As one of the last weekends of summer vacation approached, we excitedly made plans to squeeze in as much 'summer' as we could. Plans for pool days and homemade potato salad, baseball and play dates at the park. Our friends from Texas, Heath and Nicole, were in Iowa for a wedding, and were planning a get-together with us on Sunday. They had never met Cruz before, and since their little Emersen is just a year old, we were so excited to get the littles together and treat our friends to some good summer Iowa comfort food: grilled burgers, potato salad, vinegar cucumbers, and of course, sweet corn. Saturday morning, while Beau put some finishing projects on our never-ending basement project, I peeled potatoes, boiled some eggs, and chopped celery while Cruz ate Teddy Grahams and played with his letter magnets on the fridge. The weekend had gotten off to a great start and it seemed that nothing could get in the way.
Fast forward to Saturday night. We had made plans to go to a Waterloo Bucks game with some friends, and were excited for a nice night at the ballpark. At about six o'clock, fifteen minutes before we needed to leave, Cruz started acting a little fussy and very tired. He fell asleep on me, and Beau and I contemplated staying home with him for fear that a tired baby at a baseball stadium didn't sound like much fun. But, since Cruz is usually pretty good at missing a nap every now and then, we decided to go, let him get a power nap in on the way there, and leave a little early if we needed to.
Cruz didn't want much to do with the baseball game, let alone much of anything. He wanted to be on my lap or Beau's, cuddled right up against us, and wouldn't take the time to check out any of the commotion going on around him. He even refused food, something unbeknownst to us! So, in the hot sun, I cuddled, rocked my tired boy on a backless bleacher seat, and passed him over to his dad when my back started to ache.
At about the start of the third inning, Beau decided to take his son on a little walk. I guess he thought maybe Cruz was bored or something (I have no idea). Pretty soon, I watch as the entire third baseline crowd turns their glance as a cute dad walks into the stadium with a cute baby on his shoulders. There they walk in front of the crowd, Beau relishing the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' he hears from the middle aged women, pretending the gawking is at him instead of the little one he carries above him. And just as the third pitch left the pitcher's mound, Cruz projectile vomited over Beau's head, splattering on the concrete in front of him. The projectile was followed by one final gush, and ended with the entire crowd cheering for the scene that unfolded in front of them. So, as the crowd laughed, applauded, and looked around for the mother of this child, a mortified Beau gave a polite nod to the crowd, then ran out of the stands to hide under the bleachers. I packed up our stuff, said goodbye, and met my two puke-filled boys by the concession stand (it only looked as though Beau escaped the vomit from the top of the bleachers).
We're still not sure what Cruz had, but it put him under the weather all of Saturday night and most of the day Sunday. We had a terrible night Saturday, as our lethargic little fever-filled boy just wanted to be held, snuggled, and taken care of. Cruz has had a cold before, but nothing compared to this. I felt so helpless holding him, not knowing what he needed or how he felt. He slept, a lot, and by mid afternoon, started to perk up a bit. And by Sunday night, we was back to his little self. We unfortunately had to cancel plans with Heath and Nicole, as we didn't know if Cruz was contagious or not, and watched the beautiful sunny day pass from our germ-infested living room.
Amidst our little setback, I am still trying my best to savor all that is summertime. Friday night, we met Jordan, Kelli, and Charly at the pool for an early evening swim. The Falls is usually so packed during the day, but clears out by nighttime, creating the perfect opportunity to let the littles explore and get comfortable with the water.
Cruz LOVED it there! He sat in the water and splashed, sat leisurely in his very own inner tube on the lazy river, and got crazy in the water fountain. He would stick his entire face in the spout of water, catch a quick breath, and dive right back in. It was a great way to spend a Friday night and I think we may have to invest in a family pass next year.
A little leery at first...
And first splash...
Being brave...
Getting REALLY brave!
Water baby!
Since we were planning on a treating our Texas friends to a great summertime meal on Sunday, we were left with more than enough food for the two of us. And because we weren't sure the amount of germs that filled our humble abode, we had no one to invite to help us devour our feast. So, Sunday night, we ate. Burgers with fresh cucumber slaw, heaps of homemade potato salad, and ear after ear (after ear) of delicious sweet corn. We laughed at the thought of inviting people over for supper, then filling their plates and setting them out on the deck, so they wouldn't have to come inside. And because we didn't know if we would escape the bug, we wanted to make sure we had a good taste of the spread before we got sick. So, we had firsts, we had seconds, and we had a little potato salad for dessert.
It was good.
Today is Monday, August 1st, and Cruz is bright eyed and in better spirits. Being a mama with a sick baby is not easy, and makes me all the more thankful for our good health when we have it. Today, I paid a little more attention to his giggles, to the way he smiles with his pacifier sticking halfway out of his mouth, and the way he chews his Cheerios with his front teeth. I thanked God for a quick recovery, a healthy boy, and these summer days at home.
No comments:
Post a Comment