Sweet even when he's sick...

At 4:30 this morning, I awoke to a small boy stroking my face. He had awakened to tell me that "one of my lungs hurts". When I asked where that was, he pointed to his lower abdomen.

I know that there is a digestive upset going around, but at 4am, I don't think well. I suggested that he try to get some sleep, and maybe his lung would feel better in the morning.

At 8:30, he woke me looking very frightened -- and then his eyes got wide and he covered his mouth with both hands. I twigged to what was happening immediately, and we dashed for the bathroom. In the end, we made it, but not before he and I both needed to change our clothes.

This heap of blankets contains one very sick little boy.

Rod made up some clove water, and Jack tried that -- but both times it triggered more vomiting, so it's obviously not going to help with whatever this one is.

The poor boy fell asleep in his Dad's chair, so I made a "bed" for him in the office, where he can doze and still be close to me. Once he woke up, he has been alternating famished and extremely nauseous. He has had a bit of water and a bit of clove water and one sip of chicken stock, but since he has to wait a half hour after he's sick, and then hold down water for a half hour, there hasn't been much chance for anything substantial.

And in spite of it all, he tries to smile.

Once he woke up, though, he has been sitting on my whenever we haven't been next to the toilet in anticipation.

But the thing that has amazed me, is that though Jack gets snurfly several times each year, he almost never gets digestive upsets. I remember these being just horrid when I was a kid -- they're extremely uncomfortable and they are pretty frightening. In spite of his lack of experience, through it all, he has been so sweet and patient. When he's famished, he has been chanting "patience, patience, patience". When he's really sick, he croaks, "this is hard, but it will be better tomorrow." Through it all, he tries very hard to smile at me.

He's gone back to sleep now, poor guy. But I have canceled all of our plans for the next several days. Even if he feels better, he should be quiet and recovering.