We decided to make a road trip on Saturday, so we headed off to Ghent, which was about 45 minutes away, just outside of Brugge (which is a great tourist destination).
We had a really nice time. There was a lot to see -- a castle from the 1100s and several other very old churches and buildings. It was a beautiful city -- we got to do another horse and carriage ride to see the sights of town. There are several canals through town, and we could've done a boat ride, too, but decided to save that for next time. The town was much less crowded than Brugge, and from an "old building" perspective, I liked Ghent a lot more. From a shopping and takeaway coffee perspective, Brugge wins.
They were selling these little candies called "The Nose of Ghent." And they were little candy cones (vaguely resembling noses, I suppose). They were purple and I guess supposed to be multifruit flavor (if you're using your imagination). They were kinda like really soft jelly beans -- a soft outer layer (but firm enough to keep the shape) and a soft, chewy inner center. Super sugary, which meant the kids loved them.
It was a great way to spend the day. (And the sugar buzz didn't keep them from crashing immediately in the car.)
The Mysterious Fever
You know us -- never a dull moment. Jack was a fitful sleeper Saturday night but usually consoled by the pacifier. Around 3 when I came in for the millionth time, he stood up to get out of bed, so I picked him up and he obviously had a fever (who knows for how long). We dosed him up with Motrin and finally got him back in bed after he started to cool off a little.
Sunday wasn't fun. His fever continued and just went up and up and wouldn't respond to anything -- even my Motrin/Tylenol rotation. Finally around 3, with his temp by ear at at least 104, T.J. and I decided to call in medical reinforcements. The doctor isn't available on the weekend, but I had remembered that in the weekly free newspaper, there was a listing of the pharmacies open on the weekend/after hours (remember, only one pharmacy per town is open after 7 and on Sundays. And since towns are big, you just can't drive around looking for it). It also has a list for emergency doctors. I called, and they said they would have a doctor at the house within 1-2 hours for only 60 euros (our regular doctor visits are 40, and the ER is 50, so it's well worth it to have someone come by!! Much better than spending the day in the ER.).
At this point, Amelia started complaining that her ear hurt, and was really starting to get worked up. I thought at first that she was just trying to get some attention, since Jack had been getting the lion's share. But when she started clutching her ear and crying, I figured it might be the real deal.
I left to quickly drop some dessert off at a friend's house down the street (we had been looking forward to attending a barbecue that afternoon at a new friend's house -- and a schoolmate's of Amelia's). As I was filling them in on our absence, they told me how their daughter, the week before, had the same mysterious fever -- 24 hours of a super-high fever with no other symptoms, and no medication would bring it down. But just as mysteriously and as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared. And they said they knew of other children in the class who had the same thing.
Relieved to know that this was going around -- and knowing a little bit about what I was dealing with -- I headed home. The doctor had already arrived (wow, that was fast!) and prescribed alternating Paracetamol and ibuprofen for Jack. Amelia did indeed have the beginnings of an ear infection (good girl for telling us!), so she got some antibiotics. (Thank goodness we had the doctor come by, or else we would've had a terrible night with her!) She also gave me a prescription for antibiotic eye drops (more pinkeye!) and for antibiotics for Jack in case he came down with something like an ear infection.
Amelia and I headed out to the pharmacy to fill all the prescriptions, and on the drive there, she started screaming hysterically because her ear hurt. I felt so bad for her.
We got home, dosed everyone up with their respective medications, and Amelia took a 15-minute nap. Upon awakening, she was as good as new, and we haven't had any complaints about her ear since.
Jack and T.J. stayed at home, with Jack's fever remaining high until around midnight, and Amelia and I went to the party for a little bit. We had a nice time, but I'm not sure that T.J. had the same enjoyable evening.
It's now Tuesday, and Jack's fever did break Sunday night, but then returned around noon yesterday. It went back up to 103 (so at least not as bad as before), but he was as cheerful as ever. He hasn't slept well at all, but as of this morning, he's cool again. He made it through today without any fever, so I think we've beaten that. Hooray.
So now if we can just keep the pinkeye at bay, we're set. Certainly that can't go on forever....
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