Plans

For anyone who has known me longer than five minutes, it's painfully clear that I am a planner.  My most treasured possession is my planner book, without which I don't know what is going at the office, when Show and Tell is at preschool, or what to make for dinner.  I've always been this way, carrying a "to do" list as early as middle school as I recall.  But I wouldn't be shocked to learn that I had one in my Trapper Keeper in elementary school days either.  I just can't remember.  The addition of each child into our family, however, has taken this planning thing to a whole new level.  As there are more balls to keep juggled in the air, it takes more thought and organization.  At least for me.

So, on our calendar for this weekend were a whole lot of special things.  We started planning Cousins Day about six months ago, getting the date on everyone's calendars so that all of us would be there.  This once a year day to spend with my cousins is such a joy to me, especially now that there are so many cousins of the next generation that we love so much.  I had a list of things I was baking to take along with us (see.....a list!) and the kids and I were beyond excited for Saturday to get here.

Well, strep throat was NOT in my planner.  And we didn't appreciate its imposition.

Joshua started on Wednesday afternoon with what I thought was a stomach bug.  I'm no doctor, but the number of times he threw up in the 24 hrs from Weds afternoon until Thursday at supper time seemed a good clue.  But after running into one of his classmates on her way into the pediatrician on Thursday as I was coming OUT with Mara after her 4 month checkup, I learned that Sophia had strep throat.  Sophia and Josh are friends who seem to get the same bug around the same time, so I decided to take him in for a look on Friday morning.  And sure enough.....strep throat.

By the time we got Joshua back from the doctor, Lauren was on the downhill slide.  And this picture went from bad to ugly in a hurry.  Here were our sleeping arrangments on Friday night.

Just for fun, on Saturday morning I woke up feeling like one of those circus acts who swallow swords.  It's no wonder given that a sick kid was breathing, crying, puking or snotting on me for the duration of the past 48 hours.

And there ended any glimmer of hope that we could still make it to Cousins Day.  Or to be able to spend Mother's Day with Nana.  Or my sister.  There went all of our plans.  I wanted to cry.

So Saturday, we nursed everyone back to health the best we could.  We sat around in our pajamas, took a lot of Tylenol, and did a whole lot of cuddling.  And praying that the baby wouldn't pick up the same thing.  Mara was the bright spot in the day for all of us.  While the big kids were whiny and miserable, she was smiling and happy, only wanting to play and snuggle and eat just like always.  She even did her first stable Bumbo sitting while I worked in the kitchen a little while on Saturday afternoon and seemed to appreciate being a part of the action.

I feel a bit like God has been working on me with this planning thing.  I read a devotional each morning called "Jesus Calling" and I love it!  But lately there have been a whole lot of references to the fact that a need for control is a sin- a complete disregard for the fact that God has our lives ordered and controlled in His hands.  When we try to handle things here in our own control, we're saying to Him that we don't trust His plans and think ours are better.  So through all of this, I was feeling a bit convicted and tried mightily to see that we must have been supposed to be home this weekend, feeling icky and miserable.  And there must be good reason, despite the fact that I couldn't really understand why.

When the sun rose on Sunday, Mother's Day, the big kids were feeling a whole lot better.  Antibiotics are amazing.  At 8:30, Lauren asked to play in the sandbox outside.  I was just thrilled that she was up off the chair and no longer fevered, so out we went.  Joshua slept in, but when he woke up, he joined us on the deck and requested his breakfast out there.  And we didn't go in all day long.  It was a wonderful day.  I desperately missed church, but was able to tune in to my Aunt Carol and Uncle Jerry's church service in Southlake, TX via an iphone app while on our deck nursing Mara.  I was so grateful for the chance to do that.

The rest of the day was great-- lots of sunshine, lots of playtime for the kids, windows open at the house to air out any remaining germs, laundry caught up and a dinner I didn't have to cook.  Perfection.

And finally, here is the Mother's Day photo, 2012 edition.  (Don't you love Joshua's lack of interest in this photo?)  I guess one out of three isn't bad for looking at the camera.  Strep throat or not, ruined weekend plans or not, 3 nights of sleeping with sick kids at my side or not...there is nowhere I'd rather be than with Jason and these three beautiful blessings.  I must be the luckiest Mama in the world.