Sunday, March 6, 2011

momma superpowers.

*warning: bodily fluids mentioned in this post. if you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip this one. ;)

you know those stories of mommas who suddenly gain super-human strength in order to lift a car that her child is stuck under?

i had one of those moments this weekend.

no, there wasn't any car lifting going on, but i found that i had suddenly gained my own momma superpower. the ability to withstand puke.

i know that for some folks, puke is puke and you can be all whatevs around it, but i've never been one to be okay around it. i can count on one hand the number of times i've puked in the last 20 or so years. i hate it. so much. and i cry like a baby every. single. time. and that's when it's my own puke.

others' puke? fuggetabboutit. i have been known to run from the room, covering my ears and going "lalalala" -- because hearing it is just as bad as seeing it. i try, try, try REALLY hard to be okay around it when a student has a puking incident, but it takes all of my strength to keep relatively calm and call the custodians while trying to assure a vomit-covered kiddo that it's okay, it happens. but i'm doing that while holding my breath and all the while, inside, i'm going "ew, ew, ew, EWWW!" yup, i'm *that* mature.

before we brought choi boy home, i told the hubs that i would gladly do poopy diapers, etc, but that when it came to puking, i really needed that to be his domain. and being the awesome hubs he is, he agreed, knowing my serious aversion to puke.

well.

choi boy's been battling a fairly gnarly cold and the other day, while the hubs was out (natch), he woke up cranky and wouldn't eat but two strawberries for breakfast. being the eater that he is, seeing that was a big indicator that my boy was not feeling well. he started to doze off, so i picked him up and carried him upstairs to see if he would go back to sleep in his crib. i was holding choi boy in my arms and just about to sit in the chair in his room when his breathing got very shallow. he had his head on my shoulder and then looked up at me. and before i knew it, poor choi boy was projectile vomitting all over himself and me.

poor guy didn't know what hit him! he had a stunned look on his face, accompanied by a beard of white vomit on his chin, before bursting into tears.

it was all over my hair and shirt and inside the hood of my sweatshirt. it was all over cb's moose jammies and it splattered all over the carpet. the shape sorter bucket happened to be sitting on the floor and good amount of vomit landed in it, too.

but here's the thing.

all i could think was, "my poor baby is sick!" and i wanted to cry. i didn't have the urge to shriek and run out of the room. i didn't get all grossed out. all i wanted to do was hold my sick child and make him feel better.

i got choi boy out of his soiled jammies and kept him in the onesie he had on underneath. understandably, cb was clingy and upset, so i wasn't able to change my clothes right away. meaning, i sat with puke in my hair and on my shirt for a good 20 minutes. and i was okay with it. it didn't matter. all that mattered was keeping my baby safe and helping him feel better.

after some water and some cuddle time, cb started to regain some strength and even ate a cracker or two.

my parents were in the area and came over to watch choi boy and keep piper away while i tackled the stains in the carpet and the cleaned the shape sorter bucket. and even then, as i was cleaning choi boy's puke, i was totally fine. i was just so happy that my son was feeling better and glad to remove the traces of sickness from his sweet room.

i even (and this is really pathetic) thought that cb's puke was the cutest puke i'd ever seen. all he'd had to eat that morning was strawberries and milk, so it resembled strawberry yogurt. i know, gross. i'll stop. ;)

it's amazing how becoming a new momma changed my perspective on all this and seriously gave me the strength to do something i never thought i'd be able to do. and on top of that, i was able to do it joyfully.

i still think other people's puke is disgusting, but my son's vomit, even when it's all over me, isn't bad at all. and i'll joyfully clean it up any day. (but i'd be okay if it wasn't everyday.)

and, don't worry, cb's feeling loads better and back to his silly antics.
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23 comments:

  1. oh you are the best momma ever!! i have to laugh at cb's vomit being the cutest. lol! that's true love. i adore those pictures of him!! tooo ca-ute! oh and i have to share a story about vomit...our very first year of being married, ben picked me up from work one day feeling really bad. we were walking down our apartment hallway, he fell on top of me. both of us landed on the ground because he passed out. i got him into the apartment and he ran to the bathroom and puked all over the walls, sink, floor, tub..every where but the toilet. he had eaten...bad sausage. really gross right? it was..trust me because i had to clean it up. it was the worst thing i've ever had to do...but i did it for b. he never gets sick. gross i know..but had to share! hehe.

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  2. Puke Sister!
    Ugh, I am SO with you on the puke-front. I totally had a no-puke streak of over 15 years. The last time I threw up was after food poisoning when I was a senior in high school. I was SO PROUD of my streak. And then, this past winter, I got this horrible 24-hour bug and lost it. One measly little barf, and I, too, was in tears. I seriously do everything in my power to prevent puking. It's horrible.
    But about your poor son... way to GO, mama! Way to dig deep and find that SuperMama strength to get through something so yucky.
    And I'm very relieved to hear he's feeling better :)

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  3. I still hate puke, but am always amazed at my ability to "mom-up" when I have to.
    Welcome to the club, mama!

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  4. I second Elizabeth - welcome to motherhood! It's still gross, but hey, when it is your kid, the things you do. Way to go! And glad CB is feeling better...

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  5. oh my. i know i am going to totally jinx myself by writing this...but knock on wood, noah hasn't puked yet. i can handle the most disgusting poop without a problem at all, but the vomit i sooo don't look forward to. i hope that i handle it as well as you! glad the little guy is feeling better. ( and how funny, yet gross, is dana's story?!! )

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  6. Good job mama! it's funny the things you can withstand when it's somehow connected to your kid!

