Zhu Zhu Pets, Ingrown Toenails, and Neurotic Thought Processes

This is the first year I've had to share vacations with the ex.  We amended the court order so we share the three one-week vacations during the school year.

This is only the second time they have left for this length of time- 5 days.  I get all weepy the few days before they go even though I know I'll enjoy the time to recharge my own battery.

I also do this neurotic thing that I want the last night they are home to be special.  So the plan for this past Thursday was to go out to eat and then go buy ourselves some new Zhu Zhu pets to have an epic ninja battle in the living room.  Brian has shown interest in these pointless little hamsters every time he sees them, and I'm always for pushing an interest that doesn't include Thomas.

I was helping Brian put on his socks, so we could head out the door for dinner, when I noticed a pus-filled blister on his big toe.  The entire toe, besides the blister, was a very alarming shade of red.  I called our doctor to see how I should treat it and he asked us to come in- at 7:10 PM.

We went to dinner, went and bought our Zhu Zhu pets and armor, and headed over to the doctor's office.  We waited in a cramped waiting room (as their brand new offices were recently flood-damaged) with another family that consisted of a dad, mom (in pajama pants- love that), and two boys.  The boys were very inquisitive and were asking their parents question after question after question.  I looked at my boys- Corbin was lost in his book, The Adventures of Ook & Gluk, and Brian was spinning repeatedly with his head thrown back to look at the fluorescent lights above.  Moments like these I think maybe I should try to engage Brian but instead I grabbed a magazine and immersed myself in that.

After a lifetime of waiting we were seen and were told Brian had an ingrown toenail with an infection.  They had to drain it, which surprisingly only took three adults to hold him, and we were prescribed antibiotics.
The doctor really wanted Brian to start it that night, so he faxed it over to the hospital pharmacy.   The only pharmacy in our small town that is open after 5.

I drive over to the hospital, with a screaming child in tow.  It's bed time and he is upset that we're not going home.  In the pharmacy we find the same family that was previously in our pediatrician's office.  I asked her how long she had been waiting and she said about twenty minutes.  Wonderful.  She then looks over at Brian, who is doing his spinning again, and says "I wish my boys would entertain themselves that way."  I do my little smile and nod, when I really want to say "I wish my son would ask me questions.  I would cherish those questions.  I would be crying with tears of joy if he would even look at me at this point."  (Because when Brian is stressed he isn't looking at me, responding to me, nothing at this point).

So I wait fifteen minutes when the pharmacist tells me they can't find Brian in the computer, even though we were just there last month for blood work.   Even though our pediatrician is affiliated with the hospital.  And surprise, surprise I'm so freaking organized that I don't have his insurance card with me.  It's now 9:00 and we are leaving the hospital with no antibiotics.

Brian is weeping softly at this point.  He is ready for bed every night at 7:45, he's exhausted, and his whole day has been out of routine AND he has a Zhu Zhu pet in the car that he hasn't been able to play with yet.

We get home, I call around to see who owes me a favor and I can guilt-trip into going to the hospital for me with his insurance card and bring it back to us.  Because there is no way in hell I'm forcing this little boy to go out of the house again.  Luckily Josh is just getting out of work and agrees to do it.

I'm sitting at home doing whatever I can to keep Brian awake on a school night so I can get this one minuscule dose of antibiotics.  I'm dancing around, singing songs, offering showers and a snack, pretending the Zhu Zhu pet is beating me up, etc. and I'm just watching his big blue eyes trying to roll back in his head to sleep.  FINALLY Josh gets back with the medicine. I administer it and Brian spits it all back out at me.  Lovely.  That's what I kept him up until almost 10 PM to do.

So, long story short, my last night with the boys, before they were gone for five days, was a disaster.  Hopefully they will still think of me and miss me.   Because we all know that's what this is about, my insane thought process that the boys will forget about me in their short five days of no rules and all fun at their Dad's.