Okay so here is the deal.

**a tad long for me so be warned..but it explains the last post better**

Okay so where does one begin...ahh at the beginning I guess.


The great plague of the March house 2007.

Last Monday (April 2) Littlest March came home from school/day care and went right upstairs. I was working from home and wanted to say Hi and ask how his day was. He was sitting on the floor, blanket in hand with puppy dog eyes. I said, uh oh...lets lay down. It was 5:20pm. At 6pm we woke him up enough to put on PJs and off to never never land he went. He was sick (or sick enough) to be out of school all week.

Mrs March and I flip flopped "sick days" to cover littlest march. He seemed to be getting "better".

Insert Thursday (the 5th) early am.

I wake up and I am sore. "Flu like" sore. Mrs March had taken a vacation day (her job won't let her take sick time for the kids). She asks looking at me as I drag ass to the shower "You going to work"? Well considering I was out Wednesday and it was looking like the kids were getting no better (little march is coming) I said "I better try to work today that way I can either bring stuff home and work from home Friday or take Friday off". Little March hits the bus, I head to work..and proceed to die. 12 noon I inform my boss I can't take it..i need to jet. He agrees that dragging ass is getting both of us nowhere.

I get home..change and try to crash some. Littlest march is hanging out..Mrs March is now feeling "ehhh" but plugging along. About 4:15 the phone rings..its the after school program...little march doesn't feel good..hot, achy etc. sonnnnah-va-bitch...I get changed and head over to get her. She is fine, but once in the car she cries that her throat hurts and her head hurts. Its killing me... I think by 7pm everyone but Mrs March is loaded up on medication and sent to bed.

Friday - I wake up feeling like ass. Little March has a temp..littlest march is "fine". He can go to day care but hasn't been out of the house really since Monday so he is a bastard about getting out..fine forget it...i am too sick to deal. Guess what kids..its MOVIE FRIDAY! About 10am Mrs calls. "How are you?" Ummm welll okay I guess. You sound like crap and can't do this in your state..I am coming home. No no no..please don't. She does anyway which looking back at I am grateful for. Little March is "pretty good"..littlest is "fine" and I am a mess. I can't get out of my own way. I perk up some in the middle afternoon...enough to check the web page for the Sonny Rollins show I had tickets for that night. Its awful to say but I was hoping there was going to be some message "Postponed!" but instead the message just killed me..it read something like..its been 2.5 years since sonny has been to Boston..he looks forward to seeing you all...and then a review from a local paper talked about how he put on the best show of 2004 and it was 2hrs and 45 minutes...i died a little more in my seat.

Saturday..we had plans to go see Laurie Berkner. The kids seemed to be recovered. I had a cough and had not eaten really anything since Thursday evening. We braved it, headed to Boston and had a blast. The kids sang and danced and for a little while stuff was good. We went to the Boston Common and the kids played some and then it was time to go home. The kids were excited about the Easter Bunny so we got things ready and headed to bed. I finally felt like all I had was a cough that I could "deal with".

Sunday. The kids get up and we do the egg hunt. I am feeling pretty good..Mrs March is now finally at the breaking point. Its hurt turn to "not feel good" and how can anyone blame her at this point. She asks if she can go lay down some. (mind you we were up at 7) so heading back to bed at 820 isn't that bad. About 9am I cough some..and then realize..i am pretty much "rapid breathing". I can't catch my breath and each inhale and exhale is churning with a "gurgle". I hope it will pass but after a few minutes I realize I need to do something. I go up and wake up poor Mrs March. I say " I need to go SOMEWHERE". We get dressed and head to the local ER. I tell her to drop me off and I'll call later. Its about 920 or so. I finally get into an ER bed about 1120. No sooner do I lay in the bed does my mother arrive. "What the heck are you doing here?" I say. "You need someone here". Mind you we were supposed to host Easter..but cancelled Saturday as to not infect everyone and my mom was in turn "having it" at 1pm. I won't bore you with the next few hours but basically I had "the flu and bronchitis".

I am dying inside..i have ruined EVERYTHING today. The kids are "bored", Mrs March is sick..and sick of everyone being sick (can't blame her) my mom spends hours w/me in the ER, my brothers, sister inlaws, nephews, necies and Dad are all at my parents "waiting" to eat. Ugggh..i feel awful in so many ways.

After getting home I take my medication and try to help w/the kids. They are bored, Mrs March has had it. I am wheezing and coughing so I am "sent to bed" and respond to that by basically sleeping from 4pm to 7am Monday. I woke up at times but all in all...i don't remember much.

Monday - I have a medical "excuse" note for the next two days but still need to get the kids out the door. Mrs March is home...she hopes to get in a day of rest. Littlest March is a pill..he hasn't had to do this routine for a few days so its not very easy but eventually he goes. Little March hits the bus and Mrs March and I basically find couch space and a TV remote. The kids arrive home...but littlest march is kinda "ehhh". He has a look on his face. We wonder if its the "first day back" deal or what. Needless to say he hardly eats..and is "warm". FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKING A.

He later goes upstairs w/me and I get him changed but he just wants to lay down. In about 5 minutes he is asleep. We take his temp about 730...102. WHAT THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFAAAAAAHHHHHK. He sleeps through the night fine though.

Tuesday - I am still out sick, Mrs March had this day off and both kids head to school. I am worried about littlest march though. Mrs March has to work evenings Fri/Sat and Sun I have been out of work basically since last Wednesday..this is all getting very old..very fast for everyone. I call the MD and get littlest march an appointment for 230pm. Super..we will take it. 12 noon day care called and he was 100.8 so he was still "warm" and the MD appointment was all the more needed.

We arrive, they do a rapid strep throat test and sure enough...he has strep. Can you f'ing belive this??!

Hit the drugstore head home and hang out. The medication he is on is longer lasting and taken less often so before we left the MDs office I asked about him going to school/daycare on Wednesday. Basically was told that "come 830am tomorrow he will have 2 doses of the medication on board" and that as long as he was not feverish etc that he would be fine to go....good..because we need to get back to "normal".

Wed (today) - kids are up..ready to go. Mrs March heads to work. I get my stuff in order as I have a dental appointment before work so I make sure everything is in order. Drop Littlest off at day care and tell them what the deal is. They are cool. Head home...get Little on the bus..then head to the dentist.

I arrive at work and Mrs calls. "I have to get littlest at school". "Why??""! I ask. "School says that he has to be on medication for 24hrs before he can be there". Are you f'ing kidding me??! He already infected the kids (sorry but its true). Then Mrs said she was taking little to the MD for a throat culture at 3:45. Again I say "why?" as she has been "fine". "I just need to make sure".

Mrs March has had it...I will ask no further questions..for if I do I just might be found in a ditch. She is far more patient than I ever would be over these last few days and for that, one of the million things I promise to do for her before I die is......

....to get a flu shot next year.