Nearly three weeks ago, Big E came down with the stomach bug. It hit him fast and hard. Five days later, Tim got it as well, and he was down for the count. A few days after that Tim and Baby E started to develop a cough and some congestion. C started a few days after that. I took Baby E to urgent care last Thursday where he was diagnosed with a double ear infection and pink eye. He went to the doctor on Monday for a follow up and was given stronger medicine. Tim’s improvement was minimal. C’s coughing continued, but seemed manageable during the day. Big E started doing some coughing as well early this week. But yesterday out of the blue he started to spike a temperature. By the time I got him home, his temp was 104.

We got the fever down to 99.8 before bed and he slept relatively well. He woke up this morning fever free, but I took him to the doctor anyways and he was diagnosed with Flu A and was prescribed Tamiflu. The doctor actually thinks his flu shot is working, because thankfully his reaction to the flu is relatively mild.  As a precaution the pediatrician also prescribed Tamiflu for the other two (C- because she didn’t get her flu shot this year, and Baby E because his breathing goes downhill so quickly.) I called my doctor and got a prescription for me and Tim as well.

Thus started the epic hunt for Tamiflu. Apparently everyone has the flu this year and as I called pharmacy after pharmacy I was informed that they were all out. I finally found a pharmacy that had one bottle left. I high tailed it there only to find out they only had enough to fill Baby E’s prescription. I agreed to fill that one and use it to start on Big E and have them call me when the rest of the prescriptions were filled after they got their delivery. We went home, I gave Big E his meds and he rested for the day.

When C got off the bus she was holding her ear and crying that it hurt. So, I loaded up the kids in the van and we headed to the pediatrician’s office for the second time today. Thankfully we got there at the start of walk in hours and were seen pretty quickly. C was diagnosed with an ear infection and put on antibiotics. And we decided to go ahead and get her flu shot even though it won’t actually protect her from this current round Big E has. I had them check Baby E’s ears, and they seem to be getting better, so that’s good!

Then we went to Walmart and picked up C’s prescription and all the others ones from earlier in the day. We finally made it home this evening and it took me about 20 minutes to sort out everyone’s medicines.

1. Baby E- antibiotic 2xs a day for ten days, albuterol inhaler every four hours, steroid inhaler 2xs a day, eye drops, tamiflu 1x a day for ten days, and ibuprofen as needed.
2. Big E- Tamiflu 2xs a day for five days and ibuprofen/tylenol as needed.
3. C- antibiotic 2xs a day for ten days, tamiflu 1x a day for ten days, and ibuprofen/tylenol as needed.
4. Me- Tamiflu 1x a day for 7-10 days
5. Tim- Tamiflu 1x a day for 7-10 days,  and albuterol inhaler as needed.

We are all wearing masks at home (except Baby E. Don’t think I didn’t try putting one on him!) Hand sanitizer and washing hands often. People are delegated to certain places to eat and sit. No cross contamination if possible. Everyone is sleeping in different beds. (I’ve got the couch.) Oh, and I’m going through my leave time like tissues, but hey you’ve got to spend it on something right?!?! (I’d much rather spend it on vacation!!!) 

All this to say, we are tired. We are done. We could really use a break.

Pray no one else gets the flu.

Thank you!

Our pharmacist was a little piece of heaven today as she went above and beyond to track down prescription requests, calling other pharmacies, and researching the various medications to make sure they could be taken together. I couldn’t be more grateful for her patience and kindness. It was sorely needed and appreciated!!

And I apologize to Walmart (and to the public in general) for spreading our germs. I sanitized as much as I could. I really, really did! 🙂

Also, I’d like to take a moment to say how grateful I am that my job provides such awesome leave time and benefits. Our insurance covers just about everything, so I am thankful that all this sickness isn’t breaking the bank. I realize that is a very real struggle for so many families, and honestly I don’t know how they do it. So while I know I’m complaining a lot about the sicknesses, I do understand that this could be so much worse.

