And the Illness Continues...

Poor Ethan, just when we thought he was improving, he threw up two more times on Tuesday (this time getting mommy, the carpet, two cushions in his playroom, and himself). Our washing machine has been working overtime here recently. He also started running a fever again. I called the pediatrician's office this morning, and they have been swamped, so we were able to get in with the nurse practitioner rather than our regular pediatrician. She said that there is a very nasty flu bug going around that lasts 5-7 days (we're in day 5), where the symptoms are cyclical. Ethan's symptoms match that exactly (vomiting, high fever, and diarrhea has come and gone and come and gone depending on the day). Last night he started with a runny nose and cough that kept us all up most of the night. The nurse practitioner examined his gums and said that, in addition to the tooth that just broke the gumline, he has 3 more just about to break through. She also said that he is somewhat dehydrated, so we are supposed to encourage as much water and Gatorade as possible. I wish that I could explain to him how important it is to drink, because he has entered a very opinionated phase regarding food and drink (it is a phase, right? ;) where no amount of encouragement will result in him eating or drinking. He hasn't had Gatorade before, but I bought some on our way home from the doctor's office. Hopefully a novel taste will encourage him to drink. I had no idea there were so many flavors of Gatorade. He likes fruit, so I bought "Berry", but if anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know!