He and Millie fell asleep as we were driving home. We live all of 5 minutes from Ms. Janet's house. It was crazy. Jack was in pain and Millie had woken up in the middle of the night and stayed awake for about 45 minutes so I wasn't surprised that they both fell asleep.
We had a quiet evening, mainly because I had 'sicky' and 'exhausted' in the house.
I was woken up at 1:45 am by Jack's crying. You know the type of crying that says 'I have a fever and can't think straight, let alone get back to my bed from the bathroom'? That was what I heard. Poor boy! Everyone knows my empathy level is quite low on a typical day, but when the kids are sick I actually step up to the plate and behave like a concerned parent.
Jack ended up sleeping with us the rest of the night. Just as I got him settled into our bed, Millie woke up. She had fallen out of her bed. I sat with her for about 20 minutes until I was sure she was asleep again. She did not end up in our bed, thank goodness. Otherwise I would have had to sleep somewhere else.
When Jack woke up Monday morning he was warm but didn't have a fever. I cranked him full of Tylenol and asked him if he felt okay. He said he did, but clearly his eyes were glassy and there were dark circles under them. I did what any mother of the year would do, and I sent him to school. I knew all along I would most likely get a call from the nurse telling me he needed to be picked up. Sure enough, around 8:30 am that call came through. When I got coverage for my classes and sorted some things out for them to do, I headed to Sunflower.
When I got to the school, I found him in the nurse's office, not able to open his eyes. I suspected that would be the case so I had taken his sunglasses into the school so he wouldn't be so blinded when he walked outside. The nurse told me she saw no symptoms of ear, nose, or throat issues and wasn't able to explain the fever.
We headed straight to his doctor to get him checked out. He tried to sleep the entire way and didn't utter a word. Once we checked in at the reception desk we were directed to the other side of the pediatric area. It seemed strange to me, but we haven't been to the doctor a ton so I thought maybe they had changed things.
After a few minutes I walked to the pediatric counter and asked whether I was to check-in there. They told me I would need to go to reception to make an appointment, which is what I thought I had done when I first came in. I went back into the waiting room and then heard Jack's name. We saw the nurse and she asked if he had a temperature. I told her he did and then it seemed as if she was confused.
We were led into an office with a doctor sitting behind a desk and next to his desk was an opthomologist's chair. Huh?
What I finally assessed was that the guy at reception was an idiot, saw Jack with his sunglasses on, and assumed he knew that Jack must have blurred vision and needed an opthomologist. I thought it was weird that he didn't ask me what was wrong with Jack, which is what they usually do.
By the time we all figured this out, Jack's fever was 103.1 degrees. When we were taken back to reception, the pediatrician we usually see was standing at the entrance of the pediatric offices. The nurse told him the temperature Jack had and he started yelling at the nurses about children with fevers and how they need to get them back to an exam room immediately and get a suppository in them to bring down the fever. It was great and reminded me that I really like this doctor.
As Jack was laying on the table, I told him the nurse was going to stick a soft pill up his butt. He started crying. I helped the nurse get his pants down and up went the 'bullet'. He cried and cried. The doctor told him he was going to be fine and that if any girl saw him they wouldn't know he was a strong boy they would think he was a girl because he was crying. Not exactly what we want Jack to think, but hopefully Jack was delirious with fever and doesn't remember much of what the doctor said.
The doctor listened to his heart and then said to me, 'Who does he see for his heart murmur?' What? I told the doctor that I was not aware he had a heart murmur. Then the doctor said that sometimes a high fever will cause the extra sound in the heart. He decided he wanted us to come back in the evening to check his heart sounds again. So that was the plan. While in the office, he perked up about 10 minutes after he was given the suppository, which was a relief. Before we left the office his fever had lowered to 100 degrees.
When we got home he ate some toast and drank a little Sprite. After a few episodes of Barbie's Dreamhouse (we watched it in case Millie came home and wanted to watch it as well, of course), Jack went down for a nap.
He slept for two hours. I thought he needed the sleep but then at 9 pm that evening when he kept coming out of his room to tell me something or get a drink or a band-aid, I knew I probably let him sleep too long in the afternoon.
Prior to bed time, at 5 pm we went back to see Dr. Iradj. We walked in, he checked Jack's temperature and said, 'I am always concerned when children maintain a fever', which I could only assume he meant that Jack still had a fever. Ugh! His heart was returned to a regular beat, but we were still asked us to come back on Tuesday morning so he could give us the results of the more extensive strep test he had ordered.