Big E is restless tonight. I went in to check on him and he was stirring in his bed, his hands roaming across his blanket, over his hair, and down to his sides, only to do it all over again, all the while murmuring incoherently to himself. He started running a fever today, and by this evening it was quite high. We dosed him up with Ibuprofen and gave him a warm bath to bring his temperature down. By bedtime, it was in a comfortable range. I wonder now if it is on its way back up, but I will let him rest a little longer before intervening. Fevers are good for fighting infection, so I’d like it to do its job, as long as it is safe. I’ll admit I’ve been more anxious around fevers ever since Baby E’s seizure over the summer.

For Big E’s bath, Tim filled the tub three inches below the top, and Big E played in the water for a very long time.

“Mommy, will you stay in here and watch me play?” I heard him say as I checked on him.

“Sure.” I sat down next to the tub, keeping away from the edge and a potential soaking. I watched as he filled his little bucket with water he scooped up with a shovel. It looked like a tedious task, but he seemed to enjoy it.

“Mommy, I don’t think I’ll ever have kids. And I don’t think I will ever have a wife. Because, you know, I want to be a… what’s the word again??”

“A mechanic?” Big E has wanted to be a mechanic for the past year. He loves just about everything about cars and often scolds me that I need to read more about them so we can talk about them.

“Yes, a mechanic. I’m not going to have a wife or kids because I want to be a mechanic.”

“You know,” I replied, “You can be a mechanic and have a wife and kids!”

His eyes got large at this realization. “I didn’t know that!!” he exclaimed as he dove his toy boat under the water.

It seems unfair that he is sick again, just a few weeks after his last sickness, but alas it is that time of year. Each passing week I watch my leave bank dwindle as sickness after sickness parades through our house. I’ll be happy for spring. It can’t come soon enough.

Prayers for my sick ones! Thank you.

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/heard/

My children love to watch Bob Ross. You read that right. The soft spoken man with the incredibly impressive hair and love of oil painting can somehow enthrall my six and four year olds for hours on end.

A few weeks ago, Tim turned him on while the kids were in the room, and before we knew it they were glued to the television, watching his every brush stroke. It wasn’t long before they were calling me back in to the living room to point out the different paintings he was working on or the way he made the trees or cabins. One show started and I didn’t recognize the man painting, but assumed he had a guest hosting his show. At that point, C informed me that the man in question was in fact Bob Ross’s son. This morning they both requested paper and crayons so that they could draw along with Bob Ross as he painted, their rudimentary pictures mimicked his painting, complete with mountains, a lake, and a cabin.

I love that my children’s taste in television is so eclectic. Of course their favorites are cartoons, however in addition to their unusual love of Bob Ross, they also often request Good Mythical Morning, and When Calls The Heart. I’ll take any of those over endless episodes of Dino Trucks, thank you!

This evening after picking up the kids, I decided to take them to a nearby park that has fish ponds and fun little bridges. We picked up some food on our way and by the time we got there it was quite dark and cold. We had the little park to ourselves and we picked out a bench in which to enjoy our feast. Even though we had record temperatures for most of the day, it was starting to get colder and the kids trembled as they sat on their bench. I took the opportunity to give them a little lesson about wind, and explained to them that the temperature itself wasn’t very cold. I pointed to the large bay within reach of the park, and we talked about how the breeze coming off the cold water made it feel so much colder than it really was. Then we examined the night sky and talked about how we couldn’t see Orion tonight because the clouds were too thick. I always enjoy the chance to take normal moments and turn them into something they can learn about.

Today was C’s 100th day of school, so she was very excited to wear the shirt she made for the occasion.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/tremble/

 

Baby E stared lovingly at the nurse as she called him back to the triage room at the Urgent Care the other night. She was wearing  a medical mask over her nose and mouth. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a pony tail. “Julie! Julie!” He exclaimed with a huge grin on his face.

Baby E was convinced that he was looking at my sister, his Aunt Julie.

Now typically Baby E is not a huge fan of strangers. He looks with suspicion on anyone that comes near him, and this even reaches at times to his extended family. But since he was completely convinced that he was in the company of one of his favorite people in the world, he was completely relaxed. The nurse was able to do all the parts of the checkup on him, as he stared dreamily up at her face, smiling and flirting as she worked.

That was Thursday. This is now Monday.

