Last week

Today is a good day because today I finally feel 100% back to normal and by normal I mean, free of a dreadful stomach bug. I was hit with a bug sometime around midnight last Friday, the day before my parents came to visit and the first symptom I experienced was  nausea. At first, I didn't think too much of it and thought I had eaten too much homemade pizza earlier that evening. (which was heavenly, if you were wondering...) Then it got worse! And the pizza somehow managed to make a second appearance on the floor. Don’t worry, I’ll leave out all the adjectives that described what it looked and smelled like. :) Anyway, Michael was kind enough to help me out. He cleaned it and made sure I was going to be okay. Before I could fall back asleep, I was running to the toilet for round 2! After my third or fourth trip (I lost count after a while) I decided it would be best to sleep on the floor so, I would have easy access to the toilet. During my sickness little Zoe tried her best to console me with her cuddles. Such a good girl.

After a long and eventful evening of tossing my cookies, I thought I felt better. Or maybe, I convinced myself I felt better? Michael had to work from home so I decided to make us waffles for breakfast; waffles with peanut butter, bananas and maple syrup to be exact. A breakfast of champions. Once I finished eating my favorite breakfast, I decided to lie down since I didn't get very much sleep the night before and I eventually fell asleep. I woke up and felt nauseous like the night before. It somehow winded up on the floor again…And at that point Michael was done cleaning up after me and gave me a bucket and saltine crackers to munch on. He also made me anti-nausea ginger gum, white rice with tuna and chicken broth. 

I had a developed a fever and decided to get more rest. After I woke up, I was able to keep down lunch but still wasn't feeling so hot. Michael helped me make spaghetti and meatballs for when my parents would arrive. My parents and Gusty arrived at around 7pm. My parents and I introduced Gusty to Zoe and we watched them interact, at first Zoe was a little nervous but quickly became a huge fan of Gusty, and followed Gusty the entire visit. After dinner which I managed to also keep down, we watched A Blast From the Past and then hit the hay. On mother's day morning, I was feeling better but still got a little nauseous after eating breakfast and decided to stay home and rest while everyone went to church. My poor father-in-law also stayed home because he was also feeling ill. We both felt a little better and went out to lunch with the moms to celebrate mother's day. I made my mom and mother-in-law homemade cards the week before, and Michael and I got them frames with our wedding pictures in them. Despite feeling sick, I was so happy to spend mother's day with my mom!

The next few days I began to feel better. On Monday, we showed my parents the house we bought. (Our closing date is on the 29th!)  And later that day Michael and my parents drove out to Pittsburgh and walked around Point State Park before dinner. We then walked over to Meat and Potatoes for dinner, a trendy and delicious steakhouse with an interesting menu! As an appetizer we all shared the Bone Marrow with Grilled Bread. I never knew fat from a cow's leg could be so tasty, wow! I especially enjoyed the toppings that came with the marrow, my favorite were the pickled red onions and kosher salt. For dinner I ordered the Hudson Valley Duck Breast which was coated with pastrami and it came with a baby kale salad and I substituted the pierogies for french fries... Even though I was still sick, I managed to get in a few bites and I definitely want to go back again for lunch or a drink. The next day Michael went back to work so I got to spend the day with my parents, and my mom and I made sofrito. We later prepared yellow rice with chicken and red beans for dinner, after dinner we relaxed and my parents and Gusty left to go home the next morning. Zoe was a little heartbroken to see her grandparents and cousin Gusty go home. Overall the visit was awesome, and I am excited to see them again, plus my sister Aria and brother-in-law David when I visit in June! 

I am also very happy that I can eat food without feeling sick again! Ah, stomach bugs are no joke... 

-Jessica