This past Monday afternoon I drove Alex to a friend’s birthday party. Once we got there, we went through our usual routine: parked the car, grabbed the gift, reminded the child to BE A KIND FRIEND, then climbed out of the car and joined the festivities.
However, I soon realized that this party was different. Because about three minutes after our arrival, I noticed that the other mamas? WERE LEAVING.
Y’ALL. It was a drop-off birthday party – a first for us. And I don’t want to overstate my delight, but I think it may have changed my life in countless wonderful ways. I mean, I enjoy a large group of screaming five- and six-year olds as much as the next uptight person, but people, we’re talking TWO HOURS OF ALONE TIME. TWO HOURS. OF ALONE TIME.
No kidding: as soon as I told Alex goodbye, I wanted to drive to the cul de sac at the end of the street, screech out some celebratory donuts and then honk the horn repeatedly as I drove back past the party house toward my totally unanticipated but much-appreciated afternoon-o-freedom.
IT’S A NEW PARENTING DAY! GLORY!
A couple of hours later I picked up the little man, and clearly he had not left the confines of the bouncy/jumpy/slidey apparatus for the entirety of his birthday party stay. We said our goodbyes, hopped in the car – and just as we were driving away, he announced that he had a stomachache. Because I’m Mother of the Year, however, I gave absolutely no credence to his stomachache claims. I just figured that either 1) he’d had too much cake at the party or 2) he was trying to get out of eating chicken and broccoli for supper.
I had no intention of falling prey to his kindergarteny schemes.
But when we got home, the unexpected happened: the little guy took off his shoes, walked back to his bedroom, stretched out on his bed and covered up with a blanket. Since that has happened approximately, oh, one time in his whole life, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that The Sick, It Was Coming.
Long story long, he woke up around 10 that night and told me he thought he needed to throw up. But then he said he didn’t need to throw up. And then he said, “Wait! I need to throw up! I don’t want to throw up! I hate to throw up! I’m scared to throw up, Mama! And you know what, Mama? My grandmother calls it ‘vomit!'”
And then he turned his head and threw up and/or vomited for what felt like, oh, approximately twenty five minutes.
Suffice it to say that there was a whole lot of sickness from 10 Monday night until 10 Tuesday morning, and now that I think about it, I realize that’s totally how parenting works: two hours of free time Monday afternoon; twelve hours of Throw Up Duty Monday night. It’s an Irrefutable Law of Motherhood.
Alex finally fell asleep again around 2 Tuesday morning, only to have another round of All The Vomit hit about an hour later. After I’d gotten him a fresh cold cloth and sufficiently disinfected the sickbay, he looked up at me with his tired little eyes and said, “Mama? Aren’t you going to say it?”
“Say what, buddy?” I asked him.
“Aren’t you going to bless my heart?”
So I leaned over and rubbed his little head and said, “Bless your heart, baby. Bless your sweet little heart.”
And he smiled and closed his eyes and dozed off again.
I stood there for a few seconds just looking at him, and as I straightened his blanket and picked up the towel that I’d used to wipe his face, I couldn’t help but think that sleep or no sleep, sick or no sick, there’s pretty much nothing better than getting to share life with that little guy. I am so thankful that I get to be his mama.
And he blesses my heart. Every single day.
Pure sweetness. Even with the vomit.
This one made me tear up.
Bless *your* heart, BooMama.
I just enjoyed a sweet little cry.
THAT is just the sweetest little story EVER! Yes, Bless his heart!
You are a great Mama, Sophie. And that young child is blessed to have you as his sweet Mama.
Praying it doesn’t spread around your place.
God love him. (that’s what Gabe’s grandma would say)
What a sweet story. I love your little guy!!
Oh my goodness gracious… I am a puddle! That was the sweetest post about vomiting I’ve ever read. :)
I am so sorry to hear he is sick, but I have to tell you that story brought tears to my eyes. Vomit and all… bless his heart.
Bless his heart. I hope he feels better soon and it doesn’t spread.
And yes, it is the Irrefutable Law of Motherhood. My husband and I enjoyed a rare night off about a month ago – we had a wonderful time. But low and behold, less than an hour of walking through the door both girls were up. We were up and down all night with them. A few moments of fun = no sleep for parents.
