It Would Have Been Funny If It Didn't Involve Vomit

Sam and Nolan have terrible colds. They are both running fevers and have nasty coughs. TJ had a milder version of this over the weekend. Anyway, as is common with Sam, once he starts to cough, it's all downhill. He starts wheezing and is miserable. Dinner tonight was a trip. Nolan's fever had spiked, so he was sitting in his high chair staring blankly at his food. Sam was coughing incessantly, but was in a fabulous mood. He and TJ giggled through dinner. Bill was on his way home from Detroit, so I was flying solo.

After dinner, things got tricky. Nolan just wanted to be held. Sam was coughing so hard he couldn't breathe. I gave Nolan some Tylenol and snuggled him until he was willing to sit in the recliner by himself. I got the nebulizer set up and handed it off to Sam. Then I put Nolan in his pajamas. Then I ran back to Sam and helped him finish his treatment. Eventually, I sat on the couch and snuggled with both boys while we watched TJ play the Wii. Suddenly, Sam was coughing so hard he started gagging. I jumped off the couch and rushed him down to the bathroom. He seemed to calm down a little, so I went in his room to grab his water bottle to see if that would help. Bad move. He started vomiting as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom. I grabbed a trash can and managed to catch a portion of it. But Sam, the rug, the floor...what a mess. Sam was in a panic. I think it has been almost 3 years since he last vomited and he didn't know what to do. And he didn't like it. He kept flapping his arms, shaking his head, and gasping, "No! No! No!", as if that would stop the puke.

During all of this, Nolan has followed us down the hall and is sobbing because he doesn't like the chaos and he wants me to hold him. TJ came down the hall, proclaimed it "disgusting" and returned to his game. I did what any good Mom would do. I called my Mom and asked for help. I just needed someone to hold Nolan while I dealt with Sam. She came and Nolan calmed right down. I got Sam and the bathroom cleaned up. Sam commented to me after it was all over, "Well! I am not doing that again!" I managed not to laugh, because I was hoping he could actually make that prediction come true!

He is still coughing even though he is asleep. It breaks my heart to listen to him. He has had a nebulizer treatment, I gave him prescription strength cough medicine, I put Vicks on his chest, I plugged in his humidifier. What more can I do for him?

Sidebar---a note to the grandparents: TJ is in an anti-hot dog phase. Do NOT feed him one. He will make you regret it. I gave him a hot dog on Sunday night, and he kept complaining he didn't like them. I did not give him any sympathy. So he puked it up on my dining room floor. I haven't dealt with puke in over 2 years, and now I have had it twice in 48 hours. And neither child was actually sick to his stomach.