The Bug that Wouldn't Go Away

To celebrate Labor Day today, we decided to head to the zoo. And I can honestly tell you that we enjoyed the sunshine, warm air, and cool breezes more than we have enjoyed them in a very long time. This past week, we have been couped up, worried and ill. Last Saturday, Will started complaining of not feeling well. By Sunday morning, he was complaining of his throat hurting and by Sunday night, he had started running a 102 fever. We've had more than our fair share of strep around here in the past couple months, so I immediately took him to the doctor Monday morning and, sure enough, he had strep yet again. The problem was that the magic medicine the doctor always gives that normally makes a child better by the next morning (I love that stuff) didn't seem to be working. By Wednesday (the day he was supposed to be OK to return to daycare), he was still running a fever of 102 and couldn't seem to sleep more than 30 minutes at a time each night before waking up in a drenching wet sweat and crying because of his throat. Something was not right. So I took him to the doctor again Wednesday morning thinking that his medicine wasn't working. She took another strep test but this one came back negative, telling us that the medicine was indeed working. She said that the fever could possibly last one more day but that, if he still had it by the next morning, we knew that he had a virus on top of it which she predicted would last anywhere from 7-10 days. Sure enough, we woke up Thursday morning (after 30 minute snoozes throughout the night again), to find out that he was still running a fever.

To make matters worse, Brian's throat started hurting by Wednesday night. He went up to the local walk-in clinic after I got home from work and...yep, you guessed it...he had strep too. So the two boys got to be home sick together all day Thursday and Friday. By Saturday morning, Brian was feeling better. Will was not.

It never ceases to amaze me how strong my feelings run in me for my kids. Sure, they drive me nuts occasionally (well, more than occasionally lately). They sit around the house whining and complaining. They pick at each other and torment each other. They come screaming to me, wanting me to give each of them their way. I roll my eyes, I huff and puff, and occasionally I even raise my voice. But then something happens like an illness and suddenly, my heart is broken for my babies. By Saturday morning, as I watched my sweet boy with a very pale little face and deep, dark circles under his eyes simply lay on the couch watching cartoons and not having any energy to run around the house and drive me crazy, my eyes started to tear up a little. And when he told me he was cold and allowed me to pull up my favorite blanket on him, I watched as he dozed off to sleep and I started to cry a little bit more. A week of watching your sweet little boy run a mysterious fever that just won't seem to go away and, worse still, not seem to have any cause or any end because the only thing which can heal it is time, will break a momma's heart worse than anything. You want answers and you want it to go away. You want medicine that will work and you want to know when it'll end. And, as a working mom, you're even further torn in half because you know your office is trying to be kind but is impatiently waiting for your return.

I have spent this past week battling my emotions, feeling bad for the work I was missing and leaving to others to tend, and praying that God would simply take this strange fever away from my sweet little boy's brow.

Yesterday, we knew we had to skip church yet again. Originally I was going to stay home with Will while Brian and AC went to church but, after getting a very nasty burn on my arm from the oven, I knew I was going to be useless and Brian stayed home to help out. And God apparently decided to bless us despite it. Will woke up at 8:30 (very late for my little early-riser) with a grin on his face...a first in a week. He jumped out of bed and spent the morning hopping on the couch. He harassed his sister and he tried to attack the dog (in a loving way, of course). And, for the first time in a week, he spent the day with a smile on his face and a very cool brow.

And today, we decided to celebrate by leaving the house for the first time in a week! It was so wonderful to get out into the fresh air for once, to feel the cool breeze and to enjoy the sunshine on faces. We gathered Brian's parents and headed to the zoo and spent the morning walking in the sunshine and simply enjoying the day and our health. It's amazing how much we take those things for granted until the day arrives when you lose them for a time.

SHE HAS A JOB!!!!!!!!

My mother finally has a full-time job with benefits. She has been working part-time at a nursing home in Franklin. The girl that was working the 3-11 Monday thru Friday shift quit and so they offered the job to Mom. One down and one to go.

Keep praying for Dad as he is getting very depressed. He had an interview the other day. They told him that they would hire in a minute, but were very worried about his legs. So no job.

Help!

