No Oinking in this house!

Sunday, Libby had a fever. I couldn't find my thermometer but my best guess was that it wasn't too bad. Gave her some motrin and figured it would pass.

Monday, Libby is worse. She had a fever all night and all day. It would fade with motrin doses but it was consistently there. I found two thermometers. One said she was 71 and the other one said between 39 and 40 degrees. Can't find my good thermometer anywhere.

Tuesday, Libby is still feverish. Ugh. Still 39 and 40 degrees, give or take a few decimal points. Dumb thermometer. I am guessing she's around 103. Between giving her baths, cool drinks, frozen teething toys, motrin and tylenol, we're keeping her from boiling, but she's pretty hot. She puked in the afternoon all over me. Ick.

Wednesday, fever is down, but she's puking more than she eats and with more force. With this added symptom of throwing up I decide its time to call the pediatrician. They didn't call back till evening. I bet they are busy busy busy! I was told to take her in for a flu test on Thursday since she has a high fever and is vomiting. I also figured out that my thermometer is stuck in Celcius mode and 40 degrees is just over 104 F. Yikes!

Took her in today for the flu test and she saw the doctor too.

No FLU!!! Libby just has an icky virus or something. Libby did not like getting a Qtip up her nose to test for the flu. The doc asked about her bruises on her face. Asked if she threw up because of a head injury. No, no, that was last week. One bruise is from when she pulled the gate right off the wall and it fell on her, and the other one was the next day when she fell in the driveway trying to walk on the slightly sloped concrete. Both bruises are on her face and they are yellow now so you can tell they are kinda old and almost gone.

Personally, I'm wondering now if it is the chicken pox. She's got little bitty spots all over her torso and head, the doc didn't think much of her little spots. But, I have a feeling that my kids are exceptionally sensitive to the chicken pox virus and Libby just got the shot for it a couple of weeks ago. I don't know, I'm just going on my Mom instincts.

It does make sense that she has an icky bug though. I took the kids to a baby Halloween party on Friday, and on Sunday Libby was running a fever. Timing is just right for an icky bug. Two days after being exposed to a bunch of drooling babies and boom, she is sick. Hmmmm.

Gracie got a band-aid for her "bwoken leg" (a tiny scratch) and the Dr told her she was ok. Yay! She's been using her broken leg as an excuse to get out of everything and get attention. For example, "Gracie, let the dog in' then she'll throw her self to the floor and cry cuz her leg is bwoken. Libby is sick and she is not getting enough attention, so she's had this broken leg for a few days and it's totally on my nerves. Thankfully, the doc fixed her right up!

After the doc's visit we went to Walmart to stock up on ballerina tights (Gracie shreds her tights after one or two uses), disposable straws cuz the sippy cup straws are grossing me out, and Halloween shirts for next year (50 cents each!). Leaving Wally World, two guys were crossing in the crosswalk and a car slowed for them but didn't stop for them, they were cocky enough to keep walking and the car still didn't stop. So one guy kicked the car bumper and this angry man jumped out of the car. A pushing match quickly turned into a fist fight! So, I quickly turned the cart around and went back in so that Gracie would not see or hear that kind of behavior. I told the greeter to call the police and she looked at me like I was speaking English or something foreign like that. Of course, no security or police ever showed. the cocky guys and the angry man were gone so I got the kids to the van and we came home.

I forgot to buy a new thermometer, which is why I went there.

Got home and we washed our hands with lots of soap and water and we're going to resume our hermit ways. Staying home! Yay, no swine flu!!!

When Mom has no voice....

I haven't been able to speak for four days. Four long days. My fever is gone, and the body aches, but I still have a terrible sore throat and pain in both ears. I'm pretty sure it's strep throat with a double ear infection. I'm a mom, I'm qualified to guess and be pretty sure that I'm accurate in my diagnosis. I found some old amoxicillin in the back of the cabinet that hasn't expired so after I self diagnosed my illness, I self prescribed some old antibiotics. They're working! And it still has a refill! Score! Ah, all those trips to the many doctors with sick kids is finally paying off. It's almost like I went to strep throat Med School and graduated at the top of my class!

Yesterday was the first day I had help with the littles. My husband stayed home and took care of us. I sure needed the break! In fact, I got a nice long nap in the afternoon. Now he's sick.

It's been interesting being the mom who can't talk. I can eat and drink if it's extremely hot so that it scalds my throat and kills the pain. But talking, it's not happening. That's just a killer.

Mom! Mom! I wave. Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! I snap my fingers. Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! I clap my hands. Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Fine, I have to go right up to her and look her in the eye and whisper "What?"

