Mrs. Murphy’s Law*

(This plant in my dining room has sprouted a really tall vine, which has nothing whatsoever to do with this post.)

I was pretty vague about it, but Ryan was out of town last week, so the boys and I were hanging out by ourselves.  The last time he traveled, Rhys was a baby and we were stuck at home a lot.  This time, it was much easier, since the boys are in school and have regular activities to keep them busy each day.  We did really well, and Ryan’s parents came over each evening to give me a break and help out with the bedtime routine.

Since Ryan just changed jobs, our insurance was in a sort of in-between state, and I was nervous about possible doctor visits.  Rhys and I both had to see the doctor for allergy-related issues last week, and it all worked out fine in the end.  Thursday night, I was lying in bed thinking that we had reached the homestretch, that we’d made it, that our week had been really nice and even peaceful.  I was proud of myself for managing everyone all week by myself.

About ten minutes after that, James came into my room and got sick all over the bathroom floor.  Three times.  My first thought was, “Oh no, poor guy!”  And then, “I have to clean that up.”  So I got James settled and back to bed, then set about mopping the bathroom floor at 1 a.m.  James got sick a few more times that night, and I finally put him to bed with me after going through all of his clean sheets.  Both of us got very little sleep, and my father-in-law took Rhys the next morning so we could catch up on rest.

Everyone was back to normal by Saturday, and we prepared for Ryan’s arrival that night.  His parents and I tried out a new Italian restaurant in town and ordered a take-out pizza.  It didn’t seem to sit well with me, and by the time Ryan arrived home, I was feeling pretty sick.

You can imagine where this is going.  I spent Saturday night in the bathroom and Sunday in bed.  Somewhere in there, Rhys got sick, too, but decided not to tell us, so Ryan discovered it when the boys woke up in the morning.  He cleaned and sterilized Rhys’ bedroom, did the laundry, and kept the boys busy all day while I rested.  My in-laws also caught the bug, after all the time they spent at our house.  It was a pretty gross weekend for everyone.

The boys’ little bodies recovered quickly, but I’m really worn out.  I couldn’t sit at the computer without feeling sick, so I had to bow out of my post yesterday.  I’m still feeling tired and a little weak, but I’m able to do laundry and take care of the boys, so I should be back to normal soon.  Luckily, Ryan seems to have dodged the bullet this time around, and I’m so thankful he was home by the time the worst of the bug hit our house.

Here’s to better days ahead.

*I wasn’t familiar with Mrs. Murphy’s Law, until my mom mentioned it this weekend.