Well, I started teaching a summer class on the 2nd of June. It meets every day, but its only a 2 hour class instead of the 4 hour class I usually teach. 2 hours fly by and I was really enjoying my students--which are the most diverse group ever. I made it through the first week and by Saturday I was ready for a break. We went to a baptism in the morning and ran around doing errands and such. Suddenly, and I mean suddenly, I started feeling like absolute poop on Saturday afternoon. By Saturday night I was running a high fever and asked for a blessing, please. I tried to go to bed, but it was one of those things that you are soooo miserable that you can't even sleep.

I had a raging sore throat on Sunday morning and I thought it prudent to go to Urgent Care while the guys went to Church. I was in and out quickly with a diagnosis of strep throat. (They did a quick strep test on me which in the Dr's words "barely" came back positive, but when they looked at my throat and tonsils they said it "couldn't" be anything else.) I went home and IMMEDIATELY started the antibiotic and tried to have a popsicle in my mouth at all times while staying as far away as is possible from Ben and James while still being in the apartment. (I could hear James calling from the living room, "dake up, mama, dake up!".)

I had another TERRIBLE night Sunday and knew there was no way I could make it in to teach that morning and that I should go back to Urgent Care. I showed up at the Clinic at 8am on the dot, was the first patient, and got a very, oh, not-so-compassionate or attentive dr. I told her that the pain in my throat was so bad that I hadn't slept for 2 nights and wasn't there something they could do? It was seriously the worst pain I had ever experienced besides labor! She glanced in my mouth and said she'd give me a stronger antibiotic shot and a pain shot and that I needed to deal with it. I cried off and on most of Monday and wanted to die. That night I knew I wouldn't be in shape to teach on Tuesday, so I got permission for Ben to teach on Tuesday ( and eventually the rest of the week). I noticed some sores in my mouth that night and thought that was odd.

By Tuesday morning I did feel a bit better, but also noticed I had a few spots on my hands. (Can anybody guess my ailment yet?) I could finally swallow without a death wish, but basically stuck to water and yogurt because everything else burned the heck out of my mouth and throat. I knew I didn't have strep, but I didn't know exactly what was wrong until I looked up all the symptoms and talked to a couple of ladies in the ward: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease was being passed around a bunch of families in the ward.

James spiked a fever Tuesday night and we braced for the storm. We took him to his Dr on Wednesday just to make really sure that he didn't have "strep" but after she looked in his mouth and at all the dots that were now covering my WHOLE BODY, she confirmed HFM. He actually is doing a lot better than I did. I imagine that right now he is as moody as one would expect a 2 year old to be. We have every kind of popsicle/frozen treat/chocolate milk/'special' drink/yogurt/pudding, etc as to keep him (and me :) ) from dehydrating. I'm over my "spots" now, and James is just getting them. He was complaining a lot: "foot owie, no walk" today. The Dr told us that we could be contagious for as long as 2 weeks, but at least as long as we had the spots/sores.

So, Ben has taught my class ALL week. James and I are trying to enjoy all the freezer has to offer. I've got to get out of the house soon! I'm caught up on High School Musical, The Twilight series (hey, in Spanish, ok?) Wonder Pets, Fox news, etc etc etc. I'm sooooo glad James got a milder version than me and I'm soooo happy that we weren't sick at the same time because Ben would have been exalted after taking care of the house, us, my class, his work, etc.