Mystery Virus and Life Behind Imaginary Bars

It wasn't mono and it wasn't strep. Apparently Ava had a mystery virus. The Dr. is insistent on testing for Epstein Barr virus...but heck at this point who cares? She could have had malaria for all I know. She is feeling so much better and is fever free so she is back to ruling the neighborhood with an iron fist. She has the loyal subjects lining up for a scooter parade as we speak.

I however, am tired. Perhaps it was the stress of worrying about her for 4 days. Perhaps it was the getting up in the middle of the night but seriously I need a week at some spa where they will cover me with with hot rocks and wax the heck out of my legs while painting my toenails some delightful shade of pink.

Or maybe I'm all twitchy about staying so close to home for almost an entire week. I did not realize how much we like to move about, take ourselves off the cul-de-sac each and every day. I swear I could hardly do it, stay inside the house for 5 solid days with sick 5 year old and rambunctious 19 month old. I'm being a bit dramatic in that we did expand into the backyard to play in the alligator pool by day 3 1/2 but gees I still say "caged lion".

This picture should be labeled "Tea Set Teamwork".


Yesterday she presented as fever free for 24hours and we were damned if staying in the house one extra minute. We decided to take ourselves to the library for a little magician show and sign up for the summer reading program. Then when it came time to start the 20 minute process of getting ourselves snacks, drinks, shoes, extra diapers, go to the potty, collect favorite stuff to travel in the car, check and make sure stroller is in car, and shut off the lights and coffee maker...well, I had a fleeting thought. This is so much damned work getting the three of us anywhere! Should I just turn them loose in the backyard and call it a day?

Getting us anywhere is as simple as inserting the keys in the ignition it is the process that culminates in piling us into the car part that is a bit of a workout, physically and emotionally (as sometimes they test my highest level of patience cooperating with me to head north to the front door.) I suppose this might be why over the last nine months we have been 10 minutes early or 20 minutes late to everywhere we have gone.

In the end we did the routine and enjoyed the library. Ava enjoyed the library show Liv attempted to climb the brick wall at the library no less than 72 times as I wearily chased behind.

How many days will we self impose cul-de-sac lock down this summer? Maybe it's not so bad afterall minus the mystery virus part of course. How many days left until Kindergarten starts? Remind me about this week when I am crying at the bus stop seeing my baby off to full time school.