This past weekend Gary was out of town. We played outside a lot on Saturday, but yesterday was an especially dreary, rainy day. The kids were a little bored, but at the same time very interested in the rain.
Penelope was up almost all night the night before. She’d lay down for about an hour, then wake up screaming. We’d rock for a while, then she’d want to be back in her bed, then she’d start screaming again. When she got up the next morning, though, she seemed to be fine and I just chalked it up to some unknown pain or ailment. Not long after the photo above was taken, I happened to look in her ear. She had a ton of really gross, junky stuff in her left ear. I had learned not to clean out the stuff (my pediatrician likes to culture whatever is in there when ear tubes are involved), so I just grabbed the phone to call for an appointment.
The receptionist said that I needed to get there in 20 minutes to be seen.
Me and four kids under four, to the pediatrician, in 20 minutes?!!
I heard myself saying sure.
I immediately told the big kids that we had an emergency. I said that Penelope had to go to the doctor and that we had to get there REALLY FAST. They looked at me with interest. I explained that they had to do everything that I said exactly when I said it, and they agreed. I threw their tennis shoes at them and told them to put on their shoes, then put on Penelope’s shoes, while I changed clothes then I’d be back to tie all the shoelaces. I threw on some clothes, brushed my teeth, and came back to 8 shoes on 8 feet, and quickly tied the shoelaces.
Then we walked out the front door, to the rain, and I carried Penelope and told the big kids to RUN to the car. They did and jumped in. I buckled up Penelope while the big kids started buckling themselves in. I finished the buckling and we were off! Rosemary kept yelling at me to “Go faster, Mama! Go really, really fast!!” (For the record, I did not, but I’m concerned Rosemary is going to be a bit of a speed demon when she starts driving.) On the way, I explained the gameplan for the pediatrician’s parking lot. I explained that I would unbuckle them all from Henry’s side, then close the door and go to Penelope’s side of the car. While I got Penelope out, the kids were to get out by crawling under Penelope’s seat, then we would all hold hands and run into the pediatrician’s office. To my great shock, they paid attention to me and executed beautifully.
All five of us were in the pediatrician’s office in under 20 minutes. I seriously think I deserve a medal for that. Sure, we looked pretty rough, but we did it! While we were there, a woman and her teenage daughter sat across from us and asked about the kids’ ages. I told her 3.5 and 16 months, then we chatted a bit about kids. I told her about us making it there in 20 minutes, and she seemed appropriately impressed. Turns out she has 8 kids and really understood what a feat I’d accomplished that morning! I really wish that I knew who she was – she just seemed like someone I’d really like to talk to (if she ever had time).
Anyway, Penelope does in fact have an ear infection, so she is on antibiotics and is getting ear drops. She did a ton better last night, and slept all the way through the night, so hopefully getting those meds really helped.
What’s ironic about the whole thing is that I’d e-mailed a friend on Saturday telling her that for the first time in forever I had no kids on any prescription meds other than normal preventative meds. Henry had finished up his steroids for croup on Friday, and I thought we would have more than a day. . . . Not so. Next time I’ll have to try to keep from jinxing myself.