Four days on the antibiotics and Baby E has been having a hard time kicking his cough, so we decided to take him to his pediatrician this morning. Apparently the, ahem, lovely doctor at the Urgent Care gave him a very mild antibiotic that didn’t actually help him all that much, so now Baby E is on a stronger antibiotic and a steroid inhaler (on top of his albuterol inhaler) and is continuing with the eye drops. So yeah, he’s a mess. Poor kid!

 

C’s homework this week is on the night sky, so C, Big E, and I took a walk this evening to observe the moon and the stars. I am particularly fond of the winter night sky because it has Orion, the one and only constellation I can actually pick out. (Well, I can pick out the dippers, but I have no idea which one I’m looking at- Big or Little.) It was fun to explain to the kids about constellations and show them pictures on the phone of the constellation drawn out. They could compare it to what they saw in the sky. After we came in, C was able to draw her observations on her paper. We have to do it for the next several nights to see how the night sky changes. 🙂

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/lovingly/

Tuesday is the 100th day of C’s school year. In celebration, the students are supposed to wear a shirt that they have decorated with 100 things. Today I picked up a shirt and supplies and we spent the evening working on it. We landed on 100 googly-eyed faces. She enjoyed drawing the faces on each of the little people. After she was finished, she modeled the shirt and loved the fact that the eyes made a shaking noise as she wiggled. 🙂 She is looking forward to wearing it in a couple of days!

Good job, C!!

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/craft/

The air was cold when I stepped out of my house the other morning, and I felt it seeping through my clothes as I ran to my van. I turned the key and I noticed the gas tank was on empty and I chided myself for not filling up the night before. I was running a few minutes late and the extra stop would only add to my already long commute. I pulled into the gas station while mentally recalculating the time it would take to get to work when an older woman got out of the car next to me. Her heavy winter coat hung down to her knees and her hair was neatly tucked into a scarf that covered her head. Even though the years were traced on her face, her makeup was immaculate. With money clutched in her hand, I watched her slowly limp towards the storefront to pay for her fuel.

Pump her gas…

What?? I shook off the notion as I reminded myself that I was already running late and doing that was sure to further lengthen my commute.

Pump her gas…

I frowned, What if she thinks that’s strange? I looked up and she was standing at the counter. I got out and began the chore of filling my own gas tank. I shivered as I stood in the cold, wondering where I had put my coat.

Pump her gas. 

I watched as she left the store, making her way back to her car, each step an effort as she recrossed the parking lot.

Pump her gas!! 

Fine!! I took a deep breath, walked away from my comfort zone and straight towards the woman.

“Excuse me Ma’am, may I pump your gas?”

She looked up at me and smiled. “Are you sure? That would be nice!”

“I don’t mind,” I replied. “Besides, it’s cold, you could wait in your car if you’d like and stay warm.”

“I don’t mind the cold,” She smiled at me as I unscrewed the cap on her car and started pumping her gas. “This is very kind of you. I fell last week. It’s getting better, but it still hurts to walk. It’s been difficult.Why are you doing this? I really hope someone does something nice for you.”

“They already have!” She looked at me quizzically and before I knew it, I blurted out ,”Our family went through a rough patch recently. I was pregnant and we lost the baby.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“Well, it’s just that when we were going through that horrible time, so many people stepped up and helped us in big and small ways. So if I can help someone else…”

“I think they helped you because you have a kind face,” She said as the gas pump clicked, signaling that it was finished. I put the cap back on her tank. She thanked me again and we gave each other a hug. We both got in our vehicles and drove away. I don’t know her name and she doesn’t know mine… and that is completely okay.

The interaction lasted mere minutes and it didn’t change that woman’s circumstances, nor did it change mine, but the few moments we spent in each others’ company reminded me that some of the best things in life are the random tiny moments of human connection that aren’t planned or expected. They happen when we follow the promptings the Lord gives us and we step outside our comfort zone to help another person. We need to recognize that sometimes the things we see as inconveniences or annoyances, like an empty gas tank, are actually divine appointments, should we choose to embrace them.

