Let me tell you about my first day off!

It was an 'inventure', as my boys would say! *giggling* Isaac was up before 6, and Adam followed between 6:30 and 7. Now, mind you, we had to wake them both up the day before....but when Mama can sleep in.....

So I did get to sleep a little more after they went to the den to play. After that, Chris started fixing a yummy breakfast of biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs, and everyone was happy about that! While he was doing this, I started washing the mountains of laundry that always seem to live around here, and Adam 'helped'.

Somewhere in here, Isaac told me that his stomach, throat, and head hurt. I took his temp, and it was 99.1; not really bad, but being this close to Christmas I didn't want to chance it. I'm thinking now that Chris probably thought I ought to wait it out, but my Mommy Intuition said to take him to the doc. We ate our yummy breakfast and got loaded up. His pediatrician's office was booked solid, so we headed to the Urgent Care Clinic offered by our medical practice.

Of course, it was packed! We got there at about 10:15, and finally left at almost 1. During that time, even though I had given Isaac some generic Tylenol, he continued to feel worse and get more weepy and just plain sick. The doc that we saw said that he didn't think it was strep but that he'd do a culture and make sure.

Now here is the amazingly good part...last time Isaac had to have a swab done, even with me holding his hands, he was able to wrench away from me and grab the swab. The nurse, as you can imagine, was not amused and fussed. But this time I told him what was going to happen before hand and reminded him that it wouldn't take but a few seconds, and he did GREAT! I was very proud of him!

Isaac, by the way, is very BIG for a first grader. He's tall and solid, and weighed 77 pounds yesterday. So people see him and think that he is older than he is, and that therefore, he should be more mature than he is. Not fair, but that is how it is. I sometimes want to hang a sign around his neck that says, "I'm only 6!"

OK, sorry for the rambling....the strep test was positive! While I'm not glad that he has strep, I am glad for a couple of things:
1. That it was something that we could give him antibiotics for and he would get better quickly, so his Christmas wouldn't be compromised.
2. That he didn't have to have blood drawn, because he was really dreading that.
3. That I followed the good 'ol Mommy Intuition and took him in when I did!

So we got out of the doctor's office, not quickly of course, but we did make it out! LOL I needed to run some errands while we were in town, but did so as quickly as possible so that I could get my sick boy home. I dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy down the street and got my now sleeping boy home and on the couch. It was 2:15, and Adam had his daycare Christmas party at 2:30!

So I used the bathroom, changed shirts cause I was burning up, grabbed a different kid, and off we went to the church (which thankfully is only 2 blocks away). We partied and saw Santa, who gave Adam a pack of Hot Wheels cars that he said he had 'wanted his whole life'!

Back home we came, and I took Isaac's temp.....102! I also fixed up a mixture of Pepto and Benadryl for him to gargle to soothe his throat, and after about 5 minutes of telling him it wouldn't hurt and that he wasn't going to do it wrong, I got him to swish it around in his mouth and swallow it.

The rest of the evening wasn't quite as crazy, thankfully. I got the Christmas cards ready for our family and close friends (yes, I realize it was the 21st, I'm pretty proud of myself for getting them done at all thankyouverymuch!) and wrapped several presents before crashing.

Although it wasn't the relaxing day that I would have liked to have had, I'm SO glad that we got Isaac all fixed up. He feels fine today! He even asked for the Pepto/Benadryl concoction today for his throat! Late this afternoon, we're heading to Chris' Mamaw's house for Christmas with all his aunts, uncle, and a plethora of cousins....and Isaac will have had 24 hours of antibiotics in his system before arriving so we don't infect all the cousins.

Tomorrow will be church as usual, and then Monday afternoon we will have Christmas with Chris' parents and brother and his family. My dad will lead the Candlelight Christmas Eve service at 11 pm, and that is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. My nieces and nephews will assist in the service as acolytes, and my sister and I are joining a friend to sing a song from our cantata. I'm hoping that Chris agrees to take the boys for the first time to the service, but if not, that is okay too. Christmas Day we will open presents and see what Santa brought here and probably head to Waffle House for brunch just 'cause we can. Late that afternoon we will head to my sister Suzy's house for dinner and presents with my family. It's gonna be busy, but I love it! I wouldn't trade it for anything!

I think I'll end with the lyrics to one of my favorite Christmas songs. Even though I live across the state line in Virginia, I was a Tennesseean for 9 years! ;)
May any of you that read this have a blessed Christmas and spend time reflecting on the miracle that we celebrate...that the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us!

Tennessee Christmas
Come on weatherman,
Give us a forecast snowy white.
Can't you hear the prayers
Of every childlike heart tonight?
Rockies are calling,
Denver snow falling,
Somebody said it's four feet deep.
But it doesn't matter,
Give me the laughter;
I'm gonna choose to keep

Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gift around our tree.
Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.

Every now and then,
I got a wanderin' urge to see
Maybe California,
Maybe Tinsel Town's for me.
There's a parade there;
We'd have it made there;
Bring home a tan for New Year's Eve.
Sure sounds exciting,
Awfully inviting,
Still I think I'll gonna keep

Another tender Tennessee Christmas,
The only Christmas for me.
Where the love circles around us,
Like the gift around our tree.
Well they say in L.A.,
It's a warm holiday;
It's the only place to be.
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.


Well I know there's more snow
Up in Colorado
Than my roof will ever see,
But a tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.

A tender Tennessee Christmas
Is the only Christmas for me.