Oh, yeah, it’s been a TOUGH Couple Weeks!

So, since my last entry, I’ve just been muddling through the whole preparing- to- move- process; getting loan estimates, insurance quotes, inspections, repairs, buying/collecting boxes, starting the packing, and trying to pretend that I was remaining calm, cool, and collected at all times, NOT. Then, since really that is apparently not enough stress, my “right hand man”/para/all purpose, all reliable assistant at work decided she needed a job that gave her more hours and more money (can’t say I blame her for that) BUT, that’s definitely a rug being pulled out from underneath me as I was just gaining momentum at work. Then, just because apparently this is still not enough to completely throw me for a loop, my sweet pea, Kayli developed some Horrendous Allergic Reaction to something and broke out in huge-raised- welt-like hives, head to toe, and maintained this status round-the-clock for 5 days! She itched and scratched and whined and took her medicine like a trooper and then began the cycle all over again. We had been to the doctor’s office twice, purchased every allergy medicine known to man, and added oatmeal baths to the list. I was so frustrated because, like every good mother, I wanted to be able to “fix this” and I couldn’t! I wanted to relieve my child from her misery and I couldn’t. I could comfort her, coach her, encourage her, compliment her, hug and kiss and snuggle with her, treat some of the itching, but I couldn’t make those hives go away! AND… apparently since this was not enough to keep us busy, Kayli’s face, hands, and feet decided to swell up! She could not put on shoes or even her flip-flops, she complained that her feet and her eyes really hurt. We had to make a trip to the Urgent Care Clinic, where we got to hang out from 10 til’ 2 in the morning, as the doctor kept rushing to another room to attend to a “real emergency” and eventually came back to tell me that Kayli needed to start taking a steroid medicine, and I would need to start keeping an epi-pen with me at all times, in case she started having trouble breathing. Oh yeah? Well this is all starting to make ME have trouble breathing and my heart is racing too! As the grand finale, while still at the hospital, my child decided that enough was enough, and even though she had been such a trooper all week, gulping down every medicine I handed her, the good the bad and the really bad tasting stuff, tonight, in this moment, she was putting her foot down and just saying “No”! She was not going to swallow one more foul tasting medicine! So, I got to do what almost every mother has had at least one opportunity to do in their child’s lifetime, and that is hold her down, kicking, screaming, and choking, as the nurse squirted a full syringe of sticky, yucky medicine down her throat! Lord, have mercy. A few more days, and the swelling went down, and now we’re back at school, and now I’ve shifted my focus back to moving, NEXT WEEK!

One minute she looks like this...

the next minute, it's this...