Things didn't quite go according to plan...

In preparing for my return home to Utah I wanted to make sure that everything was set up and taken care of so that I could come home, unpack, and quickly get back into the swing of things. So while I was in Ohio with my parents for a brief visit I made several phone calls. Calls setting up our utilities, gas, water, etc. Calls to connect our internet, and calls to start up our DISH (very important, after all project runway is airing!)

I was quite proud of myself that I had planned ahead and had a very peaceful plane ride home knowing all was ready and in order for Brenton & I. (I should note that Jon was back in Delaware & wouldn't be home for another 2 weeks).

Well upon arriving home things did not go according to my beautifully organized plan.

Instead they went like this:

Thursday evening I was picked up by my brother who tells me he spent an hour at our house trying to light the water heater with no luck, and that something must be broken. Fabulous...no hot water= no shower!

Thursday night I am up ALL night with a screaming, & I mean screaming child. I knew he had a fever, but I thought his lips and mouth looked swollen as well. So I go to the computer to google his symptoms. Except, the internet doesn't work. Not good!

Still Thursday night (it was a long night) I thought to myself..well since neither of us are sleeping we might as well watch some cartoons to take our mind off things. So Brenton & I head downstairs and I turn on the TV. The TV turns on just fine, but the dish won't work. No TV. Great! At this point I'm thinking...really... really this is happening to me! Brenton is still screaming!

Friday morning. I make an awkward call to my neighbor to ask if I can use her shower. (THANKS ANNIE!!)

The water heater man comes and takes 2 minutes to fix the water heater and then charges me $65. Oh well, at least it was fixed!

I had scheduled a doctor's apt for Brenton that morning, and as I am flying out the door..running late... I try to start the car. Car is dead. Yep, dead!

AAA comes and jumps the car (battery had died b/c it sat for almost 5 months w/ no use) and I reschedule my doc apt for later on in the afternoon.

Back to Annie's again to get my hair done (felt like a new woman) while Cami watched a still screaming baby for me.

Grab Brenton & buckle him quickly in the car (running late again) to head to the doctors. Car is dead. Yes, dead...AGAIN!! This is about the point where I lost it. I ran down the street like a mad woman looking for anyone outside who could jump me. And one of our neighbors came to my rescue. I'm sure I sounded crazy trying to quickly explain to them while I'm out of breath and freaking out that my son had a swollen tongue and lips and that I already missed the 1st apt and desperately needed to get there and get him checked out before the office closed for the weekend) They got the car started, and I made it to the doctors as they were closing and got Brenton checked out. Turns out he had hands, foot, & mouth disease, (don't ask me where he picked it up???) and an ear infection. Poor guy!

Friday night. After getting the medicine for Brenton we came home and things settled down. He even slept all night!! I thought, "things are finally turning around after a crazy day!" Little did I know...

Saturday morning. I wake up happy and rested with a happy and rested kid. With no crazy things happening I finally start unpacking our suitcases. All is going great until little Brenton comes waltzing into the bathroom carrying an opened bottle of children's tylenol. As I quickly smell his breath to see if he had actually swallowed it I thought to myself, "this cannot be happening to me!" The purple ring around his lips, and grape smelling breath confirmed he had indeed downed the bottle. So after a phone call to 911, and talking with the poison control center, a fire truck, ambulance, AND police car show up at my door. (one at a time) 7 paramedics are in my house poking & probing Brenton, and asking me all sorts of questions. (I do have to add here that all this happened at 9 am..before I had time to brush my teeth...I had Brenton on my lap as they were running the tests on him and so they were quite close to my face..and breath. Um, embarrassing!) In the end we determined Brenton didn't take any more than 1 to 2 oz of tylenol and would just be droggy for a couple hours (after the morning I had just had it was not such a bad thing)

And there you have it. My 36 hours of H. E. double hockey sticks had finally ended and normal life resumed. I think someone was trying to give me the hint that I shouldn't have come home without Jon...a hard lesson to learn but one I will not soon forget.

The END