Fa, la, la, la, bleach!

Warning: this post may not be suitable for those with weak tummies.

This trip, as I previously blogged, was the yuckiest yet. We only had a total of 3-4 days (spread out through the 2 weeks) when none of the four of us was sick. It was brutal. First L. was sick, then Z., then me, and finally B. Zora was so sick that she didn't wet a diaper for about 8 hours. The only thing she could hold down was breastmilk (which wasn't good for me since I had it a day after she got it...I didn't have any urine for an entire day bc all my fluids were going elsewhere). She & I were terribly sick for 5-7 days. I tried to eat on day 3 & it didn't work out well (until day 5!).
Langston & Barclay could both eat again much sooner, but I've never heard anyone "call Ralph" with gusto like my poor husband or go ahead & cough it out like Langston. It was rough, y'all. The nurse with the dr. that I last saw in AL talked with me over the phone about whether or not we needed to come in for i.v. fluids. She said they were giving out bags of it in the dr.s office bc the virus had hit the area so hard. I choose not to go bc Zora was still crying tears, starting to wet diapers, & squealing for breastmilk, which I knew I was making, since I inflated every few hours. :) The rest of us were at least holding down Gatorade.
In the end, we made it home with only memories of our bedrest in AL. No one got sick on the way home or since we've been back. And Maybelle & DeWayne were the winners in Moulton (they didn't get sick), while my mom was the only one in Killen to pick it up.
As for the few days of non-vomiting that we had, I will say that they weren't the most pleasant. We had a some family drama here & there. Apologies were given, but it was still drama in the midst of ailment, which is never fun.
We joked that Maybelle got a real taste of American Holidays through it all. :) She did try a few new foods and gain a couple of lbs. (she was in the South, after all!), receive a some gifts, give some gifts, play her violin for us (she was wonderful!), and enjoy the warmer climes. I hope it was a good experience for her, at least.L-town with his hero, Uncle Spence.
A "must" at Grandmom's is a bath in her "jets tub"...bubbles galore!

I think we have officially decided not to travel "back home" for the next holiday season. We have tinkered with the idea of traveling somewhere inexpensive (Mexico?) or just staying home & establishing our own traditions (Langston & I talked about baking a Jesus birthday cake & doing a few other Jesus things). Either way, it'll be a lot less trouble and hopefully a lot more relaxing than dragging two small people around the country only to continue to drag them around to lots of Holiday parties, events, & family gatherings while they miss naps & act out of sorts. I think enduring the Holidays rather than enjoying them should be a thing of the past.
**And these are the very few (good) pics I have of the trip. Grandparents, please send us some of yours...if you have any!
Zora with "cousin" Winston...Aunt Leslie & Uncle Logan's firstborn.
Zora in her "my mom's hotter than your mom" shirt (thanks Maybelle!) & me in my phonetic "y'all" shirt (thanks honeypie!)

L. acting out some of the night before christmas