Laundry, Sick Kids, Bed Sheets, and Toddling Tots

It’s been a rough week in our frugal household.  Most notably, my daughter -who turned 4 last Friday- came down with a nasty tummy bug, and has been OUT all week.  She started feeling off on Sunday, but woke up Monday morning feeling well enough to go to school and ballet, but didn’t touch her lunch.  She came home, took off her ballet clothes and put on her jammies and plopped herself down for a three hour nap.  (An unnatural act for a child who’d not taken a nap for over two weeks prior to this!)  Even after she woke up, she was rather puny and lacked an appetite for the remainder of the day….

Tuesday, same thing: she woke up feeling fine, went to her 4-year check-up and got her shots.  By the time we came home, she was starting to feel a little off, wouldn’t eat, and took a two hour nap.  That evening I knew we were dealing with a stomach virus.  And I’ll just leave it at that.

She stayed home, sleeping it off most of the day on Wednesday.  (Skipping her Easter party at school, for which I was supposed to be a “party mom”…)  But she continued to get worse, so on Thursday, we went back to the doctor.  That visit was the pits: she was so weak, she couldn’t open her eyes.  She was like a limp noodle, as the pediatrician tried to check her out.  After the lab techs had to draw blood to check her blood (a sight or sound I never wish to hear, pitiful pleas of “I don’t want a shot.  I don’t want a shot.”), the conclusion was low blood sugar and dehydration.  No surprise to me, since she was unable to keep anything down (including water) for over 24 hours.

She was given some Zofran, followed by water and then Gatorade to sip on, and we were eventually discharged.  (Did I mention my 15 month old son was in his stroller throughout this ordeal?  Bless his sweet, patient heart.)

All the while, I’ve been doing loads and loads and loads of laundry, in addition to my regular laundry schedule.  So, even though I only use a little bit of detergent, I swear I saw a significant dip in my supply in just a week!

In the meantime, I came to the conclusion that ONE spare bed sheet simply won’t cut it.  So, thankfully, Anna’s Linens is having a sale through this weekend: 25% off a single item, with the promo code spring25. I will certainly be stocking up, especially since I have two full-size beds (one for each kid) — one extra sheet just won’t cut it on those occasions when tummy bugs invade our house in full force!

All in all, it’s been a draining week. But, I believe my daughter is on her way to recovery — but it’s going to be a slow process. We’ll be taking it easy this weekend, encouraging as many sips on her “special juice” as possible, allowing indulgences in whatever crackers or (reasonable) treats she wishes. After all, when you’re already a skinny mini, losing two pounds in two days is just …sad…

On a positive note, however, I am pleased to watch my son toddle around, making his way to being a full-time walker this week. I forgot just how damn cute it is at this stage. He walks with his arms up, over his head, as if cheering himself on, which he actually does once he reaches point “B” with a boastful “YAY!”

Thanks for letting me vent, y’all. As I said, it’s been quite a week. Hopefully, things will only look up from here. Hopefully, less laundry will be done at my house next week. Hopefully, new bed sheets will arrive well before they are ever needed. And hopefully, too, I can savor these moments as my son transitions to a full-time walker, leaving a piece of his infancy behind, and embracing toddlerhood more fully. *sigh*

P.S.  Did I mention I burned my finger the other day too?  Right on the pad of my finger.  Nice.