Ramblings: To oink, or not to oink

Right as I was stepping off the elliptical this morning at 8:30, nurse Julie from the kids' school called. Five minutes later I was loading the boys up in the car to go pick up Maddie with her 100* temperature. I was not expecting what I saw when I walked into the nurse's office, and I will freely confess that I started laughing.

Maddie was sitting in a chair wearing one of those adult-sized blue face masks. Her head immediately looked shrunken and tiny under that big mask. When I started laughing, I could tell she thought it was funny too, because all of a sudden the mask jumped up and literally covered half her squinted eyeballs as she started smiling. Her's didn't have the pig snout, but I would've LOVED if it did. She REFUSED to let me photograph her with her's on--even at her young age, she's aware that pretty much no one can pull off looking awesome wearing a giant blue face mask.

So I was told because she had a fever and there was so much flu going around, I should take her to the doctor and then call the school back to let them know the results. FABULOUS! OK! HERE WE GO! As we started to leave, we were reminded NOT TO REMOVE THE MASK until we were outside of the final set of school doors. Ahh, nothing like walking around with my cute blond-haired leper.

I may start wearing one of those masks when I go to Walmart, because people sure get out of your way fast when they can't figure out whether you're just being extra careful, or if you are indeed a walking time bomb of highly contagious nastiness. Add a fake cough to that every now and then, and I'd be sailing through those aisles. I may just try it...

I waited on hold for over 15 minutes when I called the doctors office to make an appointment, so I could tell it was going to be a really fun visit. Luckily they were able to get her in at 11:15, and despite the waiting room being filled to capacity, we were outta there in an hour. There were tons of doctors,nurses, and nurse practitioners zipping around that place. The nurse jammed a total of 4 giant, extra long q-tips in a variety of her orifices to check for Strep and the dreaded swine flu. The boys LOVED getting to watch that procedure--it was the quietest and stillest they were the entire day.

Aidan insisted on bringing in his Batman mask. Whatever, crazy. I was trying to teach him to say, "I'm Batman" in that smoky, kinda creepy way that Christian Bale did it in the last Batman movies. He was getting the gravely voice down pretty good but he kept saying, "I'm....Fatman," which of course sounded hysterical coming from behind that mask with that funny voice. Which also meant that we heard it about 20 more times before we left the room.

Aidan and Avery took turns being nuts and trying to break into the doctors cupboards, for what...? Don't know. And neither did they, which is precisely why they were so intent on getting those dang doors open. "Why they lock these, Mom?" "Because of the very thing you're doing right now, Batman."

So her tests came back pig-flu free, but she does indeed have a cold virus along with Strep throat. Luckily after 24 hrs of her meds she shouldn't be contagious anymore and should be back at school by Monday. She was really worried about missing school again cuz she LOVES it. Alex is greatly perplexed by that--he has assured her that by the time she gets to 3rd grade, she'll hate it too.

Two trips to the pharmacy later, she's finally got her first dose of medicine in her and still fully enjoying all the extra special treatment she's scoring due to being sick. A Popsicle with her lunch, a sprite with a flexi-straw, lots of cartoon watching, and pretty much getting to order everyone to stay away from her. And if THAT ain't living like a queen, what is?

She may even convince me to flip on the fireplace so she has somewhere to rest that weary head. (It's 52* right now and we're loving it.)