Stay Far, Far Away!

Today marks one week plus one day of my kids being the most sick as I've ever seen them.  Both of them have had several days with a fever of 104 degrees, breaking only when I give them Tylenol and spiking as soon as it wears off.  They have been throwing up, coughing a cough that rattles their lungs, and left with only enough energy to turn their head in the direction of my voice.  It has been so hard to see them this sick and I can only pray that they get better soon!  

To top off trying to take care of two sick kids at once, I have been diagnosed with "gasteritis".  This very painful and annoying condition basically means my esophagus is eating itself while the acid in my stomach tries to eat away my stomach lining.  This all started while I was grocery shopping on Monday and realized I was having chest pains.  My hands grew very cold and tingly, I felt the color leave my face, and it felt as though I couldn't catch my breath.  I raced home, called my mom, and told her I was having a heart attack!  I literally thought I was experiencing the final moments here on earth.  My mom calmed me down, like she always does, and we went through what I had eaten that day.  Hmm...I had pancakes for breakfast but hadn't eaten anything since then. (it was now almost 5:00)  I also had a quadruple shot coffee somewhere between breakfast and now.  Bingo!  Okay, so I wasn't have a heart attack but the acid reflux was enough to make me want to die.  I tried taking Pepcid and that did absolutely nothing.  I woke up on Tuesday morning after not being able to sleep all night, went to the doctor, and they prescribed me something that will hopefully make me feel more comfortable.  As I write this I have felt zero relief since this began on Monday but hopefully soon...hopefully!

Despite all the illness spreading in our family, Alex and I were able to retreat to a beautiful, relaxing, and cozy lodge for Valentine's Day!  He surprised me with an overnight trip to the Double Arrow Resort in Seeley Lake, MT.  It was absolutely amazing!  Grandma Leslie stayed over at our house and watched both kids for us, which means we truly had a night to ourselves!  We ate an amazing dinner, relaxed in a jacuzzi, played Scrabble by a real wood fire, and slept in a king-sized bed!!!  It was perfect.  This was the first night Alex and I have had to ourselves since Riley was born and it was so worth the wait.  Not having to worry about kids is a beautiful thing.  Our romantic getaway has a funny twist, though.  Okay, so Grandma Leslie got to our house at 6:00 PM on Saturday.  We drove to Seeley Lake which is about one and a half hours away, checked into our room at 7:30 PM, ate dinner, etc., etc., etc..  We woke up around 7:30 AM, at breakfast, finished our game of Scrabble from the night before, looked at each other around 9:00 AM, and realized it was time to head home.  Why?  I'm still breast-feeding Riley and was not smart enough to bring a breast pump with me, therefore it meant I had not "fed" her in over 15 hours.  For those of you women out there that have breast fed a child before, you know how painful it gets when you have had zero relief over any significant amount of time.  So, we packed the car, laughed at the fact that we were already going home, and walked through the door before 10:30 AM.  Ahhhh, a hungry child was the best homecoming present ever!  Relief at last!  

Even though we were only gone for a little over 12 hours, it was so worth it and we had a wonderful time.  Thank you,  Alex, for one of the best Valentine's Days ever!  I love you.

Now, if only we could all be healthy again. :(