I can't talk on the phone. Missed my Saturday morning coffee time with my mom this week. I didn't have anything to tell her, but still, it's hard to be silenced. Can't even have coffee over the phone. We had to exchange emails and read each other's blogs.

The big girls are enjoying the lack of nagging. I haven't been able to nag at either one of them very effectively. I whispered to Katie "when are your invitations gonna be done". I guess that was pretty effective, I got a rise out of her. And I whispered to Lexie, "we need to mail your graduation announcements. Picture?". I also have been texting Lexie, things like "Where are you?". Actually, that's in my Quicktext phrases now! Along with "Time to come home." and "Get your butt home NOW" and "Tell Lavin to buy her own car".

Housework isn't getting done. We are using paper plates and plastic silverware now. The dirty laundry is piled almost to the ceiling. It's amazing that nobody notices but me. But, if I don't ask someone to do it, nobody does it. I figure it's not so bad to go on housework strike every once in a while, especially just before Mother's Day. This really could work in my favor!

Well, it's sure quiet around here when I can't holler back "What?". Someone is yelling "MOM!" from up the stairs right now. I'm ignoring it. The girls have to come and find me so I can whisper to them, "No, I'm sick". You'd think after 4 days, they'd start to figure that one out.

Gracie still tells me "No!" when I say I'm sick. Yesterday she added "Is not a Yowd" (translation: that's not allowed). She's right.


* Update: The ant guy keeps calling. The constant ringing of the phone is driving me insane. Get a clue, buddy, I'm not answering the phone. Oh, and Katie says I wave loud. I'm still scratching my head in wonder over that one.

The Biggest Mommy Crime - Guilty!

I'm sick.

Moms are not allowed to be sick! It's totally against all the unwritten Rules of Motherhood. And I'm doing it anyway.

I would love to have "called in sick", but that just isn't an option. I told Gracie that I'm sick and in her three year old wisdom, she pointed her finger at me and said "No!" See, she knows the Mommy Laws.

The kids have all been good today. And the big ones took turns helping me out and taking care of me. They let me nap, they brought me hot tea, ibuprofen, asked if I needed any errands done or anything from the store. Gracie snuggled me and combed my hair.

I hope they are still full of compassion tomorrow, it's another day when I can't call in sick. My husband is volunteering at our daughter's high school for 8 - 10 hours.

The baby is not letting me off the hook so easily. Feed me, change me, carry me, play with me... I'm doing what I can but she's got that look in her eye that says, "Stop being sick, Mom, that's not allowed!"

Ah-Choo!

o. m. g. I am sick again! 2008 must be the year of the germ or something.

Last weekend my little bitty princess was sick. She ran a fever for three days and she was nothing but snot. She wouldn't eat, but she did drink plenty of juice. She was sneezing and coughing and stuck to me like glue. She loves me very much and she would get right up in my face and then sneeze. Now how am I gonna dodge those bullets?

She is fine now, but I'm more miserable than I have been in ages. This one hit me hard. I have missed a lot of school this week - which I totally cannot afford to do. I tried to go yesterday but ended up walking out of class and then I just went home.

Today I'm hurling too. Yup. That just adds joy to my stuffy and runny nose, totally congested sinuses, headache, burning eyes, pale, feverish and a sore throat. Being all lovely preggo... I can't take anything that actually works for this congestion. And I can't hear you. I think my ears are full of snot too.

Don't you think pregnant women should get to take double doses of the good drugs? What is this lame "sudafed and tylenol only" bs. And "try half a dose". My ass. I am eating for two why can't I take drugs for two? Makes sense to me!

One of these days, I'm going to write a happy blog post. I'm determined! I will be healthy and happy one day in 2008! And I will mark that day on my calendar, celebrate and write about it in my blog!!!

Skipping School

I'm skipping school! La la la la la

Oh I wish I were having fun though. The weather is gorgeous! 80 degrees, sunny and not a cloud in the sky. Just gorgeous!

But, I am ditching school to nap, blow my nose, and battle germs. Mommies aren't supposed to get sick and this is my second cold in a month! I've been in my pajamas for days and days. No, silly, I have been showering and changing from one jammie to another.

As a college student, you aren't really allowed to stay home sick. Every absence is a black mark on your permanent record. A possible zero in the gradebook. Darn if you go "human" on them.

I've been enjoying my lazy days at home. Hubby has been waiting on me and taking care of the house and kids while I sleep. That in itself is worth getting sick! I'm all caught up on my movie watching, blog reading, and time wasting. Of course I didn't stick my nose in a book like I should have. Didn't want to risk sneezing on my expensive college texts!

But tomorrow, it's back to reality and back to classes. My germs have a deadline. Party's over, time to go. Mary's got a life. It was a nice (but miserable) break though.