Rain, Rain....

I cannot finish the rhyme because I do not really want the rain to go away. I'm hoping it rains long enough to wash away all the allergens in the air so that my children can stop suffering needlessly. March is a tough allergy month for E. The Mountain Cedar just wears his little head out. His nose runs 24/7, he coughs himself into a frenzy during the night and his eyes look like he hasn't slept in weeks (which match my eyes since I'm up all night listening to him cough).

A, on the other hand, doesn't seem especially bothered by MC but her allergies are bothering her right now too. Last Thursday, Mom and I took her to the ENT's office and he put a tube back in her right ear. Not a fun process to watch as a parent but much better than the 6am trip to the surgical center, knocking her out and then hoping she's okay as she comes out of hours later. This involved no drugs except a shot behind the ear to numb the canal and then a shot inside the ear once the dr. thought things were pretty numb. A is not big on showing pain so she was a trooper and laid still thru the whole thing. I forced Advil on her when we got home but she refused a 2nd dose at bedtime. She even went to school the next day. She has had two sets of tubes (at ages 3 and 5) and her tonsils removed at 7. We thought we were in the clear after the tonsils and we went about a year without getting any type of ear infection or strep. Then this past year, she started getting ear infections in that right ear so I knew before summer that we would end up going the tube route again. The only downside is swimming in the summer because she shouldn't get water in that ear and she hates wearing the ear plugs (they were the source of much ridicule during swim lessons when she was younger). I was hoping the tube would eliminate the instances of her not being able to hear me but realized that was actually her ignoring me, not a hearing issue. Darn tweens! I was also hoping this was the end of ear troubles so imagine my surprise when she looks at me last night during "Dancing w/ the Stars" and announces that her left ear hurts!!!! UGHHHHHHHHHH

The combination of the rain and the lack of sleep I have suffered due to my coughing son have just about done me in today. I just want to put my head down and take a nap. Zyrtec is doing a good job of keeping my own allergy issues at bay but when I'm sleep deprived - I feel sick all over and today is just one of those days.

So here's to Mr. Rain washing away all the allergens and giving me back my nights for sleep!!