Day 1622. What a week it's been! Just over a week ago I started having an eye infection, while the cough I had was getting worse and worse. Then both ears were hurting at different times, and yesterday swallowing started to hurt. The last two nights I barely slept because I coughed all night instead. The cough has been so bad that it's even led to vomiting at times. It's been hard to function all week, but I kept all my commitments, even though I had some coughing spells while teaching. However, I let Randy take the kids to their classes and always stayed home with Sammy - that is until this morning.
On Tuesday I had a student in the morning and in the early afternoon. Then it was time to leave for the kids' ice-skating class. It was the first time Sammy and I didn't go to stay at least until their break. Randy took them, and that's the one picture from their class.
On Wednesday there was no exercise class, as it's already on semester break. Instead I had more students than usual that afternoon.
On Thursday Sammy had an appointment at the therapy center in the afternoon to see the orthopedic doctor. Randy took him there, as I had students at the same time. He's getting new braces and shoes again, and they kept pushing the botox treament and surgery again that we reject.
On Friday I had two students in the morning. Tammy and Emmy had the last dance class of the semester in the afternoon, and Randy took them there. Sammy and I always have the greatest time together at home. And I was able to complete our newsletter and have it mailed out.
While lying awake at night coughing for the second night in the row, I decided to go to the doctor and not continue like this until the weekend was over. Saturday morning was the only time the medical center was open on the weekend, and so I decided to go right in the morning, before the kids' piano class. Randy got up first to feed the kids, though later than usual. Sammy is always the first one up, and he'd been up for a while. Tammy and Emmy continued sleeping on either side of me for some time, but were soon up as well. And then I also got up to get dressed and ready to leave the house.
I left the house at 8:45, took the subway for two stops and walked to the medical center. I had been there once before, though I can't remember what for. I registered and was lucky to find an empty seat in the waiting room. There were A LOT of people, so I prepared myself to wait for a while. It was an hour, so still shorter than the 90 minutes I had waited at my doctor's office three weeks ago.
I explained everything I've gone through the past month with this persistent virus, and he wasn't even going to give me antibiotics. Even three weeks ago my doctor had considered them. Thankfully he prescribed them after all in the end. He also gave me a cortisol spray to repair my lungs and cough drops. Then I left.
It was just after 10 am. At 10 am Randy was supposed to leave the house with all three kids to take them to piano class. If I had left a little earlier, I could have joined them. I got on the subway, then walked to the music school, where they had just arrived themselves. The kids were happy to see me.
Their class hadn't started yet, but we all went into the classroom and sat down in the back, as usual. There were only two other students there. She started with the greeting song, and even sang it for Sammy. Then they sat down in the front. She handed them different instruments that they had to hide behind their backs. She then sang a song and asked specific kids to show their instruments, and the kids had to sing their line in the song, "I've got the..." Emmy did that really well, Tammy not so much, even though she is usually the better singer. Then they switched instruments and did it again.
They then sat down at their pianos, and Randy took Sammy from me, so I could help them. They got to pick an animal out of the bag, and then she gave Sammy one as well. Sammy then ended up with me, and I got Randy to take this picture. The kids had to use the correct finger to tap on it, making a clicking sound, and tap with the right rhythm, which is the hardest part for them, harder than using the right finger.
Then they went to the front again and did a song. They were having lots of fun. Then they sat down on the floor again, and she drew the three notes that they already know (do, re and mi) on the music lines on the board, and brought out three bars that played those notes. Each note is color-coded, which also helps the kids remember which one is which. Earlier in the class they had put those stickers on the corresponding keys on their own pianos. They then each got to play the three notes, and they did a great job.
Then it was already time for the final story. I let Sammy join his siblings for that and also sat down with them on the floor. Sammy then hugged his sister who was attentively listening to the story.
After the class was over, they were eager to get their stickers for their sticker books. But that wasn't all. They also got a report card. Then she left and returned with their certificates that she handed to them in a festive way. Of course it was time for pictures of the accomplished kids! Next week they're on break, and the week after they are starting the new course, same day same time same teacher.
We got them all dressed and left to walk back to the subway. It was extremely windy today, which made it colder than it actually was, which wasn't that cold. On the way we stopped at the pharmacy so I could pick up my prescriptions. Then we stopped at the drugstore for another urgent item I needed. Then we got on the subway, rode it for three stops, and walked into McDonald's for our special meal of the week. In fact, we hadn't been there in two weeks.
They still had special coupons so that we saved a third of the total price, which was a good deal. We enjoyed our meal, the kids obviouly being really hungry. I can only imagine how much they're gonna eat 10 years from now! All three kids started asking to go to the playground nextdoor, and so we agreed to do so after having eaten.
I asked the kids not to go into the sand. There were plenty of opportunities to play where the wood chips were. Emmy went up to the climbing parcours and started going through the ropes to the other side. Tammy then went up there as well, but she was too scared to follow that same path without help. I helped Emmy where necessary, and he completed the whole parcours. I was proud of thim! On the way home we talked again about going to a climbing hall for a try-out session, and while Emmy was excited about it, Tammy surprisingly said she didn't want to do it.
I then left them and switched with Randy who had Sammy in the swing. I knew that Sammy wanted me to swing him, as I make him go higher than Daddy. He was happy to see me. I was surprised, when he soon said he wanted to go home. That was just fine with me. We packed up and headed to the subway.
It was 1:15, when we got home. I was really tired after two sleepless nights and wanted to lie down. Sammy seemed pretty tired as well. And so I made it dark in the room, and all the kids went to their beds - with their tablets. Then I lay down myself. I would have slept, had it not been for this terrible cough that kept me awake.
At about 3 pm the kids were all ready to go downstairs, and so Randy went downstairs with them. I had the German translation of the newsletter to work on, which is a long and tiring process, but I started working. At 5:30 pm they all returned upstairs and got on their tablets again. At 6 pm I gave them some leftover pizza and Sammy the egg he wanted, then I cut up fruit for them to eat. They ate some, then continued in the bathtub. Then we got them ready for bed. I read them some stories, they brushed their teeth, and I prayed for them. They were done a little earlier tonight, at about 8 pm, when they went to bed. Sammy was already asleep by then. Tammy wanted to sleep in my bed again, and so I let her fall asleep there, while I was in the kitchen making my salad, which takes about half an hour. Randy sat down with the boys. Once I was ready to eat, I carried Tammy to her own bed, so I could eat my salad. Then I started working on the pictures of the day and my report. It was a long 5 days without an entry, so it was about time. But now it's after 1 am; these past few days I've been going to bed early because I've felt so miserable.
