Inopportune times

What is it about kids that they only get sick in the middle of the night or on special occasions? Is it just my kids that do that?

Hot Rod started running fever Sunday and was hot and miserable yesterday, too. Well, about 1:30 a.m. he comes into my bedroom to tell me his stomach really hurts. I encourage him to lay down beside my bed or go back to his. Well, he wakes me up a few more times to let me know he has diarrhea and his stomach really hurts now. Finally, I encourage him to lay on the couch or in his bed. He chooses the couch. About an hour later and several trips to ask me if he can play games or watch TV, he tells me he threw up on the couch. So, up I go and pull off the slipcover (thank God for it at this time) and toss it and the offending blankets, pillow case, etc. into the washing machine. I set him up again and put on a DVD for him and gave him a hot water bottle for his tummy. I also put some towels and a trashcan nearby for the next one. As AoD is levaing for work this morning, he tells me the child puked one more time in the trashcan. Thank goodness I thought of that in my groggy state of mind. He seems much better this morning, just weak. Still a little feverish, though. May be another day of being at home. Talked to the pediatrician yesterday and he said this bug going around is three to five days of fever. Yippee.

Made me think of all the times my kids have puked in my old minivan. Here are the top three:

1. Pickle did it in November 2000 on the way to Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Not once, but twice. We cleaned it as best we could, but, that smell stewed around in the vehicle all day while we were in the park. We opened the back window panels, but eww. Still icky when we returned. Gross.
2. Christmas Day 2002, 2-month-old Stinkerbelle was really sick and we were driving to the children's hospital in Fort Worth when she puked twice in the car on the way. She didn't have RSV, but it was almost as bad the doctor said. We had her on all kind of drugs and albuterol breathing treatments. Scary because she was so little.
3. October 2004, on our way to meet my mom and go to Fright Fest at Six Flags. First off, Pickle pukes on the way. Pull over clean him and the puke up. (I keep towels in the car for a reason.) Then, we are almost there to meet my mom and Hot Rod pukes. We didn't have a change of clothes for him and it was all over him, soaking him to his underwear. So, he is stripped down to his shirt and undies and we're down two towels now. Pickle is feeling better and thinks eating might help. Nope, he puked on the way home from meeting my mom and saying, nope we're not going. So, we have three pukey towels, pants and socks and a 30-mile drive home. It was my last towel and fortunately no one else puked.

Ahh, these are the things no one tells you about about your baby showers when they're giving you cute little outfits and toys.