One trick, one treat

Halloween 2006 will go down as “the year Tad didn’t go because he was sick” in family lore, I can tell.

I had taken the kids with me to run errands in the late morning/early afternoon, and Tad had been acting very tired and lethargic, not at all like himself. The Munchkin had behaved herself very well, and had earned playtime at the indoor toys and an escalator ride. Tad did fine playing, but I could tell that his heart really wasn’t in it. And he was continually needing diaper changes, because his poo had turned to liquid and nothing was making any difference. At lunch, he turned his nose up at a grilled cheese sandwich, and only nibbled on a few fries, but drank plenty of milk. He took a long nap when we got home, and when he woke up, I handed him a bottle, because I figured he would be hungry and I was trying to keep him hydrated.

After drinking his bottle, he seemed to be in pretty decent spirits. I had stripped him down to his diaper to continue to let his bottom air out and get rid of his rash – which, because the Webmaster and I have been keeping on top of it, is getting better. We were in the kitchen, he was holding his bunny blanket and trying to climb up the stepstool when he began to vomit. Everything that was in his tummy at that moment came racing back up. It was even coming out through his nose, the poor baby. When he finally stopped, I picked him up and raced to the bathtub, and began to wash him off while he sobbed. The Munchkin, who had witnessed the whole thing, came tearing after me. “Mommy, you have to clean the kitchen! Mommy, you have to wash Tad’s bunny!” she yelled hysterically.

One thing at a time, kid.

So, after Tad was cleaned up, I handed him a cup of water and stuck him in the highchair, got the Munchkin sitting down with her dinner, and then cleaned up the mess. The Webmaster came home as I was getting the Munchkin dressed up in her costume – Lilo. She had a grass skirt, a silk flower lei, and was wearing her two-piece bathing suit with it. She looked adorable. It was also not very practical, because it was near freezing temperatures outside. So she did have to wear pants under her grass skirt to go out, and a sweater on top to keep warm. Tad was actually pretty happy once his Daddy got home, and we dressed him in the Stitch costume to take a few pictures for posterity’s sake. He was so adorable that it was a shame that we couldn’t take him out. The Webmaster stayed home with him while I took the Munchkin next door, then to my uncle and aunt’s house, Obachan’s house, and to my parents’ house. She made a tidy little haul, and I carted around Tad’s pumpkin bucket to collect his treats for him.

Meanwhile, Tad ate a helping of rice pudding and managed to keep it down. He has not thrown up since. The diarrhea continues, so I bought some Pedialyte to keep him hydrated. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Munchkin was slightly constipated yesterday. She sat down on the toliet and tried for a while, and then yelled out, “Mommy! It’s not working!” She finally did have a bowel movement before we left to go trick-or-treating, which was a relief. So, at least she doesn’t have the same bug that Tad’s got… yet. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

So, one kid did the trick, the other got the treats. Poor Tad. At least he’s little enough to not realize what he missed. And he won’t miss the candy, either. I think the Munchkin may have counted her loot – she kept sticking her face into her pumpkin bucket and sniffing, then looking at me and saying, “Mommy, I smell chocolate!” So I know she’s going to keep asking for her candy. Drat.

And as promised, here are some of the pictures we snapped while Tad was in costume. They were cute together. Oh, well… maybe next year.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 1st, 2006 at 2:30 am and is filed under Children.
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