Oh that is so nice, that he just wanted to hear you say that sweet phrase to him. Makes me smile and get all sappy feelin’.
who knew puke could be so poignant?! i love this story.
Isn’t that always the case? Bless their little hearts… whatever they do… bless their little hearts. Thank you! and Bless you too!
You even got ME teared up!
You know, one of the few times I actually work up some compassion is when my kids get the pukes. Maybe it’s really ME I’m feeling sorry for, though, and I’m just transmuting that to them. Whatever. It works.
Melting…
Too funny! Apparently I say it pretty frequently too and have overheard my 7 yr old say it several times. I hope your little one feels better soon!
Thanks for all of your funny and heart warming posts. You have such a gift!
Casey
Vicksburg, MS
Thanks for making me cry at 1:15 in the morning when I should really be in the bed…now I’ve gotta go love on my sweet little ‘uns and try not to wake them up. Bless your heart for being such a good mama that that little boy is so sweet and tender. Love!
That’s the irrefutable law of motherhood…whether laced with cake frosting or vomit, every bit of it’s a blessing. Every little bit.
Only you can make a sweet post about vomit!
Bless :)
This is exactly what I needed to hear tonight, as Husband and I are still up…training our dear little one to live without a pacifier. Paci or no paci, she blesses my heart. :)
I’m so curious about the drop off party ’cause ain’t that what b-day parties used to be for parents? And as a new mommy, thrown into a new role of learning to give up so much of myself, I am encouraged by your words and example of loving your little boy through everything. Thanks so much!!
First of all, congratulations on your graduation to the beautiful world of “the drop off party”! Woo hoo! So sorry to hear that it had to be followed by a quick return to the reality of cleaning up after a sick little guy. (For some reason, my kids – now 4, 6, & 8 – started calling it “having the spits” when they were little, and it’s stuck.) So hopefully “the spits” have left your house now and will not be visiting anyone else in the family!
You’re 100% right on that equation: a little bit of “free” time will cost a tremendous amount of motherly attention at some point in the future.
It was true in our case this weekend. Less than 2 hours after we got home from a quick kid-free night out of town, Son was throwing up. Good times.
I hope you’re all healed up!
After I get over the fact that just reading your post about “vomit” is making me feel a little queasy, I’m really touched by your post. I love Mother/child moments. I had one the other day… my 7 year old said to me “Mama, you work too hard. I can’t wait until I’m old enough to take care of you”. I thought that was really sweet and then thought about about me being old enough to be taken care of by her and decided I like things the way they are!
I fully relate to this post after having The Sick hit our household lately. Choosing to sleep downstairs in the lounge with the sick son was not an issue and waking during the night to rub his little back as he heaved into a bucket only made me love that boy even more!
Yes, bless his little heart. Today is my baby boy’s 7th birthday and I’ve spent the last few days thinking of all the ways he blesses my heart. Don’t know what I would be doing with all the time if he weren’t around. Don’t like to think about it cause he’s fun and loving. Those boys know how to wrap their mama’s around their little fingers for sure. Bless their hearts.
Bless both your little hearts!
i’m sorry you’ve got The Sick at your house. We just had two kids with the flu here, which brought on an ear infection in The Baby.
i hope everyone is well soon!
How do you always manage to have me laughing and then into tears before I even know it. That must have been one precious priceless moment!!
Ah yes. Vomit. My very first post back in October was about The Stomach. The Flu. The it-hit-K-like-a-ton-of-bricks-in-Chicago flu. We don’t live in Chicago. We live 6 1/2 hours away. We were there for my nieces birthday party, which we missed because of The Flu.
Mr. Man feeling better? Poor boy, he knew it was coming. He knew he was going down and there was nothing that he could do. That almost makes it worse.
And yes. Mama free time always cancels out. It usually involves some flip of daylight vs. night in that equation, too.
Here’s to praying that your red phone doesn’t ring. (I borrow that from a friend. Get it? The red phone? The presidential war phone?)
Stay well!
No one’s ever made vomit sound so precious.
Sweet post. I hate when mine “upchuck” which is a Grandma word for vomit.
You perfectly described my feelings the first time I dropped my daughter off at a party and GOT TO LEAVE! I think I might have actually done doughnuts in the cul-de-sac while driving waaay over the speed limit to get out of the neighborhood to maximize my precious two hours.
