Tag: feeling yucky

children, health, marital blissishness, mommyhood

Party Pooper

WFAM

It’s nearly impossible to surprise your significant other. That’s because your lives are so deeply entwined any time you veer off course their suspicions are raised. It took some planning and discretion but I think I managed to surprise Mad Dog with a cake for his birthday at his family’s Thanksgiving feast. I also made sure that his parents’ house was sufficiently supplied with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream (cookie dough is Mad Dog’s absolute addiction).

The end result was awesome (it even had a picture of the boys on it riding a motorcycle taken at our recent portrait sitting). The cake turned out better than I hoped and was quite tasty. It was red cake with cream cheese frosting which is also a Mad Dog fave. My end goal wasn’t necessarily a delicious treat; it was to demonstrate how much I love Mad Dog. He does so much to care for our little family; I wanted to do something special for him.

After the cake, and let me tell you, it was weird slicing through the picture of my boys’ faces, all the boy cousins set forth in wild play. However, it was obvious little T.Puzzle was not feeling great. The sniffle and sneeze he’s been fighting developed into a full-blown fever topped off with green snot. Additionally, as the evening was winding down, he had an explosive poop which required a shower and a changing of the clothes for him (he was NOT happy).

Well, you know how the saying goes; it’s not really a party until someone has a messy, explosive poop, right?

health, self care (or lack thereof)

Ocean Drive

WFAM

p2142575So, at five-thirty this a.m. I find myself awakened to a swollen throat. The right side of my neck is throbbing and my right ear is aching like a son of a gun. I realize with dread that this is the day I have to seek medical attention.

First, Full Speed is off to school and then secondly, I have to stop for my allergy shots (I’m so close to maintenance shots which means less future trips to the allergist that I cannot skip). From there I will head to the Minute Clinic at CVS pharmacy. Of course T.Puzzle must accompany me on both of these glorious outings (let the record reflect my sarcasm).

The allergy shots went fine if you think getting poked with a sharp needle three times is fine (which I do not). I think T.Puzzle may have overdosed on Cheerios and Goldfish (the crackers, not the actual fish in the office aquarium) while we waited. I didn’t mind because he was quietly content.

I called Mad Dog and asked him to get directions to the Minute Clinic from the allergy office and text them to me. He did and I sent him a quick text of ‘thanks’.

I think I am delirious. I didn’t trust the directions and felt I knew what I was doing. I went the wrong way for a long, long time. I pull over because I am sensing we are getting close to the ocean which isn’t good unless of course you want to go to the ocean (which I do not). I call Mad Dog and he tells me immediately where I made my mistake and how to correct it. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been sick all week or if I am fed up that I’ve been sick all week, but I didn’t handle this suggested course correction well. Okay, I flippin’ lose it. Don’t worry, Mad Dog has heard worse from me but it doesn’t make it right. We end our conversation and tears are streaming down my frustrated face.

I turn around and I finally stumble upon the Clinic. T.Puzzle and I enter and then wait to check-in at the kiosk. I kid you not; the man in front of us took FOREVER to sign in. I don’t know what he was doing but it took an enormous amount of willpower not to yank the touch-screen stylus from his hand and enter his information for him (as a side note, it took me less than two minutes to sign in and I was holding a squirming, thirty-five pound, two year old).

We wait our turn and I bring out the DVD player for T.Puzzle. That is something I rarely do. Believe me I have weathered enough outings, doctor’s appointments, ophthalmology visits without resorting to digital entertainment for my kids. Today is the exception because I feel like crap. The woman next to me makes some snotty comment about ‘kids today’ and how they need computerized stuff to be entertained and that they don’t know how to exist without it. I felt too crappy to argue but it really cheesed me off.

To add insult to injury when I finally see the nurse practitioner she says there isn’t a darn thing she can do to alleviate my misery. Basically, I had a nasty virus and my body is fighting it off the best it can, hence the enormous, painful swelling of my glands in my neck. The swelling is what is making my throat hurt and probably causing the earache, too.

I realize I should be thankful that it hasn’t manifested into a nasty bacterial infection in my sinuses, ears or throat (which is what normally happens). However, I was hoping for something, anything to make me feel better. Only time can heal all wounds and apparently viruses, too.

children, health, mommyhood, parenting, self care (or lack thereof)

Motherhood!

WFAM

Frick school picFrack's school picIs it counterproductive to take pictures of your kids as they are on their way out the door to have their pictures taken at school? I couldn’t help myself because they were too adorable. And they still let me dress them alike. Yeah, I’m one of those annoying Moms and I love it. I won’t do it forever. Just until they are eighteen or get a job and leave my house. No, I’m kidding. I’m realizing the window for alike dressing is soon to be closing. Until then, my boys are going to rock it out identically.

I’m still sick and achy. Now it seems my overall body soreness has crept up to my neck and my throat is hurting. I think my fever is back (although I’m guessing it never left to begin with) and I’m feeling yucky. I sucked it up today as best I could. This was the first day both boys were back at school in long while and I needed to take advantage of their absence. I cranked on errands and household duties. I held strong for the first part of the day and now I feel like a pile of well, you know what.

I’m sure that if you if you are reading this you are thinking ‘Go to the doctor you silly girl!’ (yes, I like to imagine you referring to me as a girl as much as possible, when you are over thirty it helps). I will in due time. If you are a Mom (or Dad for that matter) and are reading this you understand that I still have at least another day or so of being miserable before I make time to go see a healthcare professional. As a parent you have to be sick in a major, major way to allow for a medical intervention. It’s too inconvenient. When you finally do have a spare moment, you find that you have a list of about one hundred and thirty-seven things on your to-do list that take precedence (oh, like I don’t know, making sure your family has clean underwear or maybe food). And you know you always, always could pack up your kids and take them with you to the walk-in clinic but who in their right mind would want to do that? If you weren’t sick before you go, you will certainly be sick (mentally) by the time you leave there.

All I hope is that by Full Speed’s real birthday celebration this Saturday I feel my best. Otherwise, no amount of liquor or consumption of Transformer-decorated-sugar will get me through. I only have myself to blame (oh yeah, and motherhood, too!).