1.14.2011

I give up.

Saturday - It started with A, who woke up with a raging fever. We spent a quiet day at home, all day. I finally got away in the afternoon to go grocery shopping.
Sunday - A stayed home from church with me while M & J went to church (and sat with the Malones), until Daddy came home and traded so I could go play the piano for primary. Sunday evening she was bouncing around and feeling much better, so we had some friends over for pie (the Malones).
Monday - Both girls woke up feeling crummy and coughing, and M managed to throw up her orange juice just at the right time to warrant a day home from school for both girls. By 10am all three kids were playing badminton outside, and I was wishing I'd just sent them to school. I tried to start M's book report with her in the afternoon - I ended up falling asleep on her bed, and she went and watched TV - so much for that idea.
Tuesday - sent the girls off to school loaded with some cough medicine. Everyone seemed to be fine. I was able to go play volleyball, and J played in the nursery with the Risenmay, Nielssen, and Myers kids. Even went to gymnastics Tuesday evening. Daddy thankfully helped M finish her book report.
Wednesday - sent the girls off to school again loaded with cough medicine. A caught up on all her homework she'd missed at school. M had begged to have friends over, so we called the Haynies and had their girls over after school. I escaped to an exercise class that ended up taking hours by the time I ran errands and got home - only to find out that M started feeling crummy and had spent hours on the couch asleep while I was gone. Great. Now we've exposed the Haynie girls too to our sickness.
Thursday - sent A off to school with some cough medicine, and J off to preschool with Finny. I took M to the doctor, to learn that she has strep throat. GREAT. Who else have we exposed?? Came home, loaded up again, waited and waited at the pharmacy for the Rx. At least we have antibiotics now, and M is fabulous at taking medicine. Doc said she because she would have 2 doses on Thurs and one on Fri morning, she'd be fine to go to school on Friday. After a mid-day orthodontist appointment, A threw a huge fit and refused to go back to class and just wanted to go home to rest - pleeeeeeeease! Fine. She obviously wasn't feeling up to par, so we came home and I let her read all afternoon. I spent all afternoon cleaning and doing laundry, oh, and barely being able to MOVE I'm so sore from the exercise class I took on Wed. In the middle of the night J woke up coughing, having a hard time catching his breath, so we spent a while trying to calm his breathing so he could sleep.
Friday - since she'd already missed 2 days this week, I was anxious for M to not stay home from school again. She happily took her Rx and went to school, even though she was grumpy. A took her cough medicine and also went to school. J was happy, not coughing, not wheezing, eating cereal, asking for a sandwich... so I assumed he was fine. After a lunch out with friends (and traveling in the car with the Malones, and playing with Finny for two hours) we came home and J instantly went to sleep on the couch. At 3:40pm he woke up with a raging fever and couldn't catch his breath again - awesome - so I called the pediatrician and raced up there for the second day in a row to get in before the weekend. Jackie saved the day, picked up my girls from school, and took them home to her house. After 45 minutes in the waiting room, we finally got to see the doc and learn that J not only has strep throat but an ear infection as well. Sheesh. Drove home through traffic, waited 20 minutes at the pharmacy to turn in the Rx. It wouldn't be ready for 2 hours because they were so backed up. I got home to find M coughing, feeling crummy, and in the sourest of moods, after she had spent another two hours at the Malones sick. Sigh. J wouldn't eat, but A ate almost a whole pizza by herself. Hopefully that means she's feeling fine! Finally got everyone drugged up and put to bed. Hopefully they stay in bed until morning, and I don't have any sick, feverish kids crawling into bed with me and coughing in my face. N will be gone most of the day tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

It will be a miracle if I make it out of this without getting sick myself. And an even bigger miracle if none of the Malones, Haynies, Myers, Risenmays, Nielssens or Eagars end up getting sick after being around us this week - everyone say a prayer for Finny. We will be hibernating until everyone is well - so don't expect to see any of us the next few days... what do you want to bet I'll be heading to the doctor again on Tuesday for either A or myself?? UGH. I'm so thankful I only have three kids, and I don't have a job. I can't imagine how a working mom, or someone with more children, can deal with and arrange a whole mess of sick kids.

Other than that this week, I've spent all my time on my computer designing vinyl ideas, making meals, paying copays, running to the pharmacy, cleaning up and listening to N armchair quarterback all my decisions on the kids' wellness. Sigh. What have you done this week??

2 comments:

Alison said...

Guess we'll be fighting off strep throat and ear infections with fevers. And I thought we'd be bored this next week. :) Thanks for the heads up! Hope everyone feels better soon and you don't get sick.

Gillion said...

are you getting better now? Pei Pa Koa (www.geocities.jp/ninjiom_hong_kong/index_e.htm ) is one of the few Chinese natural cough remedies that have been scientifically studied. it's something like herb plus honey, and it's sweet, thick and black in color. If you have a cough, look for it! It used to be one of my favourite natural cough remedies.

if your cough persists, seek professional help such as traditional Chinese medicine physicians - I have had very good experiences with them.