Ethan is MY HERO...and for the Last Reason You Might Expect

Fair warning to any readers who have a weak constitution--in other words this post is sure to be both graphic and gross.  I know parents of young children will relate to this, and specifically, about 20 of my close friends whose families have had the recent displeasure of experiencing the horrific scourge known as the...stomach flu.

Our experience began in the wee hours of December 1--what a way to usher in the month we celebrate our Savior's birth.  It began with Jac, oldest at eleven years old, coming in our room to tell us that Gavin, youngest at four years old, had thrown up.  This was at 12:37 a.m.  (I know you're familiar with how those times that register on the clock when something significant happens stay lodged in your mind's eye).  Why, you ask, was it Jac that came to tell us that his brother had thrown up?  Well, of course, it's because not only had Gavin thrown up all over his bed including his pillow and covers and he had managed to spray a large amount on the wall behind his bed which then ran down to puddle in the carpet below; but he also managed to go to Jac's room and throw up on Jac's comforter and the clothes he had set out for the next morning.  Nice!  So, Lindy and I jumped into action and assume our usual roles.  I'm on kid and laundry duty.  He's on carpet duty.  I started the bedding in the laundry, got Gavin showered and changed; and Lindy cleaned the vomit sprayed on the wall and puddled in the carpet.  Honestly, he was surprised it came out but Oxyclean and Folex work wonders.  Gavin spent the rest of the night on the floor in a sleeping bag in front of his bathroom.  Each time he would yell out I would run to him, scoop him up, and hold him over the toilet.  Gavin's stomach flu lasted about three days with Lindy, myself, and Grammy making sure he made it to the toilet each time.  We were all praying that it wouldn't spread as the scourge known as stomach flu has a tendency to do.  I was praying especially hard because on December 3 I was leaving to go to Chicago on a girls' weekend.  We should have bought stock in Lysol and Clorox wipes.  I even made Gavin wipe his hands and mouth with a Clorox wipe.  I know, I know that we are not supposed to disinfect kids but I really did not want to get sick.  I kept the Pepto Bismol close at hand and, thank God, did not get sick. Neither did the rest of my family and we thought we were home free until...

Jac awakened us more than a week later in the wee hours of December 10 to tell us that he had thrown up.  He and Ethan, middlest at eight years old, had been complaining of stomachaches the night before and Jac got first dibs at tossing his cookies in the middle of the night.  Now, you would think that our oldest child would have the best success at actually making it to the toilet when he was sick.  Not so, my friend.  Believe it or not, this was worse than when Gavin threw up.  Jac managed to get it all over his bed and both pillows, he sprayed an area about 4 feet by 4 feet on the carpet and rug in his room which also managed to splash on to the wall and other items that were within spraying distance.  He managed to get it on both bathroom rugs and the toilet itself.  I stood there looking in the toilet trying to detect whether any had actually made its way into the toilet.  There were a few token fragments in the toilet but nothing that compared to the display he had just managed to create for his Dad and me to clean up.  Lindy and I just stood in awe outside his room for a moment taking in the sight and smell.  It was an impressive effort of not making it to the toilet.  Once the moment passed we went into action--me on laundry and Jac duty, Lindy on carpet duty.  Fortunately, the part that sprayed on the carpet was more liquid.  Most of the non-liquid matter--and you know what I mean--was on his bed, especially his pillows.  I had the wonderful task of washing off the pillowcases before putting everything in the laundry.  Lindy went to work on the carpet with the hand-held carpet cleaner that we borrowed from his Mom a long time ago and forgot to return.  Thanks, Grammy, it came in handy that night considering it was more than just a puddle of puke as Gavin had delivered for us.  I set Jac up on the floor in front of his bathroom in a sleeping bag with a towel spread out next to him.  I don't waste time with bowls or trash cans with Jac because he can't hit a target that is that defined.  He did manage to throw up on the towel later on in the night.  Both Jac and Ethan were sick the next day and Ethan threw up during daylight hours.  It passed quickly through both of them and, once again, we prayed that the rest of us wouldn't get sick.  We thought we were home free until...

Ethan awakened us almost a week later at 3:00 a.m. on December 16 to tell us he had thrown up.  That's right, we're three for three and the middle child will not be left out of Middle-of-the-Night Pukapallooza.  My first question, of course, was, "Ethan, where did you throw up?"  His response, with a little smugness thrown in was, "In the toilet."  You see, what I haven't mentioned until now is that Ethan is the kid with the claim to fame of having the greatest success at actually making it to the toilet.  From the time he was very little--like two years old--if he was sick he would just walk to the bathroom and throw up and then find us to let us know.  Apparently his brothers take after their Aunt Ronnin.  As legend has it, she didn't ever make it to the toilet to throw up until she was 17 years old.  I happened to be at their house when she attained this momentous achievement and, believe it or not, everyone applauded.  Seriously, we all clapped for her.  I think her mother was clapping the loudest and I can relate.

So, when Ethan indicated that there was not going to be laundry to sanitize or carpet to painstakingly clean at three in the morning, my immediate reply was, "ETHAN, YOU'RE MY HERO!!"  I was especially thrilled that he had made it to the toilet because he had eaten spaghetti the night before.  Need I say more?  Lindy quickly went back to bed when he saw that his assistance would not be needed and I comforted Ethan and got him set back up in bed with a towel on the floor and a trash can.  Of course, he didn't need either of those things because he made it to the toilet once again at 4:37 a.m.  I feel the need to give a bit of a disclaimer here.  Ethan has been sleeping in the guest room lately and not the top bunk, where his actual assigned bed is located.  This post could have had a very different slant to it if he had been sleeping in the top bunk.  Nevertheless, my money would still have been on Ethan to make it to the toilet from the top bunk.  That's why he's my hero.