The Puddles

Our Christmas program is in the morning and my sheep have issues.  They have had issues for a few years, but I have decided to tackle the issue today.  I have a knack for waiting until the last minute even with the best intentions.  I have had a dozen things come up this week to prevent me from getting to this project, but I doubt it would have mattered.  I still thought it wouldn’t take me very long.  And of course, it didn’t . . . until I ran out of glue and cotton balls.  Unfortunately, I can’t leave the house to get more.  Chris is still really sick (strep) and the kids are in bed. So it is what it is.  It took five bags of cotton balls to finish one sheep.  I terribly underestimated the amount needed.  So I will just have to wait until next year to finish the other sheep.

The Before

The "wool"

The after

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So I realize today that I have a ton of pictures on my camera that I have yet to download onto the computer or do anything with.  I pulled out the camera today so that I could take pictures of our fun day today at school and that’s when I noticed it. Drat. There are some good photos in there.  Documenting our life in the last few weeks that didn’t have anything to do with our illnesses.

And speaking of illnesses . . . Chris started the day not feeling well but was able to fend off the bug with tylenol and motrin. But now he is truly stricken by this virus.  Unlike the two illnesses, this one is flu-like in quality.  I mean he down for the count tonight.  Poor guy. I even managed to drum up some sympathy for him when his fever hit 102.

Unfortunately, this illness has come at an inconvenient time (don’t they all).  Tomorrow is Madie’s birthday.  She is 9 (I can’t believe it.). And she and I have a date scheduled for the day.  Just us.  She has been thinking about this day for weeks.  There really isn’t too much on the schedule for tomorrow, but she is excited.  Mainly because it is just her and I doing things for just her.  I have had a “date” with the other two already this year. So now it is Madie’s turn.

It has been a long week and a really long day. Three class parties and Christmas program night (for Gordon) and I’m exhausted.  It is time for bed.  I certainly don’t want my immunity to get down and then catch what the rest of my family keeps trying to give me.

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Ainsley has poison vanilla (as she calls it) or salmonella (as the doctor called it). That’s right . . . salmonella.  I have no idea how she got it (probably from me.  I am sure that I poisoned her somehow.).  The doctor called yesterday to tell us that the rest of the lab results came in and that she officially had salmonella.  I think that they were surprised.  They never mentioned that as one of the possibilities last week.

I was actually happy to hear the news.  That sounds odd and I’m sure that I’ll be reported for it.  But . . . I had an answer.  This explains why she was so sick and why she hurt so badly.  So finally after almost two days of medicine (the doctor gave her antibiotics for this), she has started to feel better.   I am so relieved.  She has gone to school and even though yesterday was a little rough (for a variety of reasons), she did great.

In fact as I write this, she is in the playroom singing and dancing (while making her own music).  I think we are finally back on the road to recovery and normalcy.  Yeah!

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“What’s this about J———?” asks Dad.  (boy’s name will be left out for his safety)

“J—- asked me to kiss him today in PE.” says Ainsley.

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him yes.”

“What?!!!!!”

“Not a wedding kiss, Mom! Just  a lip kiss!”

She is five.  We have so much work to do.  The reality of the world  just got a little closer this evening. And I am so not ready for it.

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“How are you feeling today, Ainsley?”  asks Dad.

“I’ve got poison vanilla,” replies Ainsley.

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and hung lights on the house for Christmas.  It only took until our third Christmas here to do it, but he finally did.  We always hung out lights in Geneva (he even climbed an icy roof the year of Ben’s first heart surgery to have lights on the house when we got home from Texas).  But for some reason he vowed to never do it here.  Well. . . the kids begged and pleaded and the final downfall was last night at Papa and Grandma G’s house. Papa’s house was lit up.  It was very cool.  He really did a great job.  And it didn’t look “tacky” like some houses (according to Chris).  He actually liked it, so today he relented and allowed the kids to put lights outside.  He even went to Home Depot and bought more.

The kids are thrilled.  They are very excited to have lights up.  Ainsley said, “Now we can have Christmas.”  Thank you Daddy for a great evening of fun.

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“Change your clothes Ainsley.  We have to leave in a little bit.”

“Mom, I don’t want to change my clothes.  I look cute in these jammies!”

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That’s the verdict from the doctor’s office today.  They called to say that most of the tests came back and are negative.  That they are pretty positive that this is a virus that will last 7 to 10 days.  They probably think that I am one of those annoying mothers who constantly bothers them with my daily phone call, but I would really like some answers.  So I guess I got some.  It is not what I would have wished for (the whole  . . . this will last another 3 days thing), but at least it is something.

I don’t mean to be testy with these poor doctors but they are not the one at home with a sick little girl.  Who goes between crying because her tummy hurts after eating or while spending hours in the bathroom everyday . . . and whining because she is bored (during her good moments). The doctors aren’t the ones who have to sit for hours in the bathroom with her every night and day while she cries and you feel pretty helpless or have her sleep by your side every night so you can get the bucket in time for her to throw up or to give her medicines when her fever starts up again.   I have been housebound since last Thursday evening when Ben started us off with getting sick. I know that this is my job as a mother and I don’t mind doing it, but I am at the point of going completely insane.  It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t Christmas time on top of all of my other normal obligations.

Now the other two are home and I have to drive them down to Papa G’s house so that he can take them to Angleton for a Christmas party.  At least Papa is helping us out.  I was not looking forward to driving with Ainsley the 2 hours it takes to get there and 2 hours back.   So Papa is helping us out.  Then Ainsley and I will come back and try to get our lovely (but germy and chaotic) home back to create some semblance of order.  We are getting ready for another day of being grounded at home.  This too shall pass.  In 20 years, I am sure that I will look back at this time fondly but right now . . . I am ready to be done.

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I shouldn’t have said anything yesterday.  Doggone it.  I knew it when I did it.  When will I ever learn?

Ainsley is running a fever again and continues to have digestive issues.  So far it is just 101.  I hope it is just her body’s way of burning off the few remaining germs.  Needless to say, I am so weary.  Weary in the heart and in my soul from all of this.  I really need her to get better.  It is such a hopeless feeling watching her in pain.

I am back from my midnight run to Walmart (well my 10:00-1:00am run really).  Chris is gone all day again tomorrow and I am home with all of them (as it has been for the last week).  At least I got to go real grocery shopping and not just getting all of my groceries at Target (and no . . . it is just the grocery store kind of store. but they at least sell bread and milk).  I think I have replenished the chicken noodle soup (we went through four cans this week), the jello(only because my mother swears it is the best for a sore stomach.  but I still think it is gross.), real fruit and vegetables (not the canned kind), and mashed potatoes (because Miss A asked me for them.  so sweet.).

And to top off my evening . . . Madie doesn’t feel good.  I just pray that this passes and she doesn’t get sick either.  The doctor called today and told us to keep doing what we are doing and that there is nothing else that we can do to help Ainsley at this time.  The rest of her labs should come back tomorrow and hopefully tell us what the heck is wrong with her.

Time to unload the groceries and get ready to face another rough night and day.

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So Ainsley is currently in front of the computer in the kitchen . . . making a movie with photobooth.  I think that she is feeling better.

We are still thinking about whether or not to send her tomorrow.  Her belly still hurts, but she is starting to act like herself again.  A friend kept Miss A today so that I could go to have lunch with Madie today for a special award that she won.  Ainsley was dressed and ready by 8:30am. Only problem . . . we weren’t going for another 2 hours.  I think I am not the only one with cabin fever.

Now I hope that no one else follows.

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