The Sunday before returning to work, I told my husband, "The baby is going to get sick. He always does when he returns to daycare." I was at work for three days when I checked on my son to find him lying in a puddle of his vomit. In his defense, he was in very good spirits.
At 5:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, I found myself on the phone with my boss to call off work. I always hated calling off work. It feels shameful and awkward. But my boss was understanding and there I was with my son pretending I knew what to do.
I had no clue how to handle the situation. This was his first stomach virus. As his little body sat on my lap dry heaving into a towel, I consulted my Facebook friends. I left a general status asking for advice on caring for a stomach virus. They left great words of wisdom which I followed. It left me wondering, how did my Mom survive parenting without Facebook?
I was encouraged to feed my son Pedialyte, but didn't have the car to make purchases. My husband, who also had the virus, still went to work with our only car. Luckily, a good friend made the stop for me on her way to work, and I kept my baby hydrated.
I was surprised how easy he was to care for. He required hydration, sleep, and snuggling. I actually got work done at home, so I didn't have to feel so shameful about calling off.
On Friday, we all returned to our normal routine as if nothing had happened. It was a lovely weekend, except for my stomach virus.
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