Yesterday we got a note that school tomorrow has been cancelled. YAY! Although . . . I still have a few Christmas presents for the children that I need to pick up and that may make it a little difficult. No worries. I'd rather have my children home, relaxing, or going to the Mall just for fun, than have them stuck in a classroom.
So, we're sitting at the breakfast table today. Dane's hunched over, letting the steam from his hot tea go up his nose. Deanna's coughing with a hack reminiscent of the cancer ward at the Veteran's Hospital. And Daelyn is slow-moving and grumpy, occasionally finding enough energy to cough long and hard. We've moved the Kleenex box to the kitchen table for convenience.
"Well," I comment, looking at the pitiful state of my family, "at least we can all sleep IN tomorrow."
"Are you gonna call the doctor and get us all appointments?" Deanna asks.
"Why? Do you think you need to see the doctor?"
You may not understand the importance of this question, but it is a clear guideline on just how sick she is. Deanna (and the other two children, as well) hates strept tests. She tries so hard to be good about it, but, in the end, she usually breaks down and cries. It hurts and it's just more than she can handle when she already feels bad. If she has a sore throat, she knows there's a risk Dr. Miller is going to do a strept test, so if she asks to go to the doctor, I know she feels REALLY bad.
"I really do, Mama," she responds, sadly. "I'm actually having trouble breathing and there's this sound in my chest when I breath. Besides, it'd be the perfect time. The other children will all be in school. We can go during the day and not have to wait."
Wishful thinking. Children are always sick and kept home from school to see the doctor. But she obviously feels rough and probably has a touch of pneumonia.
I gave her two puffs from Dane's rescue inhaler to follow the 12-hour Sudafed I had given her ten minutes earlier. The funny thing is that none of the children asked to stay home. Since school has been cancelled for tomorrow, all their teachers are trying to cram two day's worth of work into one day and the children understand how academically important today is. All the same, I'm calling the doctor. Deanna hasn't run a fever, but if she had pneumonia, she's probably contagious.
I don't know what they'll do about her being Mary in the school play tonight. Do you suppose anyone would notice that she was wearing a face mask?
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