One of those days

We woke up Friday morning to rain in Mesa -- lots of it! The thermometer read 77 degrees....in July! I stayed in my pajamas, working a little around the house, anticipating a lovely morning walk once the rain stopped.

Then, as he is prone to do, Gavin changed the plan. He wandered into my bedroom, where he was alone for less than a minute, and drank a bottle of Benadryl.

I had just gone to the bathroom. When I came back to finish folding laundry, Gavin met me in the hall. "I feel better, Mommy!" I hadn't been aware that he was feeling badly. I probed, and that's when he told me he drank some medicine. Sticky pink liquid was on his hands and his feet. I found a puddle on the carpet, an empty bottle next to it.

Two minutes later I was on the phone with Poison Control. Once we determined that Gavin had likely ingested three ounces of liquid, the nurse gave strict instructions to go to the nearest ER. However, since I spent six unnecessary hours in that very ER a few weeks ago, I was pretty stubborn. I wanted to know what the risks were, what symptoms to watch for, and exactly how serious this episode was. Once the nurse spelled out the risk of seizure, I bolted for the van. She called ahead to let the hospital know we were coming. Even though I was concerned my child was dying, I was horrified that I hadn't showered yet.

ER doctors and nurses observed Gavin for four hours. He drank activated charcoal in a cup of chocolate milk. He gave a urine specimen in a plastic cup (!), and, since I forgot clean diapers, spent a good portion of our visit with a bare bum. He used the potty several times and was rewarded with apple juice and a popsicle. He charmed every nurse, EMT, fireman, doctor, and medical aide that walked by. He watched TV and read books and colored and tossed a ball in our tiny exam room.

At the end of four hours, Gavin was pronounced "out of the woods" and we went home. Insert gigantic sigh of relief. This kid has nine lives, but I think he's already used five or six.

On the way home from the hospital (at 2:00), Gavin fell asleep immediately. (Like maybe in the parking lot.) I was starving, so I picked up a sandwich at my favorite place. While waiting at the window, I remembered I had left my camera battery plugged into a charger in the ER exam room. I called the hospital. My things were at the front desk. I drove Gavin to my mom's house and transferred him to bed. Of course he woke up. I left him at home and took Lexi to the ER.

Meanwhile, Gavin cried through lunch with Granny. He was so tired; this kid NEEDS a nap every day. Zach and Tyler were crying because the ER visit had messed up our last day in Mesa. They really wanted to go swimming, but I needed to shower and pack before picking up Garry at the airport. Eventually Granny intervened and graciously offered to take the big boys swimming while I stayed behind to get things done at home. All parties were satisfied.

I packed up our stuff and started to load the trunk of the van while the Littles climbed and played inside. It was a hot and sweaty job. We all took a water break and then went to Target, where I bought water for our trip and a pair of flip-flops for Gavin (he lost one at the mall the day before). At check-out I realized that the credit card I had used to pay for the ER visit was missing. I couldn't remember if I had gotten it back or not. I drove home quickly, anxious to look around for the missing card.

Sometime in the midst of this, Garry called to tell me he had missed his flight from Denver to Phoenix. His flight from Colorado Springs to Denver had arrived on time, but he had a couple of hours to kill before his next plane left. All of the seats at his departure gate were full, so he found a place to sit several gates down the concourse. He set an alarm on his phone to alert him to return to his own gate. It wasn't until the alarm rang that he realized he had set it to ring at his flight's departure time -- not boarding time. He had missed the flight, and there was nothing he could do about it. Luckily, there was a flight two hours later. Unluckily, his wife was not very happy about the delay.

So I got back to my mom's house...and the front door was locked. Somehow I had never gotten a copy of the house key (I blame myself). I knocked on the door, but I knew the boys and Granny were swimming, my dad was in Seattle, and my sister was on a date. I knew my mom would be home in half an hour or so, so I went to get gas in the van. When I returned, I was surprised to see my sister walking out the front door....apparently she had been home the whole time!

Thankfully, the evening improved. I found my credit card. We ate pizza for dinner, the babies went to bed, and Zach and Tyler watched a movie. I packed up the rest of our stuff in the van. Garry and my dad arrived from the airport. (What a sweet reunion!) Then my sister and cousins came over for a fun evening of talking and laughing.

It wasn't the day I had planned, but at least it ended happily! A healthy little boy, a husband at my side, lots of love and laughter to go around....life is good.