When we left the apartment for the doctor, Stuart called and said Millie wasn't going to make the bedtime of 6:30 pm, primarily because she was ready to get into bed at that moment. So when I got home at 6 pm and found she had been asleep for about 30 minutes, I knew the night was going to be torture and she would most likely be up at least once in the night.
I couldn't really worry about Millie's sleep patterns at that moment. I had to start thinking about how I would actually get Jack back to the doctor Tuesday morning. In this school setting I am only allowed to take a sick day for myself under certain restrictions, one being I have to have a doctor note to scan online to prove I'm sick. If my children are ill I can take a day off but it will be unpaid. So, needless to say, because Jack certainly wasn't THAT sick, I had to make arrangements for him to stay with Ms. Janet and also make arrangements with my school to have someone cover my class in order to take him back to the doctor. It was quite the puzzle, but I figured it out.
When we returned to the doctor, we discovered that he didn't have strep and the fever was gone. I had given him Tylenol when he woke up Tuesday morning but didn't before we saw the doctor around 11 am. So he was on the mend. Also I am happy to report that, not only did Millie sleep through until 6 am, but she was a chipper little madam when she got up. Yahoo!
As much as we all wanted to go swimming Tuesday afternoon, we decided it would be best for Jack if he didn't go just to be sure he really was over this fever.
So we chilled at the apartment, and at 5:24 pm I took the following picture 
Tiny 2 year olds get really tired. Did she sleep through the night again? Why yes she did! What a little star.
Wednesday at school it became painfully obvious that this was the beginning of the end. Most of my students from my home room were in attendance, but I had 12 absent from my second class. We were told ( and I think I have stated it on here before) that students would just stop coming to school at the beginning of June, even though there are still three weeks left in school.
All schools were informed they were not to have their promotions until after June 22. However, Stuart's school had their promotion on Thursday. Typically that would be a signal to students to stop coming to school. Some of the Arabic teachers in my school brought really nice gifts for their students on Thursday. Um, surely that sends a signal as well. And there were some teachers, I am told, that flat out told their students that school was finished and not to come back after Thursday. Again, this is definitely something that has always been done and accepted, so changing that climate will obviously take some time. My principal is doing what she can to combat the low attendance. However, by Thursday I only had half of my students in each class. As some of my students were leaving school, they were packing up their books. I said, 'See you on Sunday.' One of the girls said, 'No, Miss, I will not be at school anymore.'
Some families want to take their kids on holiday before Ramadan, which starts around June 28 and lasts until the end of July. School for students was not to be dismissed until June 26. As my Islamic teacher says when she is at a loss, 'Miss, what I do?' Love her!
When I picked Jack and Millie up from Miss Janet's, Jack was almost in tears again, complaining of a head ache. He claims he had plenty of water in the day, but I think he plays so hard all day and really isn't sure of how much water he actually needs. We have told him that he must drink 3 of his water bottles at school and one at home so that these head aches won't keep happening. Fortunately he did not have a fever, which means he really was probably dehydrated.
A glass of water, some Tylenol and a 20 minute nap and he was ready for the pool. We met the regular crowd there Thursday evening, swam for a very short period, then went to eat. We even left the club without any meltdowns. It was a successful evening!
When we got home we bathed the kids and let them watch a movie until almost 9 pm. I thought this would assure they would sleep past 7 am, but quite often I am super silly in my thinking. By half past 6 both were up and Millie was making her usual amount of 'I really am not aware that anyone might be sleeping' noise.
Stuart golfed Friday morning while the kids and I went to church and did the grocery shopping. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE grocery shopping with my kids? Oh, that's right, because I don't enjoy it even a tiny bit. However, today they were fine, and we spent so much money that we were entered into a raffle to win millions of dirhams in groceries. I am thinking I will win. Something like that would be helpful for the bottomless pit we find Jack to be these days.
We spent the afternoon just relaxing. We all had dentist appointments on Friday afternoon/evening, like you do on a Friday. The first appointment was at 4:30 pm and the last was to be at 7:30 pm. However, when Stuart got home and we discussed it, we decided to cancel the last appointment, which was his. It seems that he really is deathly afraid of the dentist. I thought he was always kidding, but not the case. He told me he wanted to speak to the dentist before he let him look into his mouth.
