So much for a bang-up start to the new semester

The kids are sick.  Sniffly, snuffly, congested, coughing....

Patience had a cold the week before Christmas.  Eli was a little sick just after that.

Maddie started feeling icky on December 26th.  You know how it is once the kids get older.  You don't rush them to the doctor for every little sniffle.  But Maddie tends to get a cough when she gets sick.  She doesn't get enough sleep, and I don't get enough sleep.

Our pediatrician's office was closed over the very long holiday weekend, and I didn't really like the doctor on call.  So we didn't go in. 

By yesterday, Maddie didn't seem well, but she didn't have a fever, and I wasn't sure if I should call the doctor.  Maddie had been complaining at night that her ears hurt, but said in the morning that they were fine.  But she was pale, and just didn't look right.

I made an appointment for 3:10pm.

Of course, by the time we went to the dr., she was feeling almost perky.  Isn't that always the way?  In fact, in a shining, mother-of-the-year moment, I actually gave her a hard time in the waiting room, telling her that she really should have told me she was feeling so much better, because we didn't want to waste the doctor's time!

She had a low-grade fever, but said that her ears weren't hurting.  Then the doctor came in. 

Double ear infection!

My reaction was actually, "Thank God!", because a) I hate wasting the doctor's time, and b) there was actually a reason why she had been so down!

So she is on chewable antibiotics for 10 days.  She already seems better.

I wish I could say the same for Eli & Patience.  Patience started with a very stuffy nose about 2 days ago.  My life since then has been listening to her sniff every 1.2 seconds.  Long, stuffy sniffs.  This drives me absolutely bonkers.  She's also coughing.

Eli has started stuffing up and coughing, as well.  Lovely.

January is already the month of doctor appointments.  The girls have their eye exams, Steve and I have eye exams (plus the eye visit Steve had yesterday to make sure that all of the cement dust was out of his eye), Maddie has a follow-up visit for her ear infections, Patience has a physical, I have a dental cleaning, Eli has an allergy shot.

And I called today to make the kids' dental cleaning appointments.  They usually are seen in July and January.  I forgot to call and make their appointments last month.  So I call today, and the first Tuesday morning that they can all be seen together (Steve has Tuesday mornings off) is April 1st. 

I didn't want them going 9 months in between cleanings (Eli will be going next month to be fitted for braces), so I say, fine, put them in separately, and lo and behold, there is an opening for 2 kids on Monday, and one on Tuesday.  I make the appointments.

And then I think, What did I just do?  The kids don't feel well.  Who wants to get their teeth cleaned when they feel all crummy?  But the appointments are made.  We'll just have to see how it goes.

So I'm feeling a bit blah about the start of our year.  I'm eating everything in sight when I should be dieting, and we're all sitting around in jammies trying to stay warm in this frigid living room when we should be doing brilliant homeschool things, and I have a ton of Pampered Chef work to do. SIGH SIGH SIGH