Life on the Other Side

Fair warning, you can chalk the purpose of this post up to "for the Grandparents."  It's basically a collection of pics from our visit to the other side, you know, the dark side...of health.  I can't explain why parents take pictures of the weird things we do, but we do!  I suppose it's because even at their sickest, Ava and Carter just looked more adorable to me in their own, little helpless way.  I don't know, maybe it was the empathy or just the sheer the lack of sleep, either way, enjoy!  I did manage to maintain some kind of boundary here though, thankfully for your own sake and our own pride, I did not take any pics of Trav and I while we were sick.  That is because we definitely DID NOT look adorable.  We were more like "death warmed over" than adorable.  

So yes, you're welcome for that :)  

 Ava on our makeshift sick bed.  Lucky for us, we'd *just* taken down the crib a few nights before and we had this mattress laying around while we found a storage spot for it.  It was a great place for little sickies :) 

 While Ava was sick, Carter hung out with me most of the day in their playroom.  We had a great time together, playing cars, trains, trucks, and reading lots of books.  It was very sweet and I think we both liked the chance to spend some one on one time together.  And no, he didn't line up all those cares by himself, we did it together :) 

Look at that sweet boy.  He LOVES any book that has anything to do with a truck or a vehicle!  He got "Digger Man" from Aunt Shaye and it's one of his new favorites :) 

After a full day of being down for the count, we slowly got our Ava back by the end of the night.

We kept her in our room with us to sleep, just in case she was not done with being sick.  Thankfully she slept all night and stayed quiet.

And we awoke to this sweet face!

 It took a few days for her to start looking and feeling "normal" again, but it was great to see her feeling so much better!  She discovered this scarf and hat and wore it for quiet a while that day, so funny!

 With one quiet night under our belt, we spent the next one up with this little guy.  He woke me in tears, telling me that "his pillow was dirty" and he was right :) So after a change of sheets, blankie, and pillow, the sick bed was resurrected and became Carter's new perch.

 While Ava was content to stay put and rest, Carter was not so easy.  I had to bring the entertainment to him, in between getting sick.  Fun times!  Good thing he was DARLING laying there :) 

 With Carter down, it was Ava's turn to play alone in the play room and she was quite happy about I think.  Any chance to play without Carter in her way and she's sold! 

We did more of the same all day, but only when this guy was sleeping.

 And thankfully, he took a morning and an afternoon nap for me.

 Because when he was awake, it was not fun.  He definitely did not understand why he couldn't eat and drink what he was craving.  It was a loooong few days with Carter.

But eventually he started to perk up too and was back to himself after a while.  It was a Mickey Mouse recovery for sure!  He's watched a lot of MM Clubhouse episodes, but it kept him happy and me sane.  And as expected, now that he'd better I'm dealing with the consequences of all that TV this week!  

Within a day of Carter feeling better, and me thinking I'd escaped it, it soon became apparent that I did NOT.  I was out of commission for an entire day, thankfully while Trav was home for the weekend.  It appears from this picture as if I spent a leisurely day in bed, watching the news and "relaxing."   If only that were true.  I spent an agonizing 12 hours, whimpering in the fetal position from the pain in my stomach and that horrible fear that at any time you're going to be sick.  If I wasn't in bed, I was on the bathroom floor.  SUPER fun times!

But Daddy to the rescue!  In addition to prepping for his sermon, he totally took over and ran the show for two days, which I was so grateful for.  God gave us incredible grace to handle all that we needed to and we made it through.  Carter bounced back (literally)...

...and Miss Personality was back on her game too.  

I have no desire to go back to the other side, but these photos are proof that we did it and even lived to blog about it!  Ha ha!  

So in the spirit of friendship, I am praying for a germ-free week in your world!!  However, if you too are walking on the "other side"...I feel your pain!  Hang in there, it will be over before you know it  :)