It can only get better from here...Right???

Just a few days ago, I congratulated myself on the smooth transition we seem to have made with a new baby, new school year, and new babysitting schedule. Kaya was sleeping through the night allowing me to sleep through the night and even get my shower BEFORE she woke up in the morning. I was getting the kids up and moving and dressed and breakfasted and out the door to their three respective schools all aided by Kalen who has been able to be here first thing in the morning to drive Taylor to school and occasionally walk Lynnsey to the bus stop before he heads out to work. (That has never happened before. Normally he's gone by 6 a.m.) I am back to babysitting the same little boy, Aksel, as last year and a new little one year old girl, Lily. I thought it would be a huge adjustment. It wasn't. Things just seemed to be flowing right along.

Then, the stomach trouble that Lynnsey had last week turned out not to be nervousness after all. Instead the WORST possible stomach bug to hit our family in years has been rapidly taking out members of our family. And the awful part about it is just when you think you are done with it, it gets you again only worse than you can even imagine. Spencer got it the day after Lynnsey did. Kendall got sent home last Thursday and spent a few miserable hours before he seemed over it. By that night I had it. The next morning I was bettter. I was relieved that whatever this thing was, at least it was done and over with quickly. Then Taylor got sent home from school on Friday with it and Kalen came down with it at work the same time. Theirs seemed to last longer and Saturday morning they were still fighting it. By that afternoon, they were better. So we were all done right? Everyone but Kaya had it, but we've been vigilant at trying to guard her from it. Then Sunday night Kalen said he felt sick again and I mentioned I was feeling a little queasy too. Monday morning we were in absolute misery. I managed to get the kids to school and called the parents of the kids I babysit to tell them that we were sick again. And then we crashed. Spencer spent an entire day in front of the TV. My Mom came that afternoon and took Kaya to her place (by then Spencer was napping) so that I could try to get some sleep in between trips to the bathroom. It was really awful. We spent a terrible night but by the next morning felt a lot better. Not completely but the worst was over. We could at least function again in between bouts of cramping and nausea that would sneak in every so often. (I didn't babysit that day either). But by yesterday, we were all better and back to work and babysitting and the smooth schedule we'd established. Then today happened.

This morning, Kaya woke up before the alarm needing to be fed. So I took her downstairs and fed her which meant I had to shower after Kalen instead of before. That was okay though. I still had time. Kalen had to leave right after taking Taylor to school since he lost two whole days while he was out sick. I got out of the shower and woke up Lynnsey and told her to get dressed while I got dressed and then I'd meet her downstairs for breakfast. Well, this nearly 6- year -old kid who changes outfits a dozen times a day on her own, becomes utterly helpless in the morning and insists she can't do it all by herself. So I was trying to get her into her clothes while she was whining that she was "freezing to death" (can't wait for winter!), Kaya was screaming in her bed, Spencer woke up in one of his moods and was yelling that he "needed me right now", I was trying to figure out how embarrassing it would be for me to take Lynnsey over to the bus in my bathrobe, and then I heard an all too familiar noise coming from the bathroom. Kendall was awake...and vomiting. Here we go again.

I told Lynnsey to at least get her socks on and I'd help her with her shoes when I got downstairs. I ran and threw on some clothes, sent Kendall back to bed, rescued Kaya from her bed, ran downstairs to gather Lynnsey's backpack and papers, called to tell the school that Kendall wouldn't be coming today and to tell Aksel's mom that I couldn't babysit..again, put Kaya down crying again while I put Lynnsey's shoes and jacket on her, and got Spencer's shoes on him. Then Spencer had a major meltdown because he was still in his p.j.'s and demanded that I get him dressed. At that moment, I heard the bus across the street and I knew we had to make a run for it. Lynnsey still hadn't gotten her hair brushed or brushed her teeth and Spencer was screaming that he wasn't going in pajamas. So I told him he'd have to stay with Kendall but that got him madder so he decided pajamas were better. So I yelled to Kendall that I'd be back in a minute and to keep an eye on Kaya, who had finally just decided to make the best of things in her swing (yeah, I know I should get the mother of the year award for leaving my sick 8-year-old in charge of my newborn. It was just across the street though and as it turns out we didn't even make it that far and were gone for was maybe 30 seconds). I ran out the door with Spencer in my arms, dragging Lynnsey behind me and made it to the end of the sidewalk in time to see the bus pulling away.

So, we turned around and went back in the house where I took a few seconds to gather my sanity and actually brush my daughter's hair and put some clothes on Spencer. Then we loaded Kaya in her seat and drove Lynnsey to school. I parked at what I thought was the closest entrance to her classroom but it turns out that door was locked so we had to hike around to the front entrance. We took a shortcut across the grass because the thought of hauling an 85 pound car seat all the way around the school on the sidewalk was unappealing and that's when I realized Lynnsey had never gotten her socks on (no I didn't notice that when I put her shoes on earlier) because she started complaining about all the dew from the grass getting in her shoes. Oh well. I was not about to go home for socks. We all squished and sloshed our way down the hall to the classroom where I discovered we were...early! The teacher was just going to collect the kids from the gym where they line up. So I had another minute to gather my wits again before getting Lynnsey into her classroom and heading back home.

Now things have settled down a bit. Kaya is napping, Spencer is sitting with me begging to see pictures of himself and his cousin Bentley again, Kendall is miserable but hasn't thrown up for about half an hour. But I am left wondering what's next? Will we get another phone call from the schools? Will I ever babysit again? Will they stop believing me when I call everyday and tell them I can't babysit? Will this virus just keep cycling around our family until the end of time? It's times like this that I just have to remind myself that this is the life I dreamed of. And I guess in spite of it all, it still is even with all the craziness. Just minus the vomit please.