I need to be on Twitter so the laundry list of things that have happened to this family would seem slightly less ridiculous, posting them as they happen. But I'm not, so you'll have to take my word for it.
Caroline: Tuesday she came down with some horrible virus that caused high fevers, lethargy, no appetite, and general crying and pain. This was on top of her double ear infection, oral antibiotic, and hail-Mary antibiotic shot.
Hannah: Recovered from her pink eye and adenovirus in time to spend a day at Mrs. Barbara's on Tuesday.
Me: Began antibiotics to fight off heinous sinus infection (see aforementioned family-style adenovirus). Still felt like hell, but couldn't do anything about it (see aforementioned sick children).
Todd: Felt blah on Monday, but seemed to pull out of it unscathed.
Caroline: Had a horrific night, up every hour needing ear drops, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, nursing, saline drops, or some combination thereof. Spiking temperatures of 103.7 while on both Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Wednesday, her Ear-Nose-Throat appointment was scheduled for 10:40. Todd took Hannah to Mrs. Barbara's again.
Hannah: Wednesday morning, she woke up early, but in a good mood. Todd got dressed and got her ready to go to Mrs. Barbara's. Just before they left, she threw up. It was mostly water, though, and because she said she felt fine, we figured she had triggered her gag reflex with all her residual congestion. Given our crazy schedules for the day, we decided she could go ahead on. But once they drove all the way across town, Todd called to say she'd begun puking again. He had her in the car, holding a tupperware bucket, on the way to a closing that he could not miss for a client... who happens to be his cousin. Fortunately, she understood and Todd was able to skip out as soon as he got her settled at the title company. He abandoned the rest of his appointments and headed home with a puking Hannah.
Me: Punch drunk from sleep deprivation the likes of which I have not seen since either child's infancy, I was impressed that I was able to stand and function well enough to care for Caroline. I showered and got out the door with her, passing Todd and Hannah along the way to our ENT appointment.
Todd: Annoyed, sleep-deprived, not sick.
Caroline: She felt moderately well on the way to the appointment and even played in my lap for a bit while we waited for the doctor. But during the examination, she became very lethargic and sleepy, laid her head on my shoulder and wilted. The doctor and I agreed that tubes are the best option at this point. We are at the end of our rope, antibiotically-speaking, and the likelihood of her having more ear infections is high enough to count as a certainty in my book. Tubes, at this point, sound like a big sigh of relief because frankly, I want my super-happy, mischeivious baby back.
Hannah: Stops puking by the time they get home, but still doesn't feel well and takes up residence on the couch.
Me: Have a very frank discussion with the ENT doctor (who I like a lot, by the way) about our finances and the fact that we have a super-high deductible for our insurance, which means we'll be paying entirely out of pocket for this. Not to mention our $500 PER PERSON prescription dedectible (the source of a public and embarassing break-down in CVS, which I hope to blog about in the near future). He says he will have his assistant find the most affordable surgical center and that both he and the anesthesiologist can work out payment plans. Still sounding like the Marlboro Man after a bender in Mexico, I take my snot-filled body and Caroline's furnace-like body back home.
Todd: Does a great job of taking care of Hannah.
Caroline: Spends the rest of the day with fevers above 103, sleeping only in my arms, which preents me from doing, well, anything, really.
Hannah: Takes a nap. A 4.5 hour nap. This must be a record for her. I don't think she ever slept that long even as a newborn. Seriously.
Me: Thankful that Hannah is asleep because there's no way I can keep the two of them happy and away from one another simultaneously.
Todd: Leaves to go pick up his check and deposit it at the bank (so we don't bounce anything, see aforementioned doctors' appointments, prescriptions, and OTC medications). On his way back he calls to tell me that he'll be longer than expected - he has a flat tire. A few hours later, still with an oven-like Caroline asleep in my lap, I call to see if he's okay. The shop found nails in his remaining three tires. No, really. Fortunately they were able to plug them. I didn't even ask what any of that cost. Todd makes it home round 6:30 pm.
Caroline: Has a really rough night, waking literally every hour. But by 4:30, her fever finally seems to break.
Hannah: Feels well enough after her uber-nap to eat solids and has a great evening coloring and playing and singing "Who Let the Dogs Out". She sleeps well and feels good enough to go to Mrs. Barbara's in the morning.
Me: Because of Caroline's frequent wakings, I have a bit of a backslide, feeling more snotty and congested than I had the day before. But still, not entirely awful.
Todd: Gets up early to get himself and Hannah ready for Mrs. Barbara's. This time, they make it without a hitch.
Caroline: This morning, her fever was gone and she even played for a while. She did tire quickly, though, so I gave her some more Ibuprofen, nursed her, and put her down for a nap.
Hannah: God willing, is playing happily.
Me: With Caroline down, I managed to take a shower, wash the dishes, talk with a client, get some work done, and write this post. It's just now dawning on me that perhaps a nap would have been smarter. I'll stay here at home today, making sure both Caroline and I take it easy until we're completeley out of the woods.
Overall: We canceled Caroline's party. I a bit bummed, but also relieved. We'll find a time to re-do. I'm praying that the rest of today is easier. We need health and rest for all.
Phew!