Date Night and Taking Care of a Toddler with a Stomach Bug

Poor Coco has been so ill the past two days. I have never seen her so sick in her life. It started Sunday evening when J and I were on our way home from the comedy show. Good thing we had fun, because when we got home it was all over! :( Click on "Read more" below to get the full story and hear about our date, too! 

Up until Sunday night, Coco had never been put to bed by someone else except for my mom, so we weren't sure how it would go. I was pretty confident it would go okay because our routine is so established, but you never know, and I didn't want our friends to be stuck with an unhappy, tired toddler on their hands. So to prepare Coco, I talked with her throughout the day on Sunday about what was going to happen that evening. I explained that our friends were coming over with their baby (huge plus in Coco's book! She loves babies.) and that she would do night-night with them instead of with me and daddy. She was fine with it and said "bye-bye!" right then. ;) All went well saying goodbye to her when we left and our friends sent us a message at 7:03 to say that Coco had gone to sleep without more than a couple minutes of crying. Success!

Once we got the message she had fallen asleep easily, we relaxed and had a fantastic evening. First, we went to the Irish pub for a Guinness because it was St. Patrick's Day. They had a live duo playing Irish songs and covers and it was packed and lively! Then we made our way to the comedy show and it was hilarious! We drank bubbly and I was actually embarrassed at how much I laughed. I was by far the loudest audience member. Does that ever happen to you? Probably not. ;)

After the show, we caught the tram and about seven minutes from home, we got the call. Coco had thrown up and was having a hard time. She was asking for me. Oh no! I felt so sad for Coco because throwing up is the absolute worst, and I was so sorry that my friend had to be in the driver's seat with a vomiting toddler. It's somehow possible to deal with when it's your own, but with someone else's toddler? She is a saint! We rushed home and sent our friends home with apologies. Then it was down the rabbit hole of toddler misery. 

J stripped her crib and I got Coco's bedding and pajamas in the washing machine. Obviously we didn't want to let those sit and get even stinkier overnight. Then, because it was already late and J had to work in the morning, Coco and I slept in her nursery, which is really more like the guest room. I used receiving blankets to line her bed space and we went through 8 or 10 blankets overnight and every single pair of pajamas she has. By early morning, I was lucky to find leggings and Onesies to have her wear. She threw up or dry heaved every 30-40 minutes Sunday night. It's really hard to watch your toddler go through that. In between, I rubbed her back to comfort her and then she slept like a rock until the pain woke her up again. It was brutal. 

Monday was an all-day laundry marathon to catch up from the night. I called the doctor, but they said to give her spoonfuls of water and we didn't need to come in unless she didn't pee for six hours. She was hungry and thirsty, but everything that went in came back out, even the smallest amounts. It was so awful. The house was contaminated! She hit the kitchen floor in about five or six spots as well as the entryway floor, the rug in her nursery and various spots in the bathroom. She was all out of sorts and not herself as you can see from the photo. In the afternoon she took a really long nap and while she slept, I immediately got to work and cleaned the apartment - with bleach! When she woke up, I had to call the doctor's office again. Her diaper was dry; she hadn't peed for six hours. We went straight in. As we walked out the door to the doctor's office, I realized as rain drops landed on my head, that because of the focus and intensity of the day, I hadn't even looked up enough to notice the weather! 

Our pediatrician is amazing! I learned a very valuable thing at his office: How to give electrolytes or water to a sick person so that they'll stay down. Using an oral syringe, we timed it and he gave Coco 5 milliliters every 3 to 5 minutes. It's painstakingly slow and she was screaming for more in between, but the doctor stuck to it and timed out the spoonfuls. Apparently 5 milliliters is officially a spoonful. How did I not know this? All day, I had been giving Coco actual spoonfuls, which were insufficient and led to me just giving her the whole bottle of electrolyte solution. Then, every time, she threw up ten minutes later because it was too much and overwhelmed her stomach. It was a very valuable thing to learn, and just from the 5 or 6 spoonfuls she had with the doctor, she peed! He gave me a rundown of what to expect over the next 48 hours, was reassuring and put my mind at ease. Then Coco and I headed home. J and I continued to give her electrolyte solution like that throughout the evening and then she slept from 9 until 2 am. At 2, I got up with her and gave her another 160 ml by doing the oral syringe every 2 minutes while we watched Kipper on the iPad. 

By morning, she was able to nurse. Around noon, I gave her a bath and blew her hair dry. She's been alternating between sleeping and drinking electrolyte fluids all day. The poor little bunny has a fever and she's miserable, but it's such a relief that she is on the mend. Having a sick toddler is scary and completely turns your world upside down. So, I'm off to nap with our little angel because I'm completely exhausted myself. What tips do you have for taking care of sick little ones? It's overwhelming and I'd love to have your tricks up my sleeve! ;) xo