The Night of Incessant Vomit

• Went to bed at 10:30.
• Woke up at 11:00 to Anna wailing.
• Brought her to bed with us.
• @ 11:30 she was throwing up. Dashingly Handsome Sidekick (DHS) assisted. Cleaned up the floor. Thankfully she made it to the bathroom and didn't puke on the bed. (Good girl!) 
• @ 11:45 I made a bed on the floor next to our bed. Bucket positioned on a towel next to her head.
• @ 11:50 she threw up again.
• I told Aaron to sleep, I'd take care of it. After all, I'm the one at home during the day. He has to stand up in front of a bunch of high schoolers and make sense.
• Every twenty to forty minutes until 6:30 Anna dry-heaved into that bucket. I know because I saw the clock every time I dragged myself back to bed.
• @ 3:30 Sophie started wailing. Brought her to bed with me, worried that she was going to throw up, too.
• Sophie fell asleep all over my side of the bed. But she never threw up. (Thank you, Jesus!)
• @ 6:30, when the DHS came in to kiss me goodbye, told me he said he'd see me at 11 tonight because he's off to Othello for a big football game, I gave in to weeping because I didn't think I could do it. Didn't think I could find the strength to get the kids off to school. Didn't think I could pull off the whole single-parent thing today, all day. Regular days are hard enough, with sleep, with DHS coming home at six.
• It's 3:30 now. I'm grateful for the people (Christina & Amy C.) who dropped off/picked up my big kids from school. I'm grateful for morning cartoons: I set my two girls in front of the TV with bucket at the ready, and dozed off on the sofa next to them. I'm grateful for an open schedule today, for not having to cancel a bunch of appointments.
• And I'm hoping for a better night's sleep tonight. I'm hoping because I'm driving to Spokane tomorrow morning to attend our regional SCBWI writing conference. Tomorrow's when I need to show up and act like a normal person and not like a psycho due to sleep deprivation. 
• Plus, I really don't want to leave tomorrow with any of my babies throwing up all over the DHS. 
• And I don't want to be sitting in a semi-circle at the writing conference, half-way through reading my first 250 words, and realize I have to throw up.
• All that said, PRAYERS are appreciated. 
• And now, back to laundry....