We've got much to catch up on!

And it will be here soon . . .

Sadly, my worst preschool fears hit when the Mad Hatter woke up Friday morning with a violent stomach bug.

I'd known in my stomach of stomachs it was going to happen one day, you're just never really prepared for that day.

Or for that day to be the start of your little girl's 4th birthday weekend.

The day of the night you bought tickets to see Dora Live. Months ago. And just told her about the day before. And had to break her little heart by telling her there was no way anyone was going to see Dora Live that night (although thankfully, the ticketing company was amazing and for a mere fee of approximately $50, were were able to postpone the tickets to the last showing).

I also wasn't prepared for the fact that it wasn't in the cards for me to be Invincible Mommy.

While I was so busy doing laundry, changing sheets, washing floors worrying about the MH and whether she'd be well in time for her 4th birthday on Sunday (now full with both a party and Dora Live), it never occurred to me that the stomach flu might claim me prisoner.

Sadly, I'm sure we all know the ending to this story.

Mommy cried (a lot).

Phone calls were made to cancel the party (there would be no party without Mommy present).

Mommy puked (a lot).

Mommy cried some more.

MH had an amazing birthday with her Daddy, Sweetheart, Poppy, and Uncle D, who came in from Boston just to see her.

She got her dream dollhouse from Sweetheart and Poppy.

She ate lunch at Johnny Rockets (one of her faves, although from what I hear she didn't eat all that much - she was, after all, still recovering).

She saw Dora Live with Daddy, Sweetheart, and Poppy while Mommy stayed home and cried some more.

And more than anything, she was the most sensitive, caring, loving, amazing little girl this Mommy could ever ask for.

Did she complain about her party being cancelled? Not once.

Did she echo Daddy while he made cancellation phone calls? You bet: "First I got the bug, now my Mommy has it . . ." was what everyone heard from the peanut gallery

When I asked DH for a cool washcloth, did she bring me one of her own? Absolutely.

Did I cry some more? Of course.

Because my little girl is 4, and She. Is. Amazing.

I will get around to writing a proper post to my baby on her 4th birthday, but I'm just starting to step back into the land of the living.

How come none of those parenting manuals tell you that while your kids seem to bounce back overnight from such an illness, you will not be quite so lucky?

I'm off to sip some more Nectar of the Gods Gatorade.