the kids realized they were bored. And bored they acted.

The actual visit worked out well. The kids had fun, Grandma and Grandpa had fun, and we had fun too. The only problem came when Simon was sick the second day of our visit. After vomiting in a local store, he remained close to my side or lying on my chest for the remainder of the day. Taylor ended up feeling under the weather on the car ride home, which allowed her to sleep comfortably a good portion of the trip, which worked out well for Mom and Dad.

Christmas was celebrated in our home Christmas Eve morning. A perfect day for the kids.

Christmas Day, however, was ugly. Simon was sick. Taylor was sick. And Daddy quickly reached his wit’s end dealing with two needy children.

As for today, Simon's not well. Last night he was sick– throwing up and diarrhea. Taylor also threw up once before bed. 

Simon was up at 11:40 pm, 1:40am, 2:40am, 3:40am, and he threw up all over his room around 4am this morning. He's thrown up three more times this morning. Suffice to say, we've done a lot of laundry this morning!

What does Santa and sicknesses have in common? A quick visit will show you all you need to know.