Lanzarote, Canary Islands - Day 6

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Today was my birthday, though it wasn’t the day that I imagined it would be. Andi has been really sick for the past four days with vomiting, fever, diarrhea, and stomach cramps. His fever finally broke for good last night, but he still spent most of today in the bathroom. I feel so badly for him, and am honestly wondering how much longer this can go on! He can’t keep any food or liquids inside him for more than an hour.

Aden remembered it was my birthday this morning when he gave me a good morning hug, but Tory didn’t until Aden whispered it into her ear. I know she felt bad for forgetting because she immediately retreated to her bedroom to quickly make something for me. She is always so thoughtful that way.

I made the kids breakfast this morning, and we did school work at the kitchen table. There was no complaining about math from either one of them, so that was a nice birthday treat.

Andi’s vomiting slowed down as the morning went on, so he thought he was ready to eat something by lunchtime. I made him some chicken noodle soup (mostly broth), but he wasn’t able to keep it down for long. Whatever stomach bug that has taken hold of him this past week is relentless!

Over lunch, Andi, Tory, and Aden presented me with a birthday card written on a piece of notebook paper. Each person listed five reasons why they love me which really warmed my heart. Apparently I’m a really good cook, though the pitiful lunch I made today isn’t much representation. And somehow, even though he was practically dying in bed, Andi bought me new headphones for a birthday gift. He never ceases to amaze me! I’m not sure how he pulled that off. I’m pretty sure that I left my headphones on the plane last Thursday when we traveled to the Canary Islands, and I was so bummed about that. Now, I’ll have new headphones to use for the remainder of our trip.

While I was cleaning up the lunch dishes, I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself about today being somewhat of a lack-luster day, and instead be grateful for all that I have. The blessing of another year of life isn’t one to waste. My dad’s death last month has magnified that point more than ever. I am lucky to have a loving husband, two fantastic kids, lots of friends & family who care about me, and the good fortune of being in a warm, sunny place on my birthday. This day didn’t turn out to be what I planned, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a great life. I invited the kids outside to soak up the rest of the afternoon in the sunshine at our airbnb’s pool. Tory and Aden played together so nicely in the swimming pool which felt like a gift, and I laid nearby on a lounger reading my book. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon.

We didn’t have much food left to make for dinner, so I decided to walk to the nearby neighborhood market to buy a few more groceries. Andi said he wanted to come with me — that he needed to get up and moving, and get some fresh air. He is really low on energy after not eating or drinking anything the past four days. He made it to the store and back, but was pretty nauseous afterwards.

For dinner, I made Aden ramen noodles and rice. Tory said she wasn’t hungry. Neither was I, really, so I poured myself a water glass full of wine (there are no wine glasses in this airbnb) and read my book until bedtime. “Sorry we didn’t get you a cake for your birthday, Mom,” Aden said, “they don’t have DQ here.” No cake for me this year, but a glass of local tempranillo wine will suffice.

I had it in my mind that we were leaving Canary Islands on Thursday, but Andi said our flight is actually on Friday. That’s good news — maybe he’ll be feeling better tomorrow and we can do something on the island before it’s time to go. I really hope he starts to feel better, and that the rest of us stay healthy! I haven’t seen Andi this sick in a long time, if ever.

Yes, it’s a bummer that we haven’t done much during our time in Lanzarote, but the bright side is that we always planned to be here for a whole week. There’s no way Andi could have traveled anywhere the past few days so at least his sickness happened while we were stationary, in a comfortable airbnb, without a lot of activities planned. Hopefully things look up tomorrow.