Sunday, February 15, 2009

Untitled





This post is untitled because there were just too many options to choose from and I really could not qualify this post with only one title. Therefore, I opted for none. Among the options I considered are: Yikes in Yakima, My Week With My Favorite Dittos, Bonding With Momma Sherry, Puke Parade, Puke Princess and The Fairy-God Mother-in-law, Seriously, You Puked Twelve Times in Five Hours!, Sewing Camp and …a Week in The Life of Sara Ditto.

So, I spent the last week in Yakima with my six nieces and nephews, baby Tommy and momma Sherry while Sara and Birch enjoyed a well-deserved cruise. Really, can I just say that these kids are really great kids and my mother–in-law…I can’t laud her enough. However, a week with 7 kids is just bound to be scary and throw in a bout of the stomach flu and you have one insane experience.

It started off well…Saturday and Sunday being the full days with all the kids. Ami (momma sherry) was of course super prepared with crafts and activities for all, keeping them distracted from missing their parents. The kids made bookmarks for quiet sacrament meeting pondering, wooden stables for play ponies, helicopters and cars, paper party hats and welcome home banners, valentines cards, knitted hats and we didn’t get to making the gingerbread cookies, but the dough was available.

Thankfully she also brought several sewing projects for me, keeping me distracted from missing my personal hygiene, wardrobe with multiple changes of t-shirts and sanity. I made 12 napkins, two table clothes and 4 cloth bread baskets (they are really cool).

By Sunday evening, we were breathing a sigh of relief as the four oldest had school for at least some part of the day the following morning. “Wow”, we thought, “this is the healthiest I have ever seen all of the Ditto kids all at once!” Monday morning I was greeted by Tyler laying on the couch saying that he had a dream he threw up and that he had something “crusty” on his face. I shrugged, not a big deal, probably a little puke…After stripping down four bunk beds worth of bedding, wiping down boards, scrubbing carpet and managing not to vomit, I decided to take Tyler’s “dreams” very seriously.

By the next morning I was thinking we were in the clear with no major incidents other than trying to keep Thomas from riding little seven-month Chloe like a rocking horse. When Thomas woke up from his nap he seemed fine until he had his first real puking experience which started on the stairs and ended on my shoulder.

Twenty minutes later, little Cooper came up from his nap with something “crusty” on his shirt. His clean bunk bed – not so clean any more. Massive, would be the appropriate descriptor. Ten minutes later, Nate is returned from gymnastics by the Ditto’s good friends with the saddest look I have ever seen and a dribble of puke on his pants, he had left the rest in the driveway (we just could catch a break and have at least one of them puke at school or in a parking lot where someone else had to clean up!)

Another twenty minutes and I hear Alysee crying on her way home through the field. Naively, I thought the boys were teasing her. Nope! By four o’clock we had four kids sitting around the living room with metal bowls (I will from this day forth insist that my popcorn be served in a wooden or ceramic bowl.) The next morning Chloe had joined the party. I probably cleaned 6 bunk beds and the crib 3 times earning the title of Puke Princess. Chloe determined that Ami is her favorite earning serious grandma points proclaiming Ami, Fairy-God-Mother-in-Law in my book.

The count: Tyler = 1 puke (that we know of, but he thought it was a dream, so does that even count? YES! IT WAS ALL OVER!) Nate = 4 pukes, Alysee = 2 pukes, Cooper = 2 pukes, Thomas = 12 pukes (by far the winner, I am so proud), Chloe = it is hard to count with the spit up factor, but I am going to give her a solid 5 pukes, Alex = 3 pukes (there may have been more but we were puking partners so I am not sure, I could really only keep track of my own) Caroline = 4 (at the stroke of midnight on the night of the return of the parents my mom- magic ran out)

11 comments:

emily a. said...

Sara told me that you were writing a post last night so I've been anxiously awaiting. I think you and Mom earned at least 2 weeks free in heaven.

Marci said...

What a bummer! I am glad you all survived! The flu is going around here too...Addie has skipped nursery and the gym daycare the past few weeks because I'm hoping we can avoid it :-)!

Kara said...

You are brave. You are really brave.

Leah said...

I am dying right now. This is so horrible, and so amazing. Your mansion just got another wing.

Annie & Tom said...

May I add a second witness that the described circumstances are NOT exaggerated. I was laughing then and it will remain a most memorable comedy!

Momma Sherry/Ami

The Boys Club plus a girl! said...

Fantastic post! I could just envision you all running around just trying to keep things stable! And you better find out what vitamins Ann takes... amazing she didn't get it! What is her secret? Maybe it's a special privelege of being a grandma! Glad you all survived!

Ditto Family said...

As the father of most of those puking munchkins I express my sincere appreciation to the Puking Princess and her amazing mother-in-law (who in fact is also my mother-in-law). Our cruise was wonderful; made possible only by your kindness.

Birch

Ditto Family said...

So wanna come next year around this time and watch our kids again? I know you'll be sad to hear that you missed round two of Tyler's barfing last night on three of the four bunk beds. Let us pray that we don't spend the next week as a re-run of your fun at our home last week. Tyler has been temporarily moved to sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag. I spent most of the day in bed feeling like I was going to larf but never actually doing so.

What can I say -- you ARE amazing!!!! We are so grateful to you, Tommy, and my mom giving us a much needed break. Alysee was saying today how much she misses Tommy. I'm hoping we haven't totally scared you away from our house.

Do you think you could email me the pics of the kids, Tommy riding Chloe, and any others that would be a great addition to my blog?

laura said...

I have been laughing so hard, ever since mom's first email! You were probably the only two that could handle that so well! Thank you for bringing a few tears to my eyes.
miss ya

Kim said...

I love the puke tally. Glad you survived.

Liz L said...

Oh my gosh! That is truly disgusting. I'm so sorry after all of that, you got it too!