I just love your writing!
Loved this post. I’m all teary too!
Yes, we also had an experience lately when the 3 kids had a babysitter and we got to have a lovely evening out. It was 4 delightful hours of dinner & a movie for us….followed by 8 nightmarish hours with kids being up & down ALL NIGHT when we got home. It was wet beds and bad dreams and belly aches until dawn.
I love this :)
what a sweet post Sophie.
You’re right about all of it.
WOW, that was the.most.perfect.post. EVER!
Thanks for sharing it.
That little guy is the sweet thing ever!
Seriously, all sleep deprived, how can your heart just not melt over him?!
Hope you have stayed well and that dern bug is G-O-N-E!
Nothing quite like kids when they are appreciative, is there? Bless his heart!
So true, no matter what is going on my boys bless my socks off every day. I hope Alex is feeling better!
Bless his little heart indeed – obviously you are a good mama ’cause he hears bless your heart enough to know – it is supposed to be said. Glad the little one is no more in the land of the vomit – and glad I already ate my cereal and banana ’cause that isn’t the best mental image for breakfast! Bless YOUR heart dear Sophie –
Ahhhhhhhh! And you know what, Boo Mama, you’ll be saying “Bless your heart” to him for the rest of your life! I know I still do and the kids are 35 and 32 !!
Bless YOUR heart…you are a wonderful mom!
only you make me tear up from a post about vomit…
seriously, misty eyed!
we say bless your heart at our house too…but mostly my girl just blesses mine!
This just made me laugh out loud and cry at the same time. It’s such a sweet thing, this parenting. Hope he’s feeling all better now!
Girl, you know how to share a story, because I’m sitting here crying while reading a post about vomit. I hope your little man is feeling better.
Bless ya’lls hearts. :)
All the “I love you”s and “Bless your heart”s seem to go unnoticed most of the time. I LOVE that he was waiting for that!
There is nothing in the world like “mother guilt”……Have recently experienced more than my share of that!! UGH……
Oh, one more thing. LOVE the drop-off party thing. It’s the best!!!
Awe!!! I did not see a story of vomit turning out to be the sweetest blog I’ve read today
Well that just brought tears to this mama’s eyes! Aww, bless his little heart!
I swear – you are the best story-teller EVIR!! I would love to give you a big ole’ hug for how much I enjoy your blog! :)
Oh stars, I’m bawling my head off. Motherhood is so wonderful, isn’t it?
Just found your blog-enjoying it so much; you are a hoot. I am a new mommy and loved this post. ps-I’m a fellow MSU alum! Go State!
Wow. I loved that.
BooMama, you’re awesome. I love you. (I know, that sounded a little “creepy blog-stalkerish”, but I just had to say it)
Bless Your Heart. Thanks for the story.
What a great story! My little man is seven and I remember the gleefulness when I realized a birthday party was drop off. It was AMAZING.
I do hope he’s all better. Give him an extra hug – bless his heart, indeed.
Oh what a sweety, bless his little heart. You’re raising him well. Isn’t motherhood the best? How did we ever survive before we were mommies without all the sweetness and love positively filling up our hearts?!?
My own buddy is sick, starting yesterday morning. Thankfully no vomit! He was getting dressed to visit the doc & make sure no flu. He put on a John Deere shirt that says “I make dirt look good” and said “Well, I’m not making dirt look good today Mama.” Of course I told him he always makes dirt look good. Later in the afternoon we were cuddling in the oversized chair, watching a movie and he looked up and said “Thank you so much for taking care of me Mama.” And my heart just about exploded.
Only in the South would “Bless Your Heart” make a child feel better. I love it! It makes me feel better just reading it.
This is blogging GOLD.
Two hours of freetime fun= Twelve hours of throwing up fun. Motherhood in a nutshell. :)
When my oldest prays, he often requests that I agree with him by saying “yes Lord” If I don’t he is saying “mom you’re not saying it”
His prayer always stats with “make the angels have big swords & big shields and make the bad guys have nothing”
YES LORD!
Your words ring so true in the hearts of every mother. Thanks for your post.
Katie Jean
Little Blue Bungalow
Despite the vomit, that is truly truly sweet!
