sickness – April Coker, Author

When Grandparenting isn’t Fun

Impossible, you say. Everyone knows that being a grandparent is a barrel of fun. And yes, it is, until someone gets sick.

The Evil Norovirus attacked my granddaughters and me with a vengeance this week, and it took no prisoners. My daughter called me Tuesday and asked me if I could come help her because the baby was sick. Being the loving mother and grandmother I am, I of course went to give her some time to rest and clean and run to the grocery store. Three-year-old granddaughter entertained me and we played while the little one slept.

Asleep on the “Coco-pedic.” As much as I hate for them to be sick, I do love the cuddling.

The next morning I got word that TYO was now sick. Before I raced to the rescue I noticed that my stomach was a little off but I told myself it was nothing. At D’s house I held towels next to my sweet G’s mouths as they vomited and held them when they cried. I helped D clean up around the house when I could. Just after lunch my own tummy announced its displeasure. I made the wise decision to go on home, not wanting to leave the girls but afraid of what might happen if I didn’t. Turns out I made the right choice.

They stayed here all day. So not normal.

My tummy had my north and south poles revolting all night long and into the next morning, leaving me weak and five pounds lighter. (That last part didn’t last!) Yep, all that grandma loving left me wide open for some norovirus love. And if that’s love, I’d hate to see the hate!

Too sick to play with the new Play-doh set Mommy got her.

My daughter sent me some information she found on Reddit, which said in essence that the way the norovirus spreads is by being spewed forth in bodily fluid eruptions from the body. The virus causes fluid to be drawn from all over the body to provide a medium for itself. Horrible. All I need to convince me to wash my hands and disinfect all contacted surfaces. Another interesting tidbit? The usual disinfectants won’t kill the norovirus, so she ordered special wipes from Amazon. You can get them here, as well as other products that will kill viruses.

Baby during a burst of energy before bed.

It’s been six days, and still the girls don’t feel like themselves. TYO is still lying on the couch, but she is at least eating and playing a bit. Baby eats well and plays, but tires easily and is fussy. This old coot sprang back after two days, and even went to work yesterday.

Happier days. . .

It’s hard to see my sweet grandbabies not feeling well. I’d give anything to chase them around outside, even while sweating in the 95-degree heat. I want to hear them giggling, whining, and even fighting with each other. They are the sunshine of this granny’s life, and I pray there’ll be many more sunny days ahead. Please God, make my babies feel good again.

XOXO

#norovirus #virus #stomachflu #illness #grandparenting #grandchildren

I felt just fine until Tuesday. The weather was nice here on Monday so I spent some time outside playing in the Scamp, opening her door and airing her out, taking her window covers off so some sun could shine in. I even set up a cute little vignette outside the door complete with a metal flamingo and a mini garden flag with flamingos on it.

All of this made me want to go Scamping!

Then I walked down our blacktop country road with my daughter and my mom to say hello to the two miniature donkeys on our neighbor’s property. It was a nice, warm day, though a bit breezy.

Tuesday my throat became sore as sinus drainage irritated it, most likely caused by my outdoor venture the day before. By Wednesday I had a full blown sore throat with cough and drippy nose. But I was scheduled to work at the flag shop so I went.

After that very long day at work I picked up some over-the-counter cold remedies and hurried home to bed, where I have been ever since. A post to my expert friends on Facebook confirms that I probably don’t have the flu, and I tend to agree because I don’t have the fever or body aches, just a nasty probably viral sinus yuck thing.

BUT. There are perks to being sick.

Number 1: No one asks you to do anything. One of my sisters was going to ask me to go shopping with her but when she found out I was sick she changed her mind.

2: You don’t have to do housework or cook. Who wants a drippy nose over clean dishes or food?

3: You don’t even have to get dressed. I am starting to smell my own pajamas, but I have an excuse not to do anything about it.

4: You can sit around and even lay around all day and you don’t have to explain yourself. What to-do list?

5: You can eat ice cream or whatever you want just because it makes you feel better.

Disclaimer: Before you young moms get mad at me, I realize that none of this is true when you have children at home. You still have to take care of them, sick or not. Just be patient. Trust me, someday they will be raised and you can be the baby again.

As good as it sounds to be lazy, it’s not fun being sick. I’ll be glad when this whatever-it-is runs its course. After all, there is work to be done–thrifting, crafting, booth sprucing, even cooking and cleaning.

Stay well, my friends.

XOXO