If you want to see the saddest picture in the world, keeping reading. Both the kids had bad colds this week (mom and dad did too). Addie seemed like getting better, but then on Friday she woke up from her nap very sad and clingy. She just cried and wouldn't let me put her down. After a while she started telling me that her ear hurt. I immediately thought: ear infection. But by this time we were on our way to a friend's house for dinner. In hind-site we probably should have canceled and taken her to urgent care right then, but we are still learning to be parents. Addie had a very hard time through dinner (thought it was wonderful for Jaron and me to talk to other adults!) When we left all urgent cares had already closed. We got Addie settled down and asleep in our bed with me at about 10pm, with Jaron and Xander downstairs. At 11pm though Addie woke up screaming. We could not console her at all. We did everything we knew how to do and at 12:30am Addie and I went to the emergency room out of desperation and the need to be doing something. We went to the Nationwide Children's emergency room, which was probably a mistake because it was packed. I probably should have gone to Mount Carmel by us which has a shorter wait time, which we know from personal experience. Anyway, we waited in that emergency room until 4am, Addie screaming and crying the entire time. And of course I am getting nasty looks from others in the room and I kept wanting to tell them that hey, we are in an emergency room for a reason! Addie started running a fever so I bugged the nurses to do something and they consented to bring us back to a room. They gave her a high dosage of motrin (higher than typically given for her weight, though still an acceptable amount) and sent us back to the waiting room. After about 20 minutes her fever broke and Addie stopped crying. I asked how much longer the wait would be, and they estimated 8am or later. Yikes! Because Addie looked like she could finally fall asleep I told them to take her name off the list and we went home. Addie and I slept until 10 or so, and we went to an urgent care that opened at noon. They took her right away, declared that she had a bad ear infection, and sent us on our way with a prescription for augmentin. By her second dose Addie has returned to her normal little self. She is complaining that her stomach hurts, but that's a trade off I'm willing to make to get her ear better.

I know that we didn't need to go to the emergency room, but we had run out of other things to do. I still don't know if it was the right thing to do. But they did give her that high dose of motrin that seemed to do the trick, and we never would have given her that much at home. I wish parenting came with instructions of what to do in these types of situations.

Xander has been more needy and clingy than usual. He cries more and needs held more. We don't think he has an ear infection; Jaron keeps checking his ears though it is hard to see well because his ears are so small. He is still congested and has difficulty breathing, but hopefully he is on his way up.

Love being a parent, right? Sleep deprivation and stress come with the job I think. But I still wouldn't trade it for the world. I love my two littles and they are my world.