Last week did not start out to be a good week and ended even worse.
Sunday we were gearing up for the Vikings game. We made lots of goods snacks to eat and the entire family was dressed in their Vikings gear. Throughout the day the kids started to get the sniffles and by bed time neither were feeling very good. I figured that I would be staying home from work on Monday. Sure enough, they coughed all night long and nobody was able to get much sleep. Dan and I were crossings paths in the night and we all played musical beds. Here is how that went: Katelynn in her bed, then in our bed and back to her bed. Dan in our bed, then in Katelynn's bed, on the couch and back to our bed. Junior in his crib then him and I downstairs and then him back to the crib. Me, in my bed, in Katelynn's bed, downstairs with Junior, Katelynn's bed and then back to my own bed. Whew, what a night.
While I was dealing with my sick kids my own mother was dealing with my grandma who was sick and in the hospital. Grandma went from one town to another with almost all of her 8 children following her with each move. All the grandchildren were kept up to date.
All week long for us was coughing and sniffles and not much sleep at night. Then we had the dreaded call that Grandma was going to the hospice hospital and shortly it would be time to say good-bye. This is when things get extremely difficult living far away from family. You can never drive an hour to go and say good-bye or give someone a hug who needs one.
Wednesday the kids went to daycare and Katelynn had pre-school. The daycare called me after they picked her up and she was screaming about her ear hurting. Dan was already home so I called him to go and pick up the kids early and said that I would take Katelynn to urgent care as soon as I got home. I got a call 10 minutes later and he asked me to meet him at urgent care because she was getting a little hysterical about her ear. I actually was thinking sooner rather than later as well and was already on my way. I was starting to not feel very well myself and figured that we all better just get checked out while we were there. 5 minutes before the daycare called me my mom had called me and told me my grandma passed away. I had to have my mommy hat on and went to urgent care and filled out the paperwork for the 2 kids and myself. Dan went with Junior and Katelynn and I in a different room. Katelynn did not have an ear infection and I did not have strep throat, so no good stuff to make us feel better. Junior was given a prescription for a nebulizer and antibiotics in case he got an ear infection. I went to Target with our prescription orders and waited a long hour and half. I did get a chance to finally talk to my mom while I was waiting. It was another long night with the kids and with me not feeling well either a lot of work fell to Dan. I was starting to get very worried that I would be too ill too travel home for my grandma's funeral. I immediately started taking vitamin C and prayed and hoped for the best. I kept the kids home again with me on Thursday and we hung around the house trying to get better. I again cleaned and disinfected my house and toys and did as much as I could muster for the day. I eventually did start feeling about 50% better and decided to go ahead and book a ticket home and flew out Thursday night. Dan was left to deal with the sick kids.
I was so glad that I went home. I was able to say a final good-bye to my grandma and be around my family at a time when everyone needed to be together. We rented condos that slept 17 people each and were together for 2 full days. I was able to go and visit my grandma's house and take a few pictures. I thought about all the times I had been there and the things that never changed on her walls. I saw items there that I had even given her as gifts. What a joy she was too everyone who knew her. I hope that I can be even a quarter of the woman that she was. I hope that my children will forever treasure the blankets that she made them when they were born and know how much she loved us all. I love you Grandma.
I flew back on Sunday in time to grab a nap and take the kiddos out for some trick or treating. It was a very long week.
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