Ok, catching up:

Two weeks ago, getting ready to go to Bethany Beach, our big vacation of the summer, Emma gets strep. Luckily we catch it in time to have it cleared up by the beach. Phew.

Day before we are leaving for the beach, I wake up with a sore throat, Will seems unhappy, and Mike has been sick, so we all go for a strep test. Mike is positive, yuck…but yaay for antibiotics! Will and I are negative, which would seem at first glance to be a good thing, except, as I have just pointed out, where there is strep, there are drugs. No strep, no drugs. Grr.

I get worse on the day we go to the beach and our second day there I lose my voice and and am just generally miserable. Ditto for Will (except he doesn’t lose his voice, since really, he doesn’t have much of one yet). I stick with Tylenol for meds since I am still nursing. The jury is still out for me on whether I would rather be sick at the beach or at home. And let me point out, there is little in the world that is more frustrating or challenging than dealing with a two year old when you can’t speak (or yell).

Great week at the beach though: sandcastle dolphins (photos to come), Funland at Rehobeth, bonfire on the beach, flying kites, lots of pool time. Towards the end I am starting to slowly feel a little better and Will seems to be recovering too.

We leave to come home, have one of the most hellish car trips I have had in many many years (maybe ever?) Tons of traffic, screaming and tantrums. And that was just Mike and me. Finally make it home, start to unpack, and my throat starts to hurt. Again.

I get ANOTHER horrible cold, lose my voice again and spend the next 9 days wondering if I should go to the doctor. Being the borderline hypochondriac that I am, I begin to think I am seriously ill - H1N1, mono or a brain tumor all cross my mind. The sane part of me understands that since there is no fever, it is highly unlikely that any of these ailments are to blame. However, when I wake up on my 18th day of being sick feeling just as bad as I felt on my first day of being sick, I decide to go to the doctor.

She informs me apologetically that my ears are clear, my lungs are clear and there isn’t much she can do for me (and also, no fever so no H1N1 or mono. I decide against asking about the brain tumor). She does tell me I can safely take Benadryl and use a neti pot while nursing. She tells me to do both and to try and get some rest. Heh.

Which brings me to today. After Benadryl last night I am feeling slightly better and the neti pot treatments seem to help too. Rest remains elusive, but hopefully I am on the mend.

I am hoping for a couple weeks in here with no sickness before Emma starts school in September. So, no offense, but if you are coming to my house and you are sick, have been sick, or know someone who is sick, just stay home ok? We can always skype…