Quarantined!

Lots of folks tell you parenting will be hard...very hard. But they don't exactly tell you what said hardships entail. For the past few days I have not been ankle deep, nor knee deep, but eyebrow deep in a parental hardship. I've worked in veterinary hospitals and necropsy labs so full of gross it would make your head spin but at least at the end of the day you get to go home, shower, and forget about the gross. Also, the gross isn't coming out of both ends of something you care about so much it's painful. So, to watch your infant daughter suffer from consistent to constant vomiting and diarrhea. HARD. It's also hard to be an infant with diarrhea because you don't know how to aim for a porcelain bowl yet. Therefore, you are stuck in diapers, and your momma has to wipe your sad, sore little bottom every five minutes because that's how often you are exploding. And often you are so explosive that the diaper acts as some sort of anti-poo wicking device and it goes everywhere. So, your momma puts you naked in a tub with no water which is wicked. Then she turns on the shower head which, of course, is broken and only sprays a concentrated jet of water at your sore little bottom which is terrifying. Also, momma is covered in poo and crying because you are terrified and sore and covered in poo. Next, due to said broken shower  momma puts you in a tub full of warm water which is nice and not scary and it feels so good you poo more. Now what. Momma is covered in poo. Baby is covered in poo. The super slow draining tub is full of poo. The shower is terrifying so not an option. How do you clean a baby who is pooing literally constantly?! HARD. Oh, and of course this is at the beginning of your husbands 48 hour shift so there is no relief coming. HARD. Day one ends and everything is covered in poo, baby hasn't eaten anything, and you are freaked because you are starting to understand how dysentery has killed children. Day two you really start to feel the isolation from human society. You are quarantined away from the friends that normally get you through the hard times like this one because you know this illness is highly contagious (poor grammy took the hit on that one). But the super awesome, amazing friends show up despite the sign on your door that says plague/beware. They bring new showerheads, coffees, pedialyte, and food! Of course they quickly have to run (literally) because plague baby has become interested in sharing her plague via sloppy Mo kisses. But, freshly caffeinated with a showerhead that sprays ever so gently you think you might survive the poo and isolation. Of course 100 diapers later you digress a little. However, here are a few tips in case you are ever stuck in the middle of this type of HARD.

1. Washing hands extremely important! First wash your own hands constantly. Second set up a "water play" tub with soap. Lay down towels in the kitchen and fill a infant accessible pan with soapy water. They will love to splash around/make bubbles and in the mean time hands washed. Voila.

2. Sick of Elmo yet? You will be after the 20th hour of that high pitched voiced, whiny red monster. But what else to do while in quarantine? Three words=dry erase markers! Place child in high chair with plastic tray, tupperware containers, and dry erase markers. Easy clean up crazy coloring. So much fun!

3. The worst part of this HARD is not knowing how to best feed/hydrate poor sad baby. Set up an assortment of refreshments. preferably near the whiny red monster viewing station. Three sippy cups (juice, water, pedialyte). All the BRAT diet foods. Crackers, bananas, more crackers. So that whenever baby feels like she can handle food/water there it is right in front of her. That way you don't have to keep trying to force things on her every 15 minutes, in the kitchen, where Elmo doesn't sing and dance for you.

4. Cover your floor in easily washable towels and blankets!

5. Call me and I will bring you coffee, pedialyte, food and a showerhead that sprays ever so gently ;)