The Worst of Times

I can write this because it appears we're out of the woods now (knock knock on said wood). But 2015 has not had the most auspicious of starts. I can't remember ever being so sick before. For three straight weeks, I received a call from daycare that one of the girls was running a fever. Sometimes there were calls about both of them. Violet would go home sick on Friday, Annie would end up sick the following Monday. Once it happened the afternoon Matt and I were scheduled to go out of town.

Because January was also jam-packed with events. Three concerts we were scheduled to go to, all involving one of our moms needing to spend the night. The poor grandmas, they really had it the worst. Every time daycare called me, I called them. And of course, they were always willing to come up and bail us working parents out. What do people do who don't have this kind of support system?

Not faking it.

On MLK Jr Day, I dropped the girls off at school so I could use my day off to run errands. I had just enough time to end my day with a pedicure before I needed to pick them back up. There I was, relaxing with a good book, feet soaking, when my phone rang. Annie, temperature of 102. ARGH. She had already stayed home with Matt on Friday after a miserable night, but everything checked out at the pediatrician. Were we going back again? Was this all a cruel trick to test out our new insurance? I dashed out of the nail salon, swung by to grab the neighbor's dogs from the groomers, and headed to get poor Annie. I made them check her temp again before I left daycare - 102.8. Awesome. Back to the doctor we went. This time, she had an ear infection. Is it sad that I was almost relieved? Here was a medically diagnosable problem that could be treated with good drugs and earned us a get out of jail free card.

Pretty puppies! They loved their trip to daycare, the doctor, and pharmacy!

Feeling better already!

Another Friday, the day we were headed to Chattanooga to watch the Tedeschi Trucks Band play, daycare called around 11, this time about Violet. The moms were on their way, but not scheduled to get here until one o'clock or so. Matt had a work lunch he couldn't get out of. Because we were planning to leave town right after school, he had dropped me off that morning. So I was stranded.

Across the hall I went, to ask to borrow my neighbor's car. Then into the pouring rain, where I frantically circled the parking lot, looking for the car. (It was in the other parking lot, a fact I only learned after I dragged my dripping-hair self back into the building and called her from the front office while a group of slightly horrified parents watched.) I picked up Violet and only remembered that no car of my own meant no house key of own as I pulled into our neighborhood. Fortunately my other neighbor was home with her own sick kid. I borrowed her spare to break into my house. Then, in a move that will surely win me Mother of the Year, I dumped my sick kid at the neighbor's house until the grandmas could arrive, and went back to work.

While the parents are away...

The grandmas came and rescued Violet, Matt arrived and took her to the doctor (strep throat), meds were procured, Annie was procured, and all was abandoned at our house while the two of us got the hell out of Germlandia and enjoyed our weekend getaway. (Pats self on back, feels slightly sorry for grandmas.)

Totally worth it.

But as I said, things appear to be getting back to normal. No one has been sick for two whole weeks! Matt never got sick at all, by the way. But then again, he's the only one of us who doesn't spend his day in a cesspool of germs and snot. Lucky. Here's hoping we're done for a while!