4 Babies With The Flu. I Survived.

After a well-planned three-day road trip with properly-portioned snacks and hotel stops, we arrived in Omaha, NE.
You would think that there isn’t much to write about quite yet, but you may have underestimated this circus.

You see, Emmett (5) had the flu throughout the road trip, and we thought we were all in the clear after he seemed to be over it. WRONG. Scarlett (7) went down hard within hours of John flying out for a week. She was a pitiful mess – fever, head, stomach, body aches – my heart hurt so badly for her. About 36 hours later, Lyle (3) joined her in Flu-Town by puking EVERYWHERE. I’m talking about chairs, kitchen floor, bed, towels, bathtub… everywhere except a toilet. At this point, I’m 13.5 weeks pregnant and feeling almost-flu-like myself. Who goes down next? Ollie Jack (12months) spikes a 103 fever and won’t let go of me, nursing around the clock (OMG pregnancy boobs and 24 hour nursling is PAINFUL).

Did I mention that John was (and still is) out of town?

We know no one here. I ordered food in, and I washed sheets daily. I haven’t slept in close to 10 days due to that middle-of-the-night-spike that seems to happens with sickness. I have rotated kids all night, and when I wasn’t holding my breath while snuggling one of them, I was up working so I didn’t fall behind. I love my job and wasn’t sleeping anyway – may as well get it done at 4am.

I stuck to my homeopathic remedies, and each child seemed to beat the flu within 48 hours or less. TAKE THAT chemical-filled shit known as Tamiflu.

There is a positive spin to all of this though, a rainbow at the end of the storm. Today, everyone ate food, smiled, and was out of bed. We even made a quick run to Target and Lowes to accomplish a few little house things before we move in!

On to the house news…

When moving into a new house, ALWAYS paint first. You do not want to wait until after your things are moved in. Make sure to get samples of your paint colors and leave them up for a day or two before finalizing your decisions. Paint may change color in different light and you do not want to have to re-paint.

The same goes for other small projects. Our house needs new kitchen backsplash, so I brought home a single sample before purchasing the entire box.

I’ll post pictures as we start working on everything. We need to get a refrigerator before moving in too – and hopefully that will happen in the next few days. The outdated oven will have to wait a few months to be replaced, but I’m hoping to take down a few old light fixtures and refinish the fireplace this month. Just those few touches will give the house a bit of a facelift!

Oh – I almost forgot – a GARDEN! You know that our family of (almost) 7 cannot live without a garden. It’s planting season so we will be starting our seeds in the next week. I’ll blog with what we are planting and how to start a garden from SCRATCH (as this house does not have anything existing). The kids LOVE to get dirty, so this will be a great project over the next few weeks.

Besides the confused winter moment that is happening outside this weekend – WHY is it snowing?? Great things are on the horizon for #OurLuckySeven.

 

 

Moving West: Virginia to Nebraska

 

We have spent the last three days caravanning across nine states together.  We drove through snow, crazy wind, and sun so warm, Scarlett stripped down to her undies in the back seat.

This move has been emotional – and the pregnancy hormones are not helping.  We are sad to leave behind Virginia, as it was an amazing home for 3 years. But we are holding on to our friendships there and keeping our heads looking forward.  We arrived in Nebraska today, March 4th —  The only day of the year that tells you to do something ‘March Forth!’ So that we will do.  It is the eve of our youngest son’s first birthday, and I am currently watching him sleep.  My mind is in a million different directions:

  1. How has it been a year since Ollie arrived on our bedroom floor, three-weeks early and faster than anyone could imagine?
  2. We close on a house in 2 days. Holy crap.
  3. Where in the hell are we? Omaha? We saw nothing but farmlands for hours today…
  4. The first thing the house needs is paint… no, the kitchen backsplash needs ripped out… no, that carpet needs to go.  Can we even afford any of this?
  5. The kids need friends ASAP.
  6. I can’t even drink, I’m pregnant.
  7. Please let the movers get our crap here in one piece.

So far on this journey, we have stayed at the amazing Blackhawk Hotel in Iowa, saw the Mississippi river, went bowling, cooked a few random comfort meals, survived a child with the flu, and landed in a great apartment rental until the movers arrive with the goods.

I’m glad you are coming along with us as we journey through this craziness. I’ll write more soon, updating about the transition, our trip, and how we (and you can) plan to update our outdated house – on a budget!