Elmo Fever

These have been getting some heavy use around here lately, especially today. Remember the "Double Whammy" last March? Well...

It's baaa-aaaack.


Emily has had both the runny/stuffy nose-cough-flu-bug-type-thing AND the diarrhea-vomiting-thing since Monday. Actually, she's not puking anymore (and my living room carpet sure is thankful!), but she still has the runs, poor baby. I think she's feeling much better on the whole, because today's the first day that she's been her active, smiley little self.

I, on the other hand, "only" have the congestion/disgustingly-wet-cough-thing goin' on, and boy is it ugly. It's so ugly, in fact, that my poor sister (who also has it) had to go to the ER last night and was diagnosed with pneumonia. :-( Let's hope we don't get to that point! I was duped, though, 'cause when I first developed symptoms (Wednesday, I think?), "all" I had was a sore throat. (I say "all" 'cause my throat hasn't been on fire like that in years.) I was under the impression that aside from that, I wouldn't feel too bad. Wr-O-ONG! Yesterday (last night, really) I felt like crap and today was probably just as bad. I just woke up from a nap an hour ago, and will probably go back to bed with Emily an hour from now. I have no energy whatsoever and everything hurts: my ears, my nose, my throat, my face... I feel so much pressure in my head; I swear I have no idea how my body's gonna be able to get rid of all this junk!

So you see why Em and Elmo have had a playdate pretty much all day today? Well, except for when Daddy took her outside to play for a little bit a few hours ago.

Stephen and my parents have miraculously been able to ward off both bugs thus far. I pray they continue to do so.

Anyway, back to the furry red monster: Em adores him. About a month or so ago, she discovered Sesame Street, and whenever it's on, she's mesmerized. I love Sesame Street, too. I think it's a great kids' show. There's gotta be a reason it's been on for however many years.

Elmopalooza! is a HUGE hit around here. I found it just by chance at our local Hollywood Video. This particular location went out of business and sold their movie library to the public at $5 per DVD (except for new releases). I happened to catch a glimpse of the cover in the children's section and thought Em might dig it. If she didn't, five bucks wasn't a huge loss, right? Lucky for us, she digs it BIG time. The nice thing about the movie is that not only does it appeal to the little kids, but it also appeals to the big kids. I enjoy the music (there are some fun songs performed by Gloria Estefan, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Jimmy Buffett, En Vogue and more), and I like the featured comedians (Jon Stewart, Chris Rock and David Alan Grier, among others).

Grandma and Z (the kids were in town a couple weeks ago) found The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland at Target for five bucks, too. Z spotted it, actually. I haven't seen it all the way through, but it looks cute as well. (Vanessa Williams and Mandy Patinkin star in this one.)

I believe Em's fondness of Elmo began when her Aunt Mona gave her a TMX for her second birthday. He's a fun guy, let me tell ya. We all had a blast watching Em play with him for the first time!

Alrighty, it's time to be a vegetable again. I hope today was a good indication of how Em's gonna do this week, and that I start feeling better tomorrow. I also hope Sister gets well very soon.


Here's to a good week for you AND for us!


Update (04-04-07):
Turns out I have "a touch of bronchitis". I went to Urgent Care on Monday night and that's what the doc said. I guess I do have a bacterial infection in my lungs, so he prescribed antibiotics. I haven't been on antibiotics in years! I think the last time was New Year's, 2000. I was sicker than a dog (I don't think I've ever been so sick -- I was "I want to die" kind-of sick), and I was due to go visit my parents in China in a week! My doctor put me on a three- or five-day antibiotic and wiped that bug right out of my system, so I was fine by the time I was scheduled to fly overseas.

This time the regimen is 10 days. I feel a little bit better, but my sore throat is back, I still have a slight fever, I'm still extremely fatigued and my cough is the same as before. Plus, I'm now feeling the oh-so-pleasant side effects of the Biaxin, but I'll spare you the gory details. ;-) The doctor said Emily should be fine and doesn't need antibiotics. (Yay!)

Stephen's still in the clear, thank goodness (and knock on wood!). Let's hope he continues to be.

Oh yeah, my yucky gummy-eye thing is gone! That's a huge plus. I'm glad I can actually open my eyes when I wake up in the morning...