Wednesday evenings I have a meeting at the university from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. I work from the rest of the day. This past Wednesday was no different, schedule-wise, but what happened during that time was a little different. Because Debi would be alone with Toren for most of the evening, I volunteered to pick Toren up from daycare at 5:30 and dropped him off on my way to my meeting. Debi had gone into work earlier in the day, so she was dressed in business casual – a blouse and pants.
When I got back from my meeting and walked in the door, Debi was scrubbing the rug in the front room and in shorts and a bra. Here’s how she greeted me, “I’m done with him. He’s yours.” I’d only been gone about an hour and a half.
We give Toren a vitamin supplement – Poly-Vi-Sol – to help with his iron levels. Because he eats a mostly vegetarian diet, our pediatrician is worried about how much iron he gets. The Poly-Vi-Sol helps. However, it tastes like crap and Toren hates taking it. However, we’ve gotten into a habit of giving it to him just before he brushes his teeth before bed at night.
Debi was trying to get Toren ready for bed while I was gone. When both of us are around, I usually hold Toren while Debi gives him the vitamins. And when I say “hold” him I mean – I pin his arms to his sides and hold his head so he’ll take it. Without my help, Debi was unsuccessful. Toren hit the dropper, flinging Poly-Vi-Sol around the front room and covering Debi in it. That wouldn’t be too much of a concern if it was formula or milk, but this stuff stinks and stains. Amazingly, none of it fell on Toren. Debi’s shirt and pants were covered, as was her neck, which still smelled like Poly-Vi-Sol when I got home. She had taken off her shirt and pants and put them in the wash to get the Poly-Vi-Sol out before it stained and was scrubbing the rug where it had fallen. She didn’t realize that it had also splashed onto the TV, but that wasn’t a big deal – I cleaned it up later.
I helped give Toren his vitamins and Debi went into his room with him to put him to bed around 8:00. Usually she’s only in there about 15 minutes before he falls asleep and then she comes back out. Around 9:00 Debi hadn’t come out and I thought she might have fallen asleep with him, which she occasionally does. But 10 minutes later I heard, “RYAN!” I jumped up from the couch where I was working on my laptop and rushed into Toren’s room just in time to… watch him vomit all over Debi!
He’s vomited a couple times before and we’re still not sure what triggers it, but it’s always sad when it happens. I rushed them straight into the bathtub where Debi cleaned the two of them up while I cleaned up the vomit. It took a while but I got it all cleaned up, then I took Toren while Debi tried to get the combined smell of vomit and Poly-Vi-Sol off her skin. It took her a while, but I think she succeeded.
It took about another hour to get Toren settled down and asleep before Debi could relax, but eventually he went to sleep fine and woke up the next day fine as well. We don’t know what caused him to vomit, but he’s fine now.
So, Poly-Vi-Sol stink and vomit in one night. Not bad!
My thought while cleaning up Toren’s vomit:
Love = Feeling more concerned about your child because he/she vomited than you do about the fact that you have to clean it up.