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  7. You know, I have a strong aversion to vomit AND poo. My mom is always telling me that when it's your kid it's not that bad and that I'll be able to handle it just fine. I guess you prove her right! I'm feeling better already! LOL!

    Glad CB is on the mend!

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  8. CB, you are welcome for that virus. Love, your buddy Ben.

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  9. Yay puke! You're one awesome mama considering there's a lot of mama's who can't go there. With three before our adoption I was a puke warrior- we've mastered our technique- the outdoor furniture cushions covered in waterproof pads stretched out on the bathroom floor with "the bowl". But then there was that time 11 years ago we had fish sticks and broccoli for dinner. I have yet to pair those two together again:)

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  10. When its your kids, it is a little different. However, that all is debatable when it depends on what they've eaten. Im the poop cleaner and hubbys the puke cleaner. I have been known to puke while cleaning up puke. Gotta hand it to you though, projectile vomit is in a leauge of its own:) Glad you made it through okay and hope CB is on the mend!

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  11. i didn't know whether to laugh or cry or cringe at your description of the puke incident! ewww. it must be only cute when it's your own child ;). knock on wood - we haven't had puke here yet. which is good, because my aversion to puke is much like yours - if not a little worse. i'm shuddering just thinking about it. so glad cb is feeling better!!!! and yay for super mama! you are definitely a hero in my book!

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  12. I hate puke - here's the arrangement (when Brian's home). I take the pukey kid for bathtime, he gets to clean it up out of the rug and sheets, etc. ;) I can feel bad for my kid but I am still totally grossed out by puke (especially the smell of it) and it makes me dry heave to smell it too much so bathtime I can handle but sheets - yuck! Unfortunately Ella's overnight major episode of puking last week, I had let Brian off duty at 11 and I got to do it all. Yuck!!! But I still felt bad for her and gave her lots of hugs and kisses.

    So glad CB is feeling better. He's adorable! Hope to see you both soon!

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  13. oh gosh that is so very impressive. i'll have to get back to you on that one haha. you are a fab mmomma! glad he is feeling better too- poor thing.

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  14. Way to go mama!!! I don't have a problem with puke and will gladly stick my finger down my throat to feel better. But I have the same reaction when G pukes...ahhhh poor baby. He tries as hard as he can not to puke. He handles it well though.

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  15. Go SuperMama!!!! That is awesome. I can't do puke either - or at least that what I thought but I did manage to remain calm and loving when Max puked a few months ago. But I.did.not.like.it one single bit. Cute puke? Hell no!
    PS - Um, gotta love Joanna's nonchalance about puke!

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  16. Great blog! I can totally relate. I still don't do great with the boys' puke, and I can be thankful that they have only each puked once, and Dad was home. Dad cleaned while I comforted. It's amazing what we will do for our children!!

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  17. Grace,

    It is so reassuring to hear that your momma powers kicked in the jets...I hope mine do too! So glad CB is feeling better...he looks as adorable as ever in those pictures!

    Way to go, momma!

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  18. supermama powers indeed. i hate puke...and last night's in leo's crib was absolutely no fun at all (poor leo, poor stuff puppy, and poor me)...but thanks to those superpowers (and knowing others are surviving this task too) all is better. glad cb is feeling better too!

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  19. This post is hilar. I don't do puke and I don't even *really* care to do poop! Oh, and I can't do blood either! I know, I'm ridiculous. And have the best hubby ever to deal with me. lol! Get this, I *might* be the luckiest mama ever, cuz almost seven months in and I've yet to have a puking child! I'm fearing the day.... oh I hope Dad is home that day!

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  20. it's official. you are now a mom!

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  21. Couldn't agree more with your stance on puke. Somehow it's a lot easier when it's your baby. Daniel has christened us well with puke, unfortunately. He has an easy gag reflex and can almost puke on cue. As well, he was baby who'd cry till he puked. Lovely. At our house, we're just thrilled if he does it away from the carpet or his bed. Hope CB is all better now!

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  22. You earned your mommy wings on this one.
    I remember the first puke-fest we had around here...it was UGLY. Little D had been home only 1 month...when WHAM...serious puke-a-rama. As in changed-my-shirt-six-times kind of puke. The whole time all I cared about was doing whatever I could to make my little boy feel better...while I tried not to worry about what the heck was wrong with him. Eventually, it stopped...and we've had several more puke-fests around here...but that first one...scared me the most...and made me realize: I can do this mom stuff...puke and all!

    Know what? I blogged about it too...and even took a pic (of the laundry on the line...not the puke, euwwwww). http://myseoulsearching.blogspot.com/2009/10/6-shirts-3-pairs-of-pants-3-sets-of.html

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  23. I'm late to the party here... not that *that* is the right term...

    I cannot do puke. At all. And even hearing the "v" word for that makes me run the other way. Even if I hear it, it makes me sick. It's bad. So when S got sick in December with the stomach virus, I couldn't believe that I didn't pass out, AND I was able to clean him and everything else up. I didn't gag or anything! But when I got it two days later, I was in hysterics. To the point where Doug had to ask me on the phone "Do I need to hang up and call 911?!" Yeah, not my best moment.

    (And when we were both down with it simultaneously earlier this month and Doug was traveling, I totally called my Mommy crying. And then my sister-in-law... who dropped everything to come help.)

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