The Dreaded Stomach Bug

On Monday morning, around 1:00a, I woke up to Isabella's frantically screaming for me.  I raced up the stairs into her room & found her sitting up in bed, shaking violently, pointing to her sheets.  I switched on the light & through blurry eyes discovered that my little pumpkin had gotten sick all over her bed & all over herself.
I raced downstairs to wake up Jim.  He knows the drill.  I filled the tub & raced back upstairs to grab Bella.  Jim tossed her into the tub while I stripped her bed & started a load of laundry.
After we got Bella all cleaned up Jim went back to bed & I covered the couch with sheets & blankets.  I explained to Bella why we were going to sleep on the couch & what the purpose of the "red bucket" was.  I prayed hard that she understood the concept & that should she feel the need to get sick again, it would land in the bucket & not on my couch.  I half-heartedly told myself that maybe her getting sick was a one-time fluke thing.
20 minutes later, without warning (not one cough, sniffle, gasp, NOTHING), Bella bolted up & got sick.  All over the couch.  *sigh*.  When she was finished she pointed to the red bucket & said "bucket, now?"  No sweetie...you're a little too late for the bucket now.
I started another load of laundry & then decided it would be best for us to camp out on the floor.  I created a little bed for us out of sheets & blankets & tried my best to make things as comfortable as possible but really, how comfortable can one make a hardwood floor?!  It didn't really matter much though because poor Bella proceeded to get sick every 15-20 minutes until 6:30a.  The poor girl was practically falling asleep in the bucket when her belly finally decided to give her a break.
The next couple of days were indeed nothing short of a blur for me.  With Jim working double shifts all week, between Vargas & Son and Tasca, I was on my own & caring for a toddler who has the stomach bug is, by far, one of the most difficult things ever.  She spent a good 24 hours alternating between sleeping & throwing up.  I had to force her to take sips of Pedialyte (Gatorade for little ones) knowing damn well that she was only going to throw it up anyways. 
By Tuesday the vomitting had stopped, replaced by a high fever.  She spent the rest of Tuesday & the better part of Wednesday sick.. but she started to show improvement on Wednesday night when her fever broke.  Thursday morning found her fever-free, although still without an appetite.  However she was back to playing again & seemed much more herself.  I thought to myself "The worst is over & not a moment too soon!"  I was wiped out.  Trying to giving 3 kids the attention they need on a daily basis is a challenge within itself but when one falls sick & needs "extra" attention that challenge becomes even greater of a task.  Add to that the fact that I was doing a load of laundry every hour 'round the clock ALL WEEK LONG & whew, I was DONE!
For the first time all week, despite feeling both mentally & physically exhausted, I went on the treadmill last night after the kids were in bed.  It felt great to get back into my regular routine.  Afterwards I took an extra long shower, letting all of the stress from the week wash off of me.  And I thanked the heavens above that for the moment it would seem as if the rest of us would be spared from the Dreaded Stomach Bug!
So here we are.  It's Friday morning.  Bella woke up bright eyed & bushy tailed at 6:30a.  She asked for some breakfast (and actually ate it!) & then went off to play, practically skipping w/ joy around the house.  I can't even begin to explain how nice it is to see her playing again.  To see her happy again.  To see some color in her face & the "devilish" spark in her eyes again.
And then...
I was feeding Savannah her first bottle of the day, which just so happens to be her biggest feeding of the day.  Typically she will drink about 7oz at this feeding (whereas her feedings for the rest of the day consist of 5 oz).  Jim had to get to a job early, so he was up with us.
Now normally Savannah all but attacks this first bottle.  She wakes up starving & sucks it down within 10 minutes flat.  But this morning she simply wasn't interested in eating.   After almost 15 minutes she had only drank about 3oz.  I cautiously spoke my mind to Jim & said "Geeze, for some reason she's not hungry yet.  Well, I'm not gonna force her to eat.." & with that I took the bottle out of her mouth.  Little did I know that the bottle seemed to be acting as a PLUG, for when I took it out of her mouth she proceeded to vomit EVERYWHERE!  All over herself, me AND the couch.  Oh, it was terrible.  Using complete team work, Jim & I tackled the huge mess & within about a half an hour things were somewhat under control again.  I started MORE laundry while Jim got the baby cleaned up.  I took her temp -- just under 101.  A few minutes later she was fast asleep, which is where she still is now - 2 hours later.
I put a call into the Dr, who wants to see her at 2p.  If they get a cancellation they will call & get her in sooner.  They are concerned that she will dehydrate quickly, because of the fact that she is only 14 lbs.  Until then, when she wakes up, I have to give her Pedialyte via a medicine dropper every 15 minutes, and hope she holds it down.
Jim is already long gone - he's trying to finish up a huge door installation project that he started on Tuesday.   I just called him & gave them the heads up that unfortunately he may need to postpone finishing this job until tomorrow, should I need to leave during Bella's nap time.
Despite everything, our day must go on.  Bella is alternating between whining & playing.  Kyle is building with Lincoln Logs.  The laundry is in the washer/dryer.
And The Dreaded Stomach Bug lives on in our humble little home.