Week From Another Planet

I started my classes this week, and I thought things would be easy, at least as I started out. Well, the classes don't seem to be too hard (I have to work my butt off as I get back into the saddle again, but here's hoping for the best), although life at home just wasn't cooperating.
My first class was Monday night. I had a crazy day, as my oldest daughter woke up with an ear ache and the croup. So I let her stay home, but went about my daily routine of therapy, groceries and other mundane errands. The day was busy, but tolerable, until 3:15 pm. While sitting watching my son at speech therapy my phone rings. Apparently Elle was screaming and crying that her ear was really hurting. My Mom wasn't sure what I wanted to do, but Elle was really in pain, despite having had Tylenol a hour before. With no time to take her to the doctor that day, I made an appointment for the following day, but asked if they could prescribe something to tide us over. Knowing my daughter, she only does this when she ruptures her ear drum. When I got home and took a look myself, I was right. Unfortunately, even the doctors who I work with were unwilling to give us something. (darn malpractice issues) So having arrived home at 4:30 pm to make dinner, eat dinner and leave by 5 pm, I just threw my hands up, gave her a kiss and more Tylenol and went to school.
Adding insult to injury, I get to class and realize I switched the days of my classes in my Palm Pilot, and so I brought my Anatomy and Physiology books to my Biology class. So much for being organized!
The class was interesting and there were a few other moms like myself going back to school for various reasons. so I am not the only nut out there!
On to the rest of my week, Tuesday we saw ENT, who agreed with my observation that my daughter had ruptured her ear drum, and we scheduled surgery for next friday for yet ANOTHER set of tubes. The thing that kills me is that once I am a PA, techinicaly I could fill a script to tide her over....another reason to go into medicine.
Wednesday wasn't too bad, except that by the afternoon, I really though Peanut was starting to sound hoarse and was sleeping an aweful lot (sehe slept for 2 and a half hours, instewad of her usual hour). Thinking she was coming down with something, but unsure what, I kissed her, gave her a dose of Tylenol and headed out to class for the second time this week. De ja Vu?! Oh well. Class was fine, got home early and checked on the kids, Hubby did a great job! they were fed (ok, I fed them before I left) , Watered, (ok I did that too), in Pj's ( me again), in bed on time and sleeping when I got home ( Dad gets big BIG point for this, as Peanut is used to nursing to sleep, he got her down, no problems). KUDOS to Dad/hubby for his smooth transition into school mode.
Thursday was a nightmare! My Husband went to Detriot for the day, he drove both ways in the same day...crazy! While left home, I ran like crazy trying to make up time from the rest of the week with errands, studying and life. In the meantime Peanut had woken up that morning with a croupy cough...I mean a REAL croup cough, the kind that is tight sounding and raspy with wheezing in between. Horrible. I tried all day to get to the doctor, but was unable to get there. In the end I ended up in the ER with her that night, as she was really struggling to breathe. That was fun ( i am being facisous here (sp?)) I ran into all the doc's and nurses from last year when we were in with her pneumonia. The fact that they all remembered us was scary, its not like it is a small hospital, and they see so many kids. It was nice though, the recognition, as I was not treated like an idiot. They checked her lungs for pneumonia, which was clear (thank god!), and gave her a shot of decodron (steriod to help loosen her phraynx so she could breathe easier). Then sent us home telling us it would kick in in about 3 hours....5 hours later she finally stopped wheezing.
Oh, did I mention that I burnt my fingers at dinner time? Yeah, mommy had a brain freeze and did a really silly thing. I was boiling water to make pasta, and my flame kept going out. I couldn't figure out why, then I realized that there was water all over my stove top. Apparently someone dropped my pot and cracked it so when you put water in past a certian level, it leaks out. Never mind that, I move the pot over, turn off the flame, and proceed to remove the burner to dry the stove...WITHOUT POT HOLDERS! Did I mention the burner had been on? Yeah, I was not happy, immediatly thrust my hand into my freezer and well, we had leftovers for dinner. My kids heard a comotion in the kitchen, and Elle comes into the kitchen and asksm e why I have my hand in the freezer, innocence is such bliss. My boo-boos (three bug blisters were great entertainment for my kids, and a great demo for why we don't touch hot things, a "Hands on Demo" If you will. Then as we were deciding what to do about Peanut, my pediatrician called back, and told us to head in. So when I got there I had the residents look at my three fingers, the pads at the top of your fingers, well my thumb, pointer and tall man were all burnt. Good 2nd degree burns. Everyone said the same thing. ICE. Ironically when we went into the ER, everyone thought Peanut had hurt her arm, as I was holding an Ice pack on my boo-boo fingers. I ended up with 100 mg of tylenol, and a bunch of free ice packs. No charge...nice huh! At least I burnt my left hand, so I can still tyoe and write and take notes...the silver lining is ever present.
Here's hoping the rest of the term and three years go more smoothly then this first week....