HPI, cupcakes, feathers and other random news

It's hard to believe that with all that has happened in the past week we even had time to think about the Horrible Puking Illness, or HPI, as I call it for short. This week has definitely been one of highs and lows, laughter and illness, not to mention jewelry and cupcakes. So, this is one of those blog posts I'm basically writing for myself. I like to remember these kinds of things. You are welcome along for the read, but don't blame me if it's boring. :)

It really all started about 10 days ago. Capable Dad had just finished a really bad session of Torture Therapy. He came home, took his pain meds, sat down in the recliner and about an hour later started throwing up. He was already in tremendous pain from his shoulder, so trying to endure this illness on top of it was awful.

We were on spring break, and I was busy painting, clearing out and cleaning two bedrooms, so I couldn't even entertain the thought that he might have a virus that could potentially spread to the rest of us. I had moved three of my kids' clothing, toys and mattresses into the family room, and they were having a week-long slumber party while I painted their rooms. So, we blamed it on his pain medication, and even his PT agreed that he might have developed a serious allergic reaction.

The puking came and went, and somehow I managed to get the rooms put back together in time for the weekend.

Easter Sunday was a few days later. Since we couldn't travel, we invited some friends over to share Easter dinner with us. The toddler experienced her first real Easter egg hunt. You can imagine her excitement when she realized those plastic eggs contained CANDY!

She could barely stop stuffing chocolate eggs in her mouth long enough to keep searching for more. Being the awesome mom I am, I let her quietly take her Easter basket up to her room, and I ignored the reality that she was consuming large amounts of candy, just so I could enjoy some nice conversation.

When she started throwing up the next morning, I blamed it on the candy. But it didn't stop. I spent Monday washing sheets, giving her baths, changing outfits, and cleaning furniture and carpets. It seemed that as soon as I got her cleaned up from one mess, cleaned up the area where she had been sitting and then placed her in a new location, she would throw up again. It was an unbelievable day.

On Tuesday, Capable Dad had to get a cortisone shot in his arm, which knocked him flat again. This involved four large needles being inserted into his very sore and swollen shoulder.

However, I had already arranged a ladies' night out to say good-bye to my friend who was moving to Louisiana. It had become our little tradition to go shopping and out for dinner for birthdays and special occasions. So, we were off to Charming Charlie to roam around and get overwhelmed by all of the accessories. I made everyone try on a hat and model for the camera.

After that, we had dinner, and our friend, Vicky, made these amazing cupcakes! She is such a sweet friend and a trained chef who has a way of surprising us with her culinary creations.

On Friday, I knew we would be saying our real good-byes to our friends, so I did what any crazy mom would do. I scheduled another get-together at our house after co-op.

It seems like my daughter spends most of her life surrounded by boys. Her two older brothers have the majority of the play dates, and she goes along with their games of football, basketball and baseball. So, we decided to invite some friends over for something totally girly. Our friend is a hair stylist, and she came by to put feathers in some girls' hair.

I know it probably sounds frivolous. But my daughter and I love relationship, and we had a great time hanging out with the moms and daughters and doing something totally girly. Believe me. After the last five weeks we have had, it was a really nice break to just hang out and socialize for a few hours.

A few hours after the party, my daughter said she was feeling funny, and she laid down on the couch. A little while later, my husband found her crying and confused. She had thrown up in her sleep. She definitely had the worst round of HPI. That night, I laid next to her as she threw up at least every hour if not more often. This is when The Illness got its official name: the Horrible Puking Illness.

I forgot to mention that during the girly party, my 11-year-old was outside playing basketball and the ball hit his pinkie finger the wrong way. It immediately started to swell and turn dark colors. We decided to wait until Saturday morning to evaluate the finger to determine if we should take him to quick care. But about that time, he also started throwing up. The trip to the ER had to be cancelled so he could enjoy his HPI in the comfort of our home.

So, here's the quick summary:

• Last night was the second night in a row of cleaning up after HPI.
• There are several foods that no one in this house will ever eat again.
• CapableDad probably is NOT allergic to his pain medication, which would have been good to know many times this week.
• If you go to Charming Charlie with me, I might make you get your photo taken in a funny hat.
• The 11-year-old's finger is still very swollen, but we're thinking it's a jam, rather than broken.
• Either I have the immune system of an ox, or I will be getting sick any minute now.
• If you read this entire blog post you deserve a prize!