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/recognize/

C had a lock-in with her American Heritage Girls troupe last night, and while she didn’t spend the night, we went back there this morning for a few hours so that she could have breakfast and work on some of her badges. Her group was doing a science experiment that consisted of tasting various foods and deciding if they were sweet, sour, bitter, salty, etc… She definitely didn’t approve of the baking chocolate or the coffee, but loved the gummy snack and thought the arugula tasted good! After AHG we went to a cousin’s birthday party and after that we made a stop at Dunkin Donuts for a treat before heading home and ordering pizza for dinner. So basically, we just ate our way though Saturday, a highly successful start to the weekend if you ask me!

So this was my day- a plethora of medicines and cuddles from my baby. Thankfully he is feeling much better. The antibiotics have kicked in and his eyes are looking much better!

Big E- Mommy, are you going to wash your hands?

Me- Yes.

Big E- Good! Because I need you to tickle my armpits!

Me- Okay?!?

Big E- But I might tell you to stop!!

So I did what any mom would do, I washed my hands and tickled his armpits. 🙂

“You really need to learn to cover your mouth when you cough,” the doctor snapped at Baby E as he walked in the door. We had been waiting nearly an hour to be seen, and Baby E’s patience had long since vanished. It was past his bedtime, he had shoveled a few chicken nuggets into his mouth moments before our appointment and his eyes were red rimmed. He was done.

I stood there momentarily startled. He’s joking, right? I mean, Baby E is two. Coughing into his arm is something we have been teaching Baby E for the past few weeks, and about half of the time he remembers to do it on his own, but like I said, he’s two, so his little body doesn’t always know when a cough is coming.

But the doctor wasn’t joking. He just stared at Baby E as if he carried the plague. I held my tongue and smiled. Let’s just do this.

Baby E’s sitter mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t seem awful when I picked him up, but since we are nearing a weekend, I thought it was good to have him looked at.  Partially out of laziness, I decided not to drive the extra twenty minutes and battle walk in hours at the pediatrician’s office. I called and made an appointment at the urgent care closer to home.

Thirty seconds into my visit I was regretting my decision, longing to be sitting in the familiar pediatrician’s office, with doctors I know and trust with my kids. The majority of our visit was spent with the doctor talking down to me, ordering me on how to hold Baby E to get the best ear exam, and sternly rebuking me that I’ve never gotten him ear tubes. Thank you dear sir, but this isn’t my first rodeo. This is my third kid, and the one kid I hover over in the ‘sick’ department because I know he can go from ok- to bad- to really bad pretty quickly. I’ve discussed all these things with his own doctor, whom I trust implicitly. I just needed to know if he had an ear infection so I could get him on antibiotics pronto.

The final verdict-

Double ear infection.

Possible Pink Eye

Antibiotics and Eye Drops

And one condescending conversation that I shouldn’t be afraid to leave my county to have my child seen at a big city hospital, because clearly I don’t know what I’m doing.

Prescriptions filled.

Cranky children brought home and put to bed.

10 pm dinner for mommy.

The end.

 

I’m sure you’ve noticed, but social media’s a really tough place to be right now. There is so much vitriol and anger, and quite frankly it isn’t fun anymore. Here’s my two cents, and that will be it… To my liberal friends- it’s probably not as bad as you think. It’s possible you might be buying into some pretty heavy fear mongering. Take a moment to pause, breathe, and pause again. Check your sources. Don’t read just what you want to hear. Educate yourself. To my conservative friends- Things are not going to be as great as you hope. Donald Trump is not your savior. He is not going to fix the system.  Check your sources. Don’t read just what you want to hear. Educate yourself. 

I call on you all to resist. Resist the anger. Resist the vitriol. Resist the temptation to look down on people that don’t think like you, look like you, or act like you. Resist the desire to stereotype huge swaths of people. Resist the pull to start a fight. Resist the inclination to belittle people.

Instead, look at your neighbor and love them! Look at the downtrodden in your own community and step up and make a difference. Feed the hungry. Clothe the naked. Defend the orphan. Don’t just march. Don’t just lobby. Don’t just make phone calls. Go out and DO! Do the amazing things that you can do that will truly make a difference in someone else’s life. It starts with you. It starts in your own home. It starts in your community and in your town! If you want to change the big things, start with the small!

Matthew 25:34-40

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/resist/