I broke a rule...

On Thursday I woke up with a minor sore throat. I figured it would go away so got up for my early morning meeting and kissed my darlings goodbye.
By noon I could barely swallow my saliva and I knew that I had just broken a rule... teachers are not allowed to be sick (and neither are moms for that matter...). I was able to make a doctor appointment and had a wonderful friend cover my class for the last half hour of the day.
When I was in college, I remember getting a sore throat so badly that I needed to spit into a cup because it was too painful to swallow. I felt that what I was experiencing was the same thing and self-diagnosed myself with Strep. Once I reached the doctor, he confirmed my findings. Thankfully he saw no need to swab my tender tonsils- one look and he knew immediately what it was I had. He told me that because when I get strep it is so very severe, I should consider taking out my tonsils. He told me that it is very painful to have them removed as an adult, but that it would spare me from feeling so lousy in the future. Seeing that I don't get sick too often, for now I have chosen not to have them out at this time...
I took the GIANT pills last night and drank some breakfast today. I am enjoying the stillness of my home (a rarity) and reading and doing laundry between naps. My amazing parents came over in the morning and one got the Bigs on the bus, while the other took the Littles to 'school'. My best friend (Jeff) has been a blessing and picked up some of the jobs I normally do. He has his master's class tomorrow all day and practice tonight (he's leading worship on Sunday), which means I'm at home with the darlings on my own much of the weekend. Thinking about it makes me tired. Thankfully as soon as I am done typing this, I am off for another nap.
Thankfully my babes have had some sympathy for my condition. Joe brought me some water and an apple when I was in bed last night and Zach brought a book to read to me and was quickly joined by his big sis. Sean too tried to come near me, but spent most of his night with dad- and away from his germy mom.
And so, nursing Sean has finally come to an end. Though my fever has broken, my body still feels worn and the last thing I wanted to do was hold a babe and nurse. As it were, I think my body was slowing down. I was only feeding him in the morning. He has done well with a sippy and cow's milk so my days of nurturing my babes (at least with my milk) has sadly come to an end. On a side note- I see a trip to the store to find colorful, fun bras in my future. I am looking forward to getting rid of my countless, white nursing bras.
And before I go for yet another nap, it is time to share a sweet story about my dear Z. The following was an email I got from my mom yesterday. Needless to say though I was miserable this little bit brightened my day. Perhaps it will make you smile too.

Just a quick report on my morning. Your children were WONDERFUL! They were happy, cooperative (even picking up toys when asked), and generally outstanding!

Couldn't find the stroller, so put Sean in the umbrella stroller for the walk to the bus stop - With his winter jacket, the poor kid couldn't move. The funniest thing of the morning was after the kids had left on the bus, Ed was talking to Zach about how he had to watch out for cars, and when we parted ways, Zach commented that "he's a nice man". Then he told me that there were no men living at his house. When said to him "What about daddy? Isn't he a man?", the response was, "No, he's not - he's a Jeff".