"We've Really Been Healthy this Winter!"

"We have been soooooo healthy this winter" has been the frequent phrase coming out of my mouth the past few months.... (Is this my self-reassurance that I was correct in NOT getting my kids the H1N1 vaccine?) Well, the cold/flu hit our house about 3 weeks ago and has gone round and round that I can't quite keep track of its actual route. I do know that it started with Charlie's nose and has bounced back and forth between Max's conjested chest and Charlie's now famous runny nose! Mike and I have both felt subpar, but as parents do, we have just kept going, going, going! I never quite know when to and when NOT to take the boys to the doctor. Most of the time, when I do decide to bring them, I have a huge let down, when after a long wait in the waiting room, and then even a longer wait in a 4x4 examining room, we are sent home empty handed... with NO new medicine. Somehow, the exhaustion, even after finding out it's nothing serious, seems like a total waste! As a new mom a few years back, this happened frequently. Other times, when I go and "really don't think anything is wrong," I am told phrases like, "He has a double ear infection!" Surprise and dumb-foundedness hit me like a ton of bricks... wouldn't a good mother just "know" this? Well, today I decided to take the boys through the McDonald's drive-through immediately after school in order to help them (I mean me:) deal with the trip to Urgent Care. Max's congested chest was not getting better, and his little eyes looked exhausted... after 3 weeks of "sucking it up," I decided today was THE day. They devoured their "plain cheeseburgers with ONLY ketchup" by the time we hit Midelfort Clinic Urgent Care, and they brought their Happy Meal toys in with them and provided free entertainment for the other poor sick individuals. Max was asked to wear a mask but told me, "But I can't breath!" so that lasted less than 1 second. He and I chose 2 seats, and Charlie proceeded to chose a chair across from us right next to a cute, college-age-looking female talking on a cell phone... she just looked at me and smiled, and to my delite, didn't even move. We past the time imagining what exotic animals could be hiding in the fake plants behind us and pretended to let the elephants and snakes take sips of their juice boxes, when the nurse called, "Maximilian!" Now, we all got to enter the HUGE 4x4 examination room... during what was likely 10 minutes but seemed like an hour, Charlie played with the water in the sink, paged through a "Food & Wine" magazine, and actually completely pulled out one of the metal stirrups from the examination table.... plopping it on the floor (right in front of the bland personality. (Very talented at quick repairs, I guess!) Turns out, Max DID have an ear infection.... BINGO, we won and earned a prescription, and now I am hopeful I won't be lying when I tell everyone, "We've really been healthy this winter!"