Best Laid Plans

As I left work yesterday, the plans were simple. I'd come home, feed my family, make cookies to be taken to the school today for Alyssa's class Halloween party, put the girls in bed, pack the gift bags that would also be taken to Alyssa's class party and then go to bed.

Great, huh? Yes, yes it was. And that's just what happened.

Yes, there was that little wrinkle where Alyssa woke up fifteen minutes after I left the room and came downstairs to find me and I ordered her to lay on the couch while I finished the bags of candy so I wouldn't have to go up and lay with her for another fifteen minutes, losing that time that I could be cramming chocolate into orange and black bags.

The plans this morning were also quite simple.

We'd get up at 6:00, get ready for school, I'd have the girls on the bus by 7:40. Olivia's costume was already in the car. Alyssa took hers to school herself.

By 8:45 I was on my way to the school for O's class party. No gift bags necessary because the high school home economics class was hosting the party. Yay.

The plan was to attend O's party at 9:00 until 10:30. After the party, I'd take her home, get the box stuffed with the bingo game I made, the drinks and cups I bought, the napkins, the cookies and the bags of candy and head back to the school for Alyssa's party, which started at 1:00.

Ten minutes into Olivia's class party, the receptionist from the office came to find me.

"You're Alyssa's mom, right?" she asked.

Yes, yes I am.

Alyssa was in the clinic, complaining of a headache. She's complained of a headache the last three mornings but a dose of ibuprophen has taken care of it.

I went down to the clinic to check on her. She was in tears. I gave her some medicine and told her to rest and that I'd be back soon, that I needed to go back to Livie's party.

A half hour more of Olivia's party and I went back to the clinic to see of Lyssie was ready to go back to class.

No. No she was not.

Back to O's party for fifteen more minutes and it was time to go home. I went back to the office, signed Alyssa out of school and took my girls home. As Alyssa gathered up her stuff in her classroom, the substitute teacher stopped to talk to me. I told her I was supposed to help with the class party. She said not to worry about it. I said I'd bring all the stuff I'd prepared for the party. She thanked me and said I could leave the stuff at the office.

On the way home, I called our doctor's office. But he was out today. I called my mom to ask her if Olivia could come spend some time with her and Jaxon whiel I took Alyssa to Urgent Care.

I know. It's a headache. I get them a lot.

But she's never really had any headachy issues before and I wanted to rule out the possibility of a sinus infection.

Before taking Olivia to my mom's, we stopped at home where I transferred the cookies I'd made last night into a container that I didn't care about getting back. I moved the call tags of the bingo game from the bucket I'd planned to use into a baggie. I then put the box in my car, took it to the school and left it at the office with a note on it with Alyssa's teacher's name.

Then we dropped Olivia off with her buddy Jaxon and headed to town.

On the way, I asked Alyssa if she'd been having any trouble with her eyes.

She assured me she hasn't.

The doctor didn't find any sign of infection but he did note that she sounds congested. Just not infection congestion. He recommended Zertek. He also agreed with me that we might need to see and ENT and look at her adnoids. Alyssa's a mouth breather at night. She also snores a little. These are signs that she's not sleeping nearly as deeply as she should and that could be the cause of the headaches.

He asked about stress...she said no.

He asked me about the possibility of puberty. Uhh, no, thank heaven, not yet. But yes, headaches can be a hormonal problem.

He asked her if she ever wakes up at night from the pain. No.

We're trying the allergy medicine for a few days and will see what happens. He stressed that if doesn't get better in a matter of days, we should follow up with our family doctor soon.

Plans schmlans.

I'm all for spontaneity but wow, I'm ready for sickness to sto derailing my weekend plans.

Alas, I realize that life is what happens while we're busy making plans.

Alyssa thanked me this evening for coming to see her when I heard she was in the clinic. I hugged that girl tight and told her that nothing could have kept me away from that clinic the minute I heard she wasn't feeling well.

I really, really hope the allergy medicine does the job.