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Thankful for the Many Gifts

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 It's the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, which is usually one of my favorite times of year, but it has been quite a week.  Little A seemed to be on the mend and even went to school Tuesday and Wednesday, but Thursday morning woke up with a fever of 104 again.  I cleared off my schedule for the day and whisked her to the doctor again.  This time she got a swab for strep, but it came back negative (no surprise, she hasn't had a sore throat!), so the doctor sent us for a chest x-ray since she was coughing and pneumonia was suspected.  Yep, pneumonia it is!  No wonder this child has been miserable.  I've heard many stories from other people already about how it often isn't suspected at the beginning because the patient seems to have periods of feeling better but the fever keeps returning.  What's odd is that while she does have a cough, it's not severe and she hasn't had the breathing difficulties that often accompany pneumonia. 

 On the bright side, this week we have had spectacular weather.  It's been about 18-20 Celsius and sunny.  It's the kind of weather that makes me feel happy, which has been immensely helpful in dealing with a sick child, an older child jealous of her younger sister who is getting extra attention and time at home, rearranging work commitments, and dealing with exhaustion from Little A waking us up multiple times almost every night this week.  I always remind myself to appreciate every minute of this gorgeousness because the autumn is so fleeting.  Soon I'll be complaining about snow and cold...and then about heat and humidity as winter drags on giving us a short spring that almost immediately turns into summer.
 
I am also thrilled because several of my favorite infertility clients told me they are pregnant this week.  Ah, this makes me so so happy.  One of the hardest things about doing infertility counselling is that, while I can help people cope, I can't actually make them get pregnant, and when they are really struggling emotionally, I sometimes feel helpless.  It's a good reminder for me that no matter what the challenges of having children, I am very very lucky.
 
Despite the events of this week, I think (hope!) Little A will be feeling better soon so we can partake in some fun activities we were planning.  If not, that's okay too.  I am grateful to just have my beautiful family and be able to spend this weekend with them.
 
I should also say that I am grateful to be living in Canada.  With all the doctor visits, x-ray, etc., the only thing we had to spend any money on was the antibiotics, which were mostly covered by Adam's insurance, so we paid less than $4.00.  I know many folks around the world are not so lucky!!

Have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving!

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