OK, seriously, we need help. We are desperately seeking a pair of Superman boots. I'm guessing rain boots? Maybe? Obviously we don't have a clue what he means. All we know is that the little munchkin is desperately begging me to go buy him a pair of Superman boots. After an afternoon of walking around in AC's high-heeled boots, he decided he wanted his own pair of boots...Superman boots to be exact. Don't have a clue where he's seen a pair like this before but he's convinced they exist. He's also convinced that I'm skipping out on work every day, apparently, to go look for and purchase these boots. Every afternoon, when I go to pick him up, the first question out of his mouth is, "Do you have my Superman boots?" and breaks out into tears and temper tantrums when I tell him no. So seriously, if you see a pair of Superman boots, call me and I'll tell you his size! I'll even pay you back for them!!!

Celebration!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Brian's birthday on Friday. After a WONDERFUL dinner at Olive Garden, we decided to all go up to our town's tiny little Farmer's Market. I'm not sure you can really call it a Farmer's Market considering that it only consists of two booths with fruits and vegetables. However, it's still a neat little place to walk around since they also have a booth with a lovely couple who laughs every time they see us now because we've become their Friday night regulars. They sell THE BEST salsa I have ever eaten in my life. It's not like any other salsa I've ever had before but it's so good that Brian and I managed to go through an entire jar in two days. So we promised to return every Friday!

Beyond that, they also have a few stands with people selling crafts, homemade soaps and lotions, another salsa booth (haven't tried that one yet, although we really should be equal opportunity salsa tryers), and (believe it or not) a small petting zoo with a billy goat who likes to kneel, a fat bunny, a very skinny calf (he worries me), a couple ducks (or geese -can't really remember), a llama, and the 2nd fattest pig I have ever seen in my life (beat only by the enormous pig at the weird deer farm in Michigan). Anyway, our Farmer's Market is tiny but it's held on the grounds of a coffee shop in a little antique house on Main Street every Friday night where they string up pretty lights and have a local band play music on the front steps of the coffee house. It just makes it so much fun to have that tiny little hometown celebration every Friday night (not to mention the very cheap homegrown veggies and awesome salsa I get to carry home with me every Friday night).

Anyway, after our little Friday night stroll, we decided to finish our birthday celebration with ice cream at our local Cold Stone. We were stuffed full but had a wonderful evening. And, for those of you who are worried about my sweet hubby not getting any presents from his loving family - I finally got a little creative. I wrapped up some old Disney brochures from our trip last summer along with a new brochure we got with this upcoming reservation, and put that with a Mickey coloring book found on the $1 shelf at Target and a small "letter" from the Mouse himself announcing that my sweet hubby had only 56 days left and that Mickey couldn't wait to see him. Brian giggled like a girl when he opened it.

Birthday Boy

A special someone turned...well, I won't tell you because I refuse to think about how old we are (and have even honestly forgotten occasionally). Anyway, Brian is now a year old than he was yesterday! :-) To celebrate, we're headed out to our new favorite restaurant in town, the Olive Garden, and then we'll head home for him to open his cards (plural) and present (not plural because he won't be getting his BIG AND VERY EXPENSIVE gift until mid-October when he goes to visit his favorite mouse once again!) So luckily his parents still love him enough to give him something to open on his birthday!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

THIRD GRADE!!!!!!!

Today, my little girl became an official 3rd grader. How time is flying. Just yesterday Amanda and I were taking her to Kindergarten, and now she is in 3rd Grade.

She chose the shirt that she is wearing because her best friend gave it to her for her birthday last year and this best friend is in her class again this year. How sweet and thoughtful my little girl is.

One More Day

Only one more day of summer!

There's a special someone who is celebrating her last day of freedom tomorrow. Of course, I don't think she minds losing her freedom all that much. She got to meet her new teacher, who just happens to be a b-o-y, who also just happens to be from Indiana and graduated from IU so we told him he was acceptable as her new teacher.

And, of course, her happiness also stems from the class list she saw posted on the wall...listing her best friend from last year and a cute little boy who she secretly has declared her boyfriend. She hasn't told him, of course. I personally approve of him too. I've known him so long I've changed his diapers. Not that that's why I approve him. I just happen to think he's a cute and very sweet little boy. I also approve of the fact that he was the only boy who showed up to Ann Catherine's birthday party last year. I also happen to approve because I've known his parents for a very long time and his mom and I are quickly becoming very good friends. She taught me how to scrapbook. Can't find a quicker way to this mom's heart than that right now!