We got to the dentist just before 4:30 and no one was there. As in the states, we waited to be seen for nearly 30 minutes. However, very different from the states, we all went in at the same time, there were no X-rays, no cleaning, and a rough guesstimate as to what needed to be done with our teeth. The dentist was obviously trained in either the states or the UK. So, Stuart actually sat in the chair and let the dentist assess his teeth. He was very detailed as to what he thought would need to be done. The thing is, here, everything has to be sent to the insurance company prior to anything being done, even X-rays. I know I have a bad filling that needs a root canal. With insurance approval, I was told today that, my root canal and crown will cost me the equivalent to $40. Tell me that medical and dental care in the states is not an absolute racket and I will surely call you a liar.
Stuart needs a great deal of work done and has actually agreed to it now. The main thing is he needs mouth guards to stop grinding his teeth at night. The wear is starting to show on his bottom teeth. In the states he was told he needed all the work done first, then they could help with the grinding. But here he is being told that stopping the grinding is the most important thing so that no further damage is done.
A week from Monday we should both be on our way to better teeth, for next to nothing. Thrilled! Jack is going to get a protectant on his 6 year molars once they have come in completely. They should be in by this time next month.
When we got back from the dentist the kids got their jammies on. I bathed them before we left because the plan was to pick Claire up to babysit after our dentist appointments. However, Kayleigh had prom on Friday evening and Cathy and Claire were taking pictures so Cathy just brought her to our house after the limo picked up Kayleigh and her group of friends.
Our dentist adventure didn't take as long as we had anticipated, so everything worked out perfectly for all of us. When we got home I took this picture. Below the picture is an explanation of its significance.
Here is how the conversation went:
Me: Ooo, Millie, I love your handbag.
Millie: Thanks. (Long pause) I have a phone in it (said super smugly).
Me: That's great.
Millie: (with attitude) You need to take a picture.
Me: Ok. (Thus, the picture)
Stuart and I went to Coriander, a nice Indian restaurant at Bawadi Mall. We walked around the mall once we were finished eating, and ended up getting a Starbucks. I found out that Starbucks here does not have sugar free syrups. What? Crazy and highly disappointing.
The one thing that never ceases to amaze me is how late everything is open here, and that there are still so many people, of all ages, out until they are kicked out. We left the mall just before 11 pm and there were more cars there at that time than when we showed up at 8 pm. Nuts! The mall is really not our favorite place to be after about 3 pm. Too crowded.
Although the kids didn't go to bed until after 9, they were still up by half past 6. Bleck! So, I guess that means I have to get up as well. We sat in out Jammied until after 11 am, or at least I did. I guess Jack and Millie did get dressed shortly after they got up. I suppose I'm the only slouch, then.
Millie was terribly cranky. As much as it is against my belief for a full night's sleep from her, I put her down for a nap at eleven. I then decided I should get dressed and get our weekly produce from Spinneys.
When the grocery run was over, we got Millie up and headed to Cathy's new place to help her clean. She had been told since the day she moved into her current flat that it would be temporary. Each of us is promised a certain number of rooms for our accommodations. When the housing department does not fulfill those housing accommodations to someone, then they consider the housing temporary and will move someone once a larger place becomes available, Inshallah!
So she got her new keys last week, electricity was turned on Saturday, and we went to help mop and get the place ready. She is now much closer to us, which will be nice.
After cleaning, we came home, bathed the kids and decided to make it a family
movie night. We selected a movie the kids had never seen, Chitty Bang Bang. Did you know that movie is 2 hours and 25 minutes long? I can hardly make it through something that long, let alone my 5 and 2 year old. So we decided to break it into two evenings and will continue it after school on Sunday. However, I have to admit I was impressed with how log they both made it without needing to go and play something else.
When they did get restless, this is what they did. Oh, I know you have seen a similar picture last October because, yes, these are their Halloween costumes, now used for dress-up now. Small children never stop making me laugh, especially mine.
Just another glimpse at Halloween 2013, but in June 2014.
Supper and bed for the kids. Then Stuart and I made nachos. We are trying to remind ourselves what Mexican food tastes like, a food I can't wait to have in July. Five more weeks and we will escape the heat of the UAE.... to enter the heat of Queen Creek. We are all getting very excited!
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