So, Monday, James and Jocelyn stayed home, both of them afflicted with what we supposed was the same virus Ethan brought home from Kindergarten.

Ethan’s nose has been running a mile a minute, very thin snot that is clear, but plentiful. He had a fever that never broke 101, and a cough that you could tell was just due to all that clear runny snot going down the back of his throat.

Jocelyn woke us all up crying at about 6am this morning, and felt pretty hot to the touch. It’s hard to tell though, as she had on warm jammies and a warm blankey, what exactly her temperature was. I gave her some tylenol and after sitting her on the potty brought her into my bed.

We both laid there, not really sleeping, Jocelyn trying to breath through her really gunked up stuffy nose so she could suck her thumb, and me reaching over her and patting her back. rubbing her sweet little bottom or moving her hair out of her face. Every now and then I offered her a kleenex and we attempted a nose blow, but it was fated to be futile.

I decided that her symptoms were different enough from Ethan’s to warrant a trip to the doctor, and called and made an appointment (for any doctors reading, I highly recommend the answering service that allows worried moms to make apointments for that day, even if it’s 6:45am.) As 7am is usually the wake up time in our house, I got up at 6:50, went and got Ethan, who was awake probably the entire time, and brought him into our bed as well (James was asleep in the guest room, so as not to infect me with the plague). I turned on a closet light and put on Handy Manny for the kids while I hopped in the shower.

So the day started much like Monday, James and Jocelyn staying home, me taking Ethan to school and heading off to work.

Right when Jocelyn and James were in the middle of her doctor’s appointment, the school called to inform me that Ethan had a temperature of 100.3 and he needed to be picked up.

I called James and didn’t get an answer (for an EXCRUTIATING) 15 minutes, where he told me that … drum roll! Jocelyn has strep throat.

My lord! Poor girl!!

James confirmed that his throat was really hurting and he wanted to go see the doctor as well.

So, while James and Jocelyn went and got Ethan from school, I immediately called and made an appointment for James, and then called and made an appointment for Ethan, thinking he must have had new and improved worsened symptoms, and then left work to head home so James could go to his appt w/out worrying about getting Ethan to his appointment.

Ethan’s symptoms weren’t really any worse. They were the same, so I felt a bit foolish having made the appointment so hastily, but figured it couldn’t hurt and took him in anyway. Sure enough, the quickie strep test was negative, but she took the second overnight strep test and gave me a prescription to hold on to in case his fever spikes above 103 or she gets a positive result back.

James didn’t have to do the strep test however, his doctor (who is the same as mine) listened to the tale of Jocelyn being positive, added it to the fact that his throat was in a lot of pain, and gave him the prescription without much fuss.

Now I’m on the couch at home, working busily away, while James, Jocelyn & Ethan are ALL asleep upstairs.

Please oh please oh please don’t let me get sick!

-amy