What's been going on around here?

Some sort of bug, that's what.

First, it gave the kids--and then me--a cold with a cough.

But noooooo, that wasn't enough.

And do you know how hard it is to not kiss your children when they come up to you, lips puckered and waiting?  Even if they're sick?

It's hard.

Then we went north a week and a half ago for Bro's wedding, since the Fries were all flower girls.

And the temperatures were about twenty degrees less than what they were (usually) here.  And it snowed.

And so their coughs got worse.  And my mother asked when I was going to take them in to see a doctor.

And then we had Halloween and trick-or-treating.  Which was, by the way, about ten degrees colder than it was the last three years.  If not more.

Everybody stayed home from school the next day.  I tried (mostly unsuccessfully) to keep the Fries on the couch/loveseat/armchair and quiet throughout the day, while Hubby went to work.  When he got home, we all went over to the urgent care in town.

Large Fry has a sinus infection.

Medium Fry has an ear infection.

Small Fry has bronchitis.

And, as it turns out, Boppa is sick, too.

He has just as much trouble saying no to kisses as I do.

Large Fry went back to school on Thursday.

The twins went back to preschool on Friday.

I collapsed.

I spent most of Friday resting.  Saturday, I folded the laundry I'd managed to do earlier throughout the week.

Sunday, Hubby went to church.

The rest of us girls stayed home.  The Fries were still coughing rather hard...and I was feeling lousy too.  A sense of impending doom was hanging over my head.

I was so exhausted that when Hubby called after second service, he had to ask if I was even up.  Up?  Yes.  Downstairs?  Yes.  Not sure I was still going to be awake when he got home?  Yes.

Hubby ordered in pizza, and we shuttled everyone upstairs for naps after we ate.  Hubby laid down on our bed and patted the spot next to him.  "Come take a nap," he said.

I was torn.  I wanted desperately to sleep.  But I also knew I had two choices for medical intervention before payroll started on Monday, the urgent care here (open 'til 9 p.m.) or the walk-in clinic in S-burg at my doc's office (open from 1p-5p only on Sundays).  If I went to the urgent care here, I'd have a shot at getting to Target to fill my prescription before their pharmacy closed.

Yes, I was that sure I was going to be walking out of wherever with a prescription for antibiotics.

I explained my dilemma to Hubby, who agreed that I should go if I felt that awful.

There was no one else in the waiting room at the urgent care when I got there, and, I noted with amusement, the same doctor who had seen the girls on Tuesday was on duty again today.

Guess who I saw?

She walked into the exam room and introduced herself.  "I know," I said.  "I was just here Tuesday with my three girls."

She remembered me then.

I had plenty brewing.

Chest congestion, but no wheezing (thankfully).

Eardrums bulging from fluid behind them, but no infection (yet).

Sinus pressure and congestion.

I'm a poster child for impending seasonal illnesses.

I love this doctor.  She listened to me, acknowledged that I knew my body and my sinusitis patterns, and asked me what worked best and what I couldn't take.  She prescribed an antibiotic, which they even had on hand, which meant one less stop between me and bed.

"I won't give you all the information," she said wryly.  "I just gave it all to you on Tuesday anyway."  I let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-cough.

I went home, climbed in bed, and proceeded to not move any more than I had to for the next two days.  I felt so horrible yesterday that I only came downstairs when Large Fry got home from school, and I only stayed down long enough for Hubby to get home with the twins.

I feel marginally better today, but I'm still feeling so yuck that I'm not sure I can handle the twins all day tomorrow and then Large Fry too, coming home two hours early.

I can't wait to move and be only about six minutes from the church.