Plagued

It's been a week since I last blogged, and during that week, at least one of my children has had a 101-104 degree fever for most of the day/night. Brutal. Ben and I have not slept through the night since January 18th, and we are starting to get a little snappy about it. Jack was sick all last week, and Harry has been sick all this week. After 4 days of a high fever, we took Jack to the pediatrician, who noted that Jack's throat looked like raw meat, but assured us the strep test was negative and gave us the dread diagnosis Just a Virus.

We had a brief reprieve from fever on Saturday night when we snagged a babysitter and went out with friends. It was a fun evening culminating in grown men riding home in car seats.

Sunday, we watched the Bears/Packers game as Bears fans, when Harry shocked us by revealing his true colors. Green and gold. Gulp. He cannot WAIT for the Superbowl. Harry was a little jerk face on Sunday, so we knew he was getting sick, but his fever did not present itself until 12:51 am on Monday morning, of course.

Monday, Ben and I juggled a sick kid by each cutting our workday a little short and praised Ben's new job again, since he had no problem being with sick Harry today, his usual work-at-home day. Today, Ben also interviewed a string of realtors, so we can choose one and list our house next week (!!). The general consensus is that we can expect to lose about a-number-that-rhymes- with-shorty K. Neat-o. We've been trolling open houses to meet realtors, but we have to wean ourselves off both open houses and constant perusal of the MLS listings. No reason to dream about more bedrooms, a yard, and a big old basement until this place sells. For a song.

And finally, last week, Harry was in an opera at school. An organization called Opera for the Young came to his school and put on an abbreviated version of Pirates of Penzance. Harry was one of about 12 kids picked to perform in the opera, and he was pretty excited. They have been studying the show in music class for a month, and last week, Harry had to rehearse Tuesday-Friday. He usually doesn't come to school Wednesday and Friday, though, so sick Jack and I had to bring him both days. This meant that I got to sort of sneak into the performance (parents weren't invited, but I got to lean in the music studio from my awkward place holding a sleeping, snoring, feverish Jack with one arm to take some other-armed pictures and shaky video). I think Harry was supposed to be a constable, but I was super late getting him and our little wreck of a Jack to school on the show day, so he got placed in the pirate chorus. Oops. Here are a few far-away pictures. Harry is the pirate in the red sweater with the white stripes on the sleeves.





This video kills me because H is not really doing anything-- I think he was nervous. But it's 2 minutes long and super shaky, so I won't blame you for skipping it.

Jack-- he slept through the opera on this lumpy striped blanket. Oh wait. That's me.