Precious! Hope he is feeling better!
You make vomitting an endearing experience that can go down in the journal as sweetest thing he ever said.
Two hours of Free time always means you will pay later, somehow, someway, you will pay!
*sniffle. sniffle*
*SNORK!*
*sniffle*
*sigh*
Warm fuzzies all around:) Bless his heart! (and yours for sharing this with us!)
Oh my goodness – that precious child! How special and wonderful! Thank you Boomama! ! ! ! !
Only you could make a throw up story so sweet! My hubby thinks he’s coming down with it right now. Awesome.
I found your site through Kelly’s Korner (I’m one of those lurkers) and I wanted to let you know that this post is one of the best things I’ve read lately! They are blessings aren’t they, and can’t they just melt your heart?
It never ceases to amaze me how we can experience such sweet and precious moments during difficult or disgusting times. That’s one sweet boy, who certainly didn’t fall far from his sweet mama apple tree.
Poor baby. I can commiserate, considering my blog has become the Vomit Chronicles. I’m halfway through my second trimester and still throwing up almost daily. After a particular round of projectile vomiting, when I unfortunately didn’t make it to the toilet and was still gagging, I asked my husband, “Do you love me enough to clean this up?” He did clean it up, and came back to me saying, “You don’t even want to know what I went through in there.” But I reminded him that it was preparation for the future. One day we’ll have the pleasure of cleaning up after our first-born son, and I’ll know that all the vomiting was worth it.
Awww, that got a tear up chuckle from me. What a sweet mama you are and what a sweet little man you’re raising.
Sounds like you’re doing a bang-up job ;).
You’ve done it. You made me cry. I’ve been in the hospital with Burke for four days, and I have not shed a single tear. But when I read that your little man asked you to bless his heart, the tears streamed down, and I leaned over to my little man and blessed his heart, too. :) Thanks for sharing.
Bless your heart too! That is the sweetest story. He is adorable.
Such a kind, sweet litle boy! What a lucky little guy to have you and BooDaddy as his family!
Two things I’ve not been a part of yet…the drop off birthday and and weekday birthday! WHY oh WHY do they ALWAYS have to take up the middle of a Saturday? I’d love a nice Thursday afternoon party!
Glad to hear the little man is on the mend!
Oh what a sweet little man.
That made me want to grab my little ones and hug them tightly for oh, about an hour.
Oh, and bless your sweet heart, too.
Oh my. So sweet. I have no words.
I am going through this exact same thing with my daughter (who’s 12) right now….she was up in the night and is now on the sofa. It’s been 1 hour since she last got sick…I’m hoping it’s over but I’m sure it’s not :( My catch phrase for her is “poor little peanut” and I’ve already said it, oh, 45 times :) Sweet post, Sophie…
Girl, I went from wanting to high-five you for feeling the Mama freedom, to cringing at the thought of a tummy bug, to *seriously* tearing up.
Bless his sweet little heart, indeed. You’re such a good Mama, Sophie.
There is absolutely nothing in the world better than being a momma. And that has to be pretty great when you can say than as you are cleaning some of the most horrific messes ever made.
And no one can say bless your heart better than a southern mama. You are precious.
Oh, I am going to say “bless your heart” to my kids from now on!!! I am from the west, living in NC, so I am getting used to that phrase… now I am positively in love with it, thanks to you! I can especially relate to this sweet (other than the sicky part) post because my youngest is the sweetest little kindergarten boy ever. And he blesses my heart everyday too! Now I am off to read your Bachelor update. I finally got to watch this week’s show on the dvr… Blessings!
Okay, read it again for the 2nd time today – 6 hours apart – and cried for the 2nd time today.
You echo the sentiments of the sweetness of motherhood so well, Sophie.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!
How precious is he ?! Please Dear Lord Bless his Heart !!
