Ebb and Flow

The waves came crashing down last week as I dragged myself out of bed each day and gave little pep talks to my brain to just make it through five work days.  I somehow managed not to lose my mind when one of my classes decided it was time to rebel against me.  I have tried all sorts of tricks and rewards and punishments with this class, my newest strategy being behavior tickets.  They start over each week.  If a student gets three in a week, it's a write-up and they have to see the dean.  But it's become a joke to them.  All I heard over and over on Friday was little voices in the room saying, "Ticket!  Ticket!" as I tried to explain an assignment.  Waves crashing down...

Thankfully the weekend came and with it, a reprieve from the daily grind.  Jeremy and I celebrated Valentine's Day by attending an 8-course dinner with wine pairings at the Indianapolis Propylaeum.  It was a fun and unique experience, and a great way to wind down from a long week.  And...I got this little number:

It's Ava's birthstone and absolutely perfect!  Dainty, feminine and meaningful.  My husband is the best!

After spending an evening as a couple, relaxing, chatting with new friends, eating wonderful food and sipping wine, we were rested up for an eventful Saturday.  Ava's favorite friend Ella was turning three, and it was time to celebrate!

There were a ton of kids there, almost all of them older than Ava.  It didn't take long for her to warm up though.  There were puzzles to be done, coloring books to scribble in, games to be played and cupcakes to be eaten!  All of the kids had a blast, running around on a juice-filled, frosting covered sugar high.

Ava tried to play pool with the big kids...

Ella seemed very pleased with all of her gifts.  What more could a girl ask for?  Cute clothes, ponies, dolls, Play-Doh...it's all you need in life!  Ava wanted to be right near the action too.  She sat on Kelli's lap for quite a while, amidst wrapping paper, bows, bags and boxes.

The flow of the weekend came to a grinding halt on Sunday when Ava woke up with a runny nose and a cough.  She was thankfully her usual playful self, but I knew she wasn't feeling well when she asked to go to bed at 6:37pm.  She slept fitfully, coughing and whining in spurts.  I tiptoed into her room this morning to check on her, but couldn't tell if she had a fever or not...

Sure enough, when Jeremy got her up while I was already at work, the fever had worked its way into her body.  He called me and I immediately went into MOM mode, calling and emailing the necessary people to get a sub for me so that I could come home to my sick girl.  But...no dice.  There was apparently no sub to be found.  Hello, Ebb.

I am not sure what tomorrow will bring.  This is the sad state I found my usual spunky girl in as soon as I got off of work:

Lethargic...heavy eyes...a faucet for a nose...and a nasty cough.  She spent the day with her daddy, alternating between half-heartedly playing and whining, napping twice (unheard of these days), sucking down liquids and nibbling on food. 

My mom used to say she could tell when we didn't feel well as kids just by looking into our eyes.  Now, I know exactly what she was talking about.  It's awful when your child isn't feeling well and there's not much you can do about it.  I only hope that she's feeling better tomorrow...or else I WILL be staying home with my girl!

The waves are crashing down on us again, but they cannot last forever.  Ebb and flow.  It's time to gear up for Ava's second birthday this coming weekend...and pray that everyone is healthy for the party!