It won't be like this for long

Yeah, I am reposting this, because I added a story:

Whizzy tagged me with this 6th picture thing. I'll play along. Here are the instructions:

1. Go to your sixth picture file.
2. Go to the sixth picture in that file
3. Post it and blog about it.
4. Tag six people

So from March 19, 2005...

That would make Ella almost exactly 1-1/2 years old. Playing in her princess tent at Grandma's house.

And our only munchkin at the time. My, how times have changed in 4 short years. This picture already seems like a lifetime ago. At the time of this picture, Paige had two boys in the oven, who arrived 4 months later. Followed by one more. Poor Ella had no idea that she would soon be severely outnumbered by three little brothers.

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A bunny trail to tell a story, that I am only marginally embarrassed to relay:

Monday Ella had a fever. Tuesday she had a fever, and her teeth hurt. Wednesday she had a fever, and started throwing up. After I got home from work, she was saying things hurt. Like her ears. A lot. We actually thought her eardrum might be bursting, as much as she was flopping about and crying. So bundled her up and carried her out to the car, for a late night trip to the pediatric urgent care.

As we are making our way to the car, she says "Do I have to get a shot Daddy?"

"No honey," I say. "I don't think they give shots for ear infections." (You can see where this is going already, right?)

We get to urgent care, I cuddle her in the waiting room and try to calm her down. The doc sees us without too much of a wait. Listens, looks, asks about symptoms. Eardrums look fine. Doc nearly causes more vomiting getting a throat swab.

Comes back positive for strep throat. Doc says there are two options. One is oral antibiotics. But there is a good chance she will not keep them down, given the vomiting. And then we would have to come back for option two... an injection of antibiotics. The injection will make her feel better faster, and then she can keep the oral meds down. And considering that there are three brothers we don't want to infect, and that Ella is dehydrated and looks like a little bag of bones, faster is better. I decide on the injection.

I try to break the news gently. But there is no gentle for "You have to get that shot that Dad said you wouldn't get." She recovers quickly though, and says that she will be brave. And then giggle nervously, telling me about how when Levi got his flu shot, he cried the whole way home.

Then she asks, "How many shots do I have to get Dad?"

"Just one kiddo." (You would think I would have learned my lesson the first time.)

The nurse comes in and says "The dose is too big, so we have to give her one in each leg."

Ella immediately goes boneless and wails "Twoooooooo shots!?!?"

You can just give me that "Dad of the year" award now. She took them like... well, a little girl. Had to hold her down on the table, poor kid. But 10 minutes later, and she was telling mom on the phone how she was brave for her shots.

We snag a sucker on the way out, and drive over to the pharmacy to pick up her oral antibiotics. As we are waiting in the drivethru, this song comes on the radio:

(Yes, that is Hootie. Of the Blowfish. Now Darius Rucker, a country singer)

Just as I am getting completely choked up, pharmacy girl comes to the window. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah" I squeak, in my best Kermit the Frog impersonation.

I got a new contact prescription a week ago. It is awful. Something is wrong. At night, the entire world is blurry through my left eye.

Now, exiting the drive through, the combination of the my lousy contacts, a night patching up my baby girl, a darn Hootie song, and apparently me turning into a total softy in my old age... I can't see a dang thing. Somehow made it home though, and tucked my little princess in bed.

I told Paige the story. She just laughed, and I think called me a "wimp."



I am so dancing with Ella at her wedding to that song...

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As for tagging six other people... sheesh, I am not even sure I know six people who have blogs and read ours. How about Kempiaks, Botmas, Van Den Brinks, and Winns?