The only constant is change...

It's been said that the only thing constant is change, and ain't it the truth?
We had a whirlwind weekend, full of unexpected, yet wonderful times. Originally we had plans to join Andrew's large family (some who were visiting from out of state/country) down at his sister's house in Alpine Saturday evening. However, due to the gang shooting weekend before last, Andrew's supervisors were requiring a mandatory work day Saturday in expectations of possible retaliations from rival gangs. (change of plans #1) We were all so bummed....Lily so wanted to go 'swimmin' with Hunter and Noah' (her cousins). She gently and wisely told me, 'don't be sad....it's otay.'
So I prepared for a rather plain and boring weekend. However, (change #2) Andrew woke up feeling rather sick Saturday morning and legitimately couldn't have gone to work and been very effective. Thus, after clearing it with his sargeant, we were able to go to Alpine as originally planned. (Blessings come in unexpected ways although I bet Andrew begs to differ).
We had such a fun time in the Arnold's revamped backyard, complete with gorgeous pool, trampoline, patio and fire pit. We had so much fun talking with everyone and are sad it's an occasion that comes few and far between. We left around 9:30 because Andrew was scheduled to work on OT shift at midnight until 5 a.m. However, (plan change #3) Andrew was able to find someone else to take his shift so he could rest and hopefully get to feeling better. This change in plans allowed us to make it up to Logan at 9:30 am Sunday morning for our little niece Leah's baby blessing, and we were so glad we could go.
Monday (still part of our weekend due to Andrew's normal days off), came with more busyness. Andrew had an OT shift and we had dentist appointments. I worked so hard all week to try and prepare Lily for the inevitable. We read The Tooth Book and I explained that he would just count her teeth and make sure they were nice and clean...no needles, no scary prodding, etc. Then she'd get a cool prize and a new toothbrush/toothpaste! Sounds like a fun time, right?
But no, she wasn't having any of that.
My morning consisted of getting 21 more packs of Walgreens diapers for $0.08 each (using my raincheck from the sale price two weeks ago) and then taking the girls on a little 'picnic' at a nearby park so as to be out of the house for two walk-through-the-house appointments. The whole morning was full of positive affirmations....the dentist is nice, he's our teeth's best friend, Mommy and Daddy are going to see him too, etc. During all our little errands she just kept on saying, 'NO DENTIST!'.
So when the time came to leave for the dentist she fussed and whined. We had a 45 minute drive, and she luckily fell asleep. As we pulled in to the parking lot, she immediately wakes up and says, "No Dentist! No Dentist!" So we carry her in there in the throes of a tantrum. Needless to say, she screamed the entire time he looked at her teeth. He, trying to make us feel better, said, 'it's actually easier to check the teeth of a screaming child because their mouth is open so wide.' True, but that doesn't make it easier for all the other patrons thinking, 'i would come to the DDS at this time, and look how pleasant it is'. Oh well. She got princess tattoos and a cool crayon toothbrush. So that hurdle is done for six months. whew!
In the meantime, Zoe had been acting like she wasn't feeling well all day. She was not very interested in eating, felt a little warm and was very fussy for her. So when we got home and she was acting rather lethargic, we decided that we should take her into the doctor on suspicions of an ear infection. She's never had one but it seemed like the reasonable explanation. My only other suspicion was a really bad teething experience. Her fourth molar has finally poked through but seems to be really swollen still.
So I take her to the doctor only to have her vomit all over herself, her carseat, and the seat as I pull into the parking lot. Okay, so maybe it's not an ear infection...
Anyhow, she's running a 103 degree fever but her ears look fine, a strep test in negative and blood test comes back normal. My wonderful neighbor was able to run me some new clothes for her as I'd forgotten the diaper bag, and I left with the advice to come back in two days if her fever doesn't let up. So now it's just a waiting game. She is acting more alert as of this morning and was at least eating and drinking some. But now I'm feeling rather under the weather myself, and can't seem to muster a lot of energy to do many of things that need doing today. At least I cleaned off the vomit and did all the washing last night because I don't know if I could have done it today. Blessings in disguise. SIGH.
The only thing constant is change....a quote worth remembering for the ironies of life.