I decided that my recent visit to the pediatrician’s office was the worst I have had yet and deserved to be chronicled in this blog. I went to the doctor because my five-year old has had a cold for the past three weeks and then spiked a fever of 103. I had that mommy radar thing going off telling me there was something wrong. I have learned, in the past 8 years of parenting, to listen to that. I am usually right. All four kids have had colds over the past few weeks. The baby had RSV and then on Monday I took the 19 month old in for green snot, sorry TMI, and he has an ear infections. Sometimes I think I should just live at the doctor’s office. lol.

So, I called and made an appointment and the only thing they had was for 10:45am. Those of you with young kids know that is a horrible time. Too close to lunch time and nap time. Not to mention it’s late enough in the day for the office to be packed and busy. Jordan, the five-year old, was feeling really, really bad. He was running a 102 temp even on Tylenol. He really wanted me to carry him everywhere and just looked pitiful. I am busily trying to get everyone ready to go and then it starts raining. Wonderful! (hear the sarcasm?). So, I get everyone carried to the car, it took no less than four trips! We get stuck in traffic and then behind the slowest old lady I have ever seen. Meanwhile Jordan is looking worse by the second and I am half way wondering if I should be heading to the ER instead.

We get to the doctor and I finally get everyone loaded into the double stroller and poor Jordan is limping along. I get everyone in to the doctor’s office and there are four people in the waiting room. This is a problem. That may not seem like a lot of people to most of you, but what I know is that there are only three doctor’s working and therefore that suggests that some, if not all, of them are running behind. We get called back to the room in a pretty short time, I was feeling a bit optimistic about it all. There is something I have never understood about pediatrician’s offices. All the toys are in the waiting room, but you spend most of your time in the cramped little exam room, with no toys. Why? Can I just hang out in the waiting room, or can you just bring some of those toys back to the exam room? Do they know how hard it is to be stuck in those tiny rooms with three restless kids for 30 minutes or more? And then there is the ever pressing question of whether or not to let your kids play with those toys that all the other sick kids have played with. I usually bring my own toys, if I remember it.

Back to the exam room. I tried, in vain, to keep the babies in the stroller. It was taking forever so I decided, rather than listen to them scream, to let them out. So, Joshua, the 19 month old is toddling around and I was holding Elijah. Jordan is looking terrible sitting in the chair by himself. Lots of mommy guilt going around that I can’t really tend to him while keeping up with the other two. But I digress. So, Joshua promptly falls and busts his lip. There is blood everywhere. I put the baby down in the stroller and, he is screaming, pick up Joshua and try to get the bleeding stopped. I am thinking, what kind of terrible parent let’s their kid get hurt in the doctor’s office? lol

I got Joshy fixed up and put him back in the stroller just in time for the doctor to come in. He examines Jordan and tells me he has pneumonia and ear infections. Of course, that is not what you want to hear. I have never had a kid with pneumonia before and it just strikes fear in my heart, I will admit. I am thinking at that point that nothing would make this day any better than for one of these kids to barf on me and Jordan looks like he just might. We leave the doctor with a hand full of prescriptions and make it safely back home. I called my mom to come over for reinforcements. More for me than the kids, I will admit.

This morning, Jordan is doing better, no fever. Kids are so resilient, it’s amazing. I know you are most likely waiting for some kind of spiritual connection here, but to be honest, I just don’t have it in me. I just wanted to recount my interesting day.