germs, germs, germs

You may recall in October both my kids had strep throat with no symptoms other than Cate's sore by her mouth.

And then a couple weeks later, I was under the weather. Although there was no official diagnosis.

Then there was a week not too long ago that included an ear infection for Cate, diarrhea for Ben and pink eye for me.

A week later [making that last week] I took Ben to the doctor because his diarrhea wasn't ceasing. His diapers have since improved, thankfully. He did have much drainage and puss in his ears, but they thought putting him on an antibiotic would irritate his bottom more than help his ears, which apparently weren't bothering him.

And today Cate started complaining that her eyes hurt while we were eating lunch. I knew that meant she had a fever. You know, eyes sting when temperatures rise, and my 3 1/2-year-old girl does a pretty good job of describing how she feels. Fever, indeed. When we got home, her temperature was 101.7. I gave her a dose of Tylenol and then re-evaluated it after her nap. Still 100.5.

Her eyes still hurt.

So I made her a doctor's appointment for later in the afternoon, thinking they'd just prescribe a second round of an antibiotic. Maybe her ear infection hadn't cleared up.

I couldn't find a sitter for Ben on such short notice, so I just took him [in a stroller, so he couldn't touch anything in the germy "Sickville" sick of the pediatrician's waiting room.]. Turns out having Ben with me was a good thing.

Cate tested positive for strep. Then Ben did too.

So now they're both on antibiotics for their second nearly symptom-free cases of strep throat in two months. I see some positive, though: I'd rather them have strep than flu, which was the nurse's other initial though. And they won't be contagious after being on the antibiotic for 24 hours, which will be tomorrow afternoon. Just enough time for me to wash their sheets, dispose of toothbrushes and finish packing what we'll need for three nights in Louisville, celebrating Christmas with family and friends there.

Admittedly, I don't like all this sickness. And despite the past month, I'm not used to this part of motherhood. Probably because Cate hadn't had a fever for the first 3 years and 3 months of her life. At this point, I'd be OK if I didn't have to make my $20 co-pay at the pediatrician's office, get prescriptions filled at Rite-Aid and wait for another sickness to pass.

Here's to a germ-free Christmas, hopefully.