Change of Plans...

We really knew she was sick when she was
 falling asleep on the couch to cartoons.

Right now I ought to be in Salt Lake, finishing up dinner at California Pizza Kitchen or maybe swimming in the hotel pool.... but I'm at home, due to a big change of plans. I hate it when plans change, and I was pretty upset about the whole thing, upset about spring break being ruined, missing out on all of our plans, but as I sit here now, I'm not so upset or unhappy. I'm pretty content actually. I still want to go to Salt Lake and get my In N Out, CPK, Nordstroms, etc... but it doesn't have to be now. We were going initially because Todd's work was sending him on business - which meant free gas and hotel - which suddenly made it affordable for a little family getaway! Well the "client" he had to visit decided to act out, and the trip was changed from a visit to a please-return-home situation. Major bummer! BUT when Carolina came down with the trifecta of illness  this week... it kinda looked like we wouldn't be going anyway...

"That's a good Nana." ~ C. McConnel

More sleeping on the couch - something she never does.

I just typed the long version of our week, deleted it and decided to just give you the short(er) version... After a week of high fevers, constant tylenol/ibuprofen, extreme fussiness, lethargy, refusal to eat, borderline dehydration, waking up all night long, sad complaining of pain, 3 days off of work - FIVE doctor visits, and 3 wrong, 3 right diagnosis - we finally found out that Carolina had/has Hand, Foot, & Mouth Disease, double inner/outer ear infections, and most likely strep throat, like me. (I would like to know where the HFM came from? Church I'm guessing, and it ticks me off, but where else? What a horrible disease to affect innocent little kids!) Thursday, Friday, and especially Saturday were pure torture for this family, I kept having flashbacks to our awful E.R. night with Lina a few falls ago.

Trying to feel better, wanted to
 be outside, but also didn't.

Crusty ears that prompted the 4th
 doctor visit - oh the co-pays!

 Thank goodness Todd was well - so he could run errands, feed us medicine, and take care of this family. Bless him, Liam was trying so hard just to have things feel/be normal, trying to make Carolina laugh, and helping me to feel better, trying to be good and calm when he just wanted to be a rambunctious busy boy. And mostly without my parents I don't know how we would've made it through with our sanity and some remnants of health intact.

Poor tiny owie hands.

Within 24 hours of me being on antibiotics I'm right as rain, and Carolina is very nearly there herself. Of course her HFM is horrible, the bumps on her tongue, lips, hands, feet, and knees, look so painful and awful. But her fevers are gone, her appetite is somewhat returning, and her cheerfulness and desire to play are pretty much back. It was so scary to see her so sick, and so unlike herself. We are just reminded of how we take for granted our children's health and happiness. Tonight when my mind wandered to where I "should" be - I didn't feel bummed about it - I just so thankful that today was a good day. That I felt well, that my kids felt happy, that Carolina had spirit back! We enjoyed the sunshine, ran errands, did normal things like shop for shoes and get yogurt - and it was so good! We know all our other plans are canceled, because she's basically a giant walking germ and we need to keep her pretty isolated, but I'm focusing on the excellent quality time we are going to have together this week. We are praising God for a quick healing of her infections - and now just praying for as quick and pain free recovery from the virus as she can have.

A happy and good girl, laying
 down so her ear drops can settle in.

Liam feeding Lina breakfast because her
hands hurt too much to do it herself.