It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
We really look forward to our visits with Matt's family. We don't get to see them very often, so we really try to pack in the fun while we're up there. This time we were only going for a few days, and in order to not pay a billion dollars we flew up on Tuesday and came back Friday. In the days leading up to our trip, I was a bit concerned. Ben had had a nasty cold which lead to an ear infection. When that was all said and done, it was three weeks. The day his antibiotic course ended he started throwing up. It went on for a couple of days. I was nervous because we were going to be getting on a plane, and I really didn't want him to be sick for yet another holiday/vacation. Monday he seemed to be doing a bit better (the throwing up had stopped at least). He was a little weak and out of it, but that was fair considering he'd been sick for over three weeks at that point, and he'd lost a couple of pounds. But he seemed on his way back to being his happy, energetic self. Emma was also coming back from a week of being sick. In fact, the night before we left I'd emailed her doctor to ask her if I would be able to travel with her medication, and I threw in the fact that for the last couple of nights she'd been waking up and wailing her head off every 30-60 minutes. So when we got on the plane Tuesday it was with a bit of anxiety as to whether we were doing the right thing in hauling our kids up to Northern California. It was also Emma's first flight, so there was some anxiety there. She actually did quite well. She slept for most of the flight, and uttered nary a peep. We came prepared with movies and books and toys for Ben, but he just wanted to curl up in his seat and stare out the window. He even slept a little. At 9am. That should have been my first clue.
In the car on the way to our family's house from the airport, I got a call from Emma's doctor. I didn't find the phone in time to answer it, but she'd left a message saying she wanted me to bring Emma in that morning, as she might have an ear infection. I called back saying we were out of town. She recommended we take her in up there. I decided to wait and see. Apparently I'm insane.
That day we went out to lunch with our family then went to the local mall to let Ben play with his cousin. Those two are a hoot, and seeing them play is often a highlight of our visits. They had a great time. We were exhausted, but I was so happy to see Ben so happy. He was so happy, in fact, that he wanted to ride in their car on the way home. And then he was so happy that he threw up all over it. All. Over. If anyone wants to know how hard it is to clean barf out of a carseat, it's REALLY HARD.
We never fully recovered. We tried hard to enjoy the time with the family, but it was a challenge because both of our children were miserable a large percentage of the time. Matt and I were exhausted and stressed out from trying to take care of two sick kids in a home that was not ours, all the while trying to please everyone and still participate in activities. We did end up taking Emma to Urgent Care, where we got antibiotics for her ear infection. Ben spent Thanksgiving dinner curled up in a half-coma on the couch watching Winnie the Pooh. We were sad, really, because what could have been a lovely week ended up being an ugly nightmare that couldn't end soon enough. We kept trying to salvage it. I really really wanted to take some family pictures in their gorgeous and picturesque backyard, but we never had four awake and happy family members at any given moment. We managed to see every family member, although we had to combine a few visits into one because we didn't want to be dragging our sick kids all over the place. Eventually Friday came and we flew home.
Friday we once again attempted to save the week. We tried to have our annual Black Friday Fun Day. We usually decorate for Christmas, watch movies, and walk to the mall to see the lights and play. But, alas alack, it was not to be. We found out while we were up north that we would be moving the following week, so we didn't want to decorate. We couldn't walk to the mall because Ben woke up from his nap and threw up for the eighth day in a row, prompting a second trip to Urgent Care that week. No matter our efforts, the universe continued to thwart our attempts at a happy holiday. And so Monday came, and we were battered and bruised, desperately needing rest and reprieve but having to return to our lives instead.
And yet we are Thankful. We are thankful for Matt's mom, who graciously hosted us and did her best to accommodate a family that gradually deteriorated as the days went on. Thank you for hosting us and taking care of us. We are thankful for the rest of Matt's family, who went out of their way to see us and spend time with us, despite the fact that we were so high maintenance. We are thankful for my mom, who was our airport taxi, and who, more importantly, came over and cleaned our house while we were gone so we wouldn't have to come home to a disaster. We are thankful for each other. Despite the constant barrage of attack, we have each other. And that is lovely enough.
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