Doctor, Doctor...

So I decided to take the girlies to the doctor today. Two of them had complained a little about their ears hurting, so we headed up there. As it turns out, everybody (at this point, anyway) just has a cold with no ear infections. Woo hoo! That was good news. If they don't start improving by the end of the week or get over it completely by next week I just have to call to get antibiotics...no additional trip to the doctor. That's comforting as well. Hanny did have to have a strep test (aka the "gag" test, as she calls it) just to rule that out for everybody. It was negative as well. We went to Target afterwards to pick up a few things. I'm not sure we can go to the doctor without hitting Target. It's nice to be able to go somewhere besides the local Wal-Mart. I stopped at Price Chopper on our way home and took the time to go to the minute clinic in there. Good move, as I was up most of the night last night. No, I wasn't up with the kiddos. I was up with my perpetual earache. There was a point when shoving a toothpick into my ear sounded like a good idea. No, I didn't do it. I was tempted, but logical reasoning (and fear) won out. As it turns out, the girls didn't have to have any additional medicine, but I did. I should be totally cleared out from ear to ear considering all the decongestants I'm taking. That, antibiotics, and these ear drops should improve things, shouldn't they?! I'm ready for something. I've fought this since the first of December and have had an earache since last Monday. At least it's me with this problem and not one of the girls. That would be SO much worse. And it would be worse if Gary had it. You know it's true...men were not made to withstand sickness. Germs apparently temporarily alter their DNA resulting in them reverting back to childhood. It's something someone should study... No, Gary does pretty well when he's sick. I'll give him credit. He's just become aware that when he's sick everybody else is too, and I can only take care of so many people. It's only made worse when I feel crummy too.

Maybe they'll be back in school tomorrow. Maybe they won't bring home anything new and unusual. I just have to keep telling myself that we're all getting stronger, hopefully with regards to our immune systems as well as our emotional strength. I did hear this morning that people who get 8 hours of sleep get 3 times fewer colds than those with 7 hours or less (or something like that). Maybe I'll just go to bed now... I could get in almost 11 hours if I really tried. Okay, maybe not quite yet...