Christmas 2010

This would be the first Christmas to host the Zander family at our house!  I was excited and nervous.  We have been having it at a community center for the last 4-5 years and people just want to be in a home for Christmas, so we volunteered.  Brave of us, right!  I had a wonderful "12 days of Christmas" plan for getting the house ready by December 25.  (I decided not to post it because I knew I couldn't really do it!)  I have been busy, but by December 23, we were still pretty much a wreck!  I wanted to do a really good, thorough job before Christmas so that after Christmas we could relax and do fun things like spend Mom's 85th birthday with her, go to the Science Center, have friends over and visit friends.  Have a sledding party... the list goes on and on!

On Thursday, Joseph complained of a headache.  He later had a fever of 101.  By evening I had decided maybe it is sinus infection?  In the night he had vomited a couple times, I'm sure its just from all that conjestion. 

Christmas Eve morning I called the doctor and got a script for antibiotic.  He will be fine by tomorrow.  I will just keep plugging away.  Today was to day to make goodies!  Yeah!!  But he didn't stop puking.  All day, he couldn't keep anything down.  In my denial state, I kept making goodies, planning on having everyone come the next day.  By evening, I had to call the relatives.  They actually weren't too concerned about it and said they would still come, depending on how he was in the morning.  By morning he was the same.  Poor kid!  He didn't even want to open presents with everyone else on Christmas Eve!  He wanted everyone else to, and wanted to watch them, but had NO interest in his own presents!  Wow!  That is sick.  So I am handing out presents with teary eyes.  That night was the same, vomiting.

Christmas morning, I was so sad to find out he was still sick!  Sicker and weaker than ever! Couldn't even keep water down!  Oh, my poor baby!  What an awful Christmas for him! *TEARS*  Since we weren't having all that company, I sort-of shut down.  I went back to bed.  Though I didn't sleep, it sure felt good!  I had been getting 6-7 hours or sometimes less all week.  Staying up late working on stuff.  Getting up early working on stuff.  I was worn out!  I moved to the couch and laid around watching movies all morning, drifting off here and there.  I finally got my shower at 1:30 and started lunch at about 2:30!  Tyler and his girlfriend Mandie came.  We had the lasagna dinner as planned for the Zander Christmas, and watched more movies.  (We watched movies all day Friday and Saturday!)  We had a nice time playing Monopoly and Sequence. (Girls against boys- girls WON at Sequence!)  By this time Joe is actually wanting Chocolate milk.  He had asked for some soup earlier but never ate it.  The only chocolate milk I had was some Swiss Miss packets so I made it then put ice cubes in, he liked it.

Today, Sunday, I stayed home with him and he is very chatty, "Mommy" this and "Mommy" that.  I made him take a bath. (Though he NEVER needs one!)  Again, watching a lot of movies, but from an upright position this time.  He had more chocolate milk and guzzled some lemon water.  He isn't hungry, but is working hard on hydration.  Praise the Lord!!!  He has lost some weight, he looked anorexic when I helped him out of the tub.  He still has dark circles under his eyes, his whole face has unusual coloring.  But I am so happy to hear him talk and ask for things! 

Sigh... what we mothers go through when our little ones are sick.  It just does something to a mother's heartstrings.  I prayed and prayed over him.  Why is it any little illness makes me think they are going to die?  I think of the olden days when any fever meant the possibility of death and many families often lost more children than survived.  How heartbreaking that must have been.  My heart goes out to anyone who has lost children... of any age.