Sweet sweet sweet!!! My little dude is in 1st grade and I too am enjoying the freedom of the drop off bday party. I must must share with you my new found freedom in how to give a party. I have learned that it is not necessary to spend a bazillion dollars on parties anymore. Boys want to go to each other’s houses run around and play with his toys. I did a party that was a gaming party. I had the Wii set up, let them bring over the DSs. And away they went. I spent $50 with invites, cake and goodie bags!! I am on a mission to stop the obnoxious bday parties!! And tell the parents to go away…they will love it and you will spend less time chattin’ it up and concentrate on little boys not destroying your home. Okay enough for now…
As a boy mama, myself…this story has blessed my little heart! Thank you sweet, BooMama. This is such a picture of life as the mother of a little boy. So true…the price for two hours of freetime is high…but the blessing of those sweet “bless your heart” moments is worth it…all of it.
That is so sweet. It made my eyes tear up that he wanted you to bless his little heart. I hope that “All The Vomit” has passed and your little man is feeling better.
Congrats on reaching that drop-off-party milestone. It was a big one around our house. Except my boy would always say, “You’re not going to leave are you?” and look at me with his pleading big green eyes. I think I did a little dance the first time he didn’t beg me to stay.
Miss Boo Mama,
Thanks to the guidance of my mother-in-law, a.k.a. Babby, I read your blog about “the vomit”. All I can say is that I truly understand.
Not too long ago I was standing at the changing table, covered in poo and pee, trying to take a stool sample for my very sick 4 month old when he decided to add “the vomit” to the list of bodily fluids.
When I reached to clean off his neck, the room filled with the most beautiful sound….my son’s first laugh, and not just one giggle, but a full 30 seconds of the sweetest laugh I have ever heard. One of the worst moments of my life became one of the best.
Oh, bless him! What a sweet boy with a very sweet mama!
How sweet!
Alex and I were vomiting at approximately the same time Monday night/Tuesday morning. And you’re right…Monday was super-productive day and then The Sick came.
And wanting you to “bless his heart”…priceless!
I loved this.
This is such a sweet and loving post, but at the same time: your poor baby! I hope he’s feeling better soon!
This was the sweetest thing I have EVER read that included the topic of throwing up/vomiting!! ;) I hope your little man is completely better now!
Oh my goodness, he is just the sweetest little boy!
Your little boy just made me cry. In a good way. Thanks for sharing.
That is just the sweetest post! What a dear boy you have!! It ‘blessed my heart’ just reading your story. Even though it involved the sick coming to visit.
By the way. I’m a nurse and we call it “emesis” Just thought I’d leave you with a new word to hate:)
Aww..I’m just so sorry for your sweet little man. That nasty stomach bug has been going around Cobb and Cherokee, and it seems like half the people I know have had it. Sweet boy, to want his mama to bless his heart. He IS blessed, and so are you….
Phenergan. The Miracle Medicine. I beg my family doc (who is 70 and has raised my husband me and our 2 children who are in their twenties) for an annual prescription. When my kids, even grown up, get All The Vomiting (my dad says “vommuck”) they will dehydrate within hours and spend the night in the ER getting rehydrated intravenously. I’m NEVER without the Phergan and it goes in at the first throw-up.
My motherly advice for the decade.
I hesitate to make this contribution, but I will, anyway. When we had All The Vomit (3 of us) my dad would, when he had ample warning, stick out his hands to catch the vomit to avoid ruined furniture/carpet/mattresses/clothing, etc. My mother, on the other hand, often threw up at the sight (or hint) of throw-up. Really a conundrum for my dedicated dad, bless his heart. Can’t wait for him to train my husband.
I am reading this when all my men are asleep and snoring, and I am laughing so hard that I am almost crying. I can so totally relate!!
I found your blog through Whittaker Woman & I’m so glad she shared! You write the best posts! I wish I was fabulously funny like you!! Have a good weekend. Hope your boy feels 100% better!
Oh, I hope that Alex is feeling better. You are sooooo good at realizing how precious every moment is with your child. Only you, Dear Boomama, could make vomit sound like a blessing.
Bless your heart, too!
OOOH the stomach bug. That’s the worst. Bless YOUR heart!! The good news is, you would get another Mommy Scout Badge for living through it!!
I hate THE SICK, but love the story. What a sweet-heart. God sure knew what he was doing when he created this motherhood thing.
I am not one for crying over “strangers” (even though I feel like I know you, I realize that is an illusion and we are strangers to each other) But you just made my eyes get all teary and such.
Sweet story.
I LOVE your blog. You’ve been so great since you went to Africa. God is using you. Be blessed.