Wow!!!

So today when I got home from church, Adam was complaining of an earache. I immediately called the kids urgent care clinic located the floor below our pediatrician. Usually, I can get an appointment within a half hour. The first appointment was 2 1/2 hours later. I took it. I was pretty hungry and wanted to get lunch before I rushed out to the doctors anyway, but I knew that meant they were busy.

In the meantime, Joseph came down and laid down in front of the fire. I looked at his glassed over eye look and knew he had a fever again and for the 7th day. 7 days with a fever over 102 seems suspicious, even though I couldn't pin down anything particularly wrong. So I thought, "I think I will need to take him to the doctors anyway. I might as well bring him now."

When I got to the doctors, they were not too happy about me bringing Joseph along too. They already had had 20 kids in the 2 1/2 hours since they opened. So I said, no biggy. I did not want to wait another hour plus for Joseph as a walk in. I said I could take him to his own doctor another day. The receptionist was more concerned over the 7 day high fever than I was, and checked with the doctor. Because the doctor was so behind already, he said, my wait would be long either way, so they took Joseph too.

We waited about an hour and a quarter with Joseph running around and gabbing up a storm the whole time. Really, minus the fever, he has not seemed very ill.

So Adam got checked first and has an ear infection, just like we thought. Then I told the doctor why we were there with Joseph. He immediately checked his lungs, and said, "I thought so. It sounds all bubbley." Joseph has pneumonia! Then he mentioned how Joseph wasn't acting very sick, though. (I'm sure glad I brought him!!!!)

With 8 children, this is our first case of pneumonia. Really, I am not used to having sick kids. Occasionally, we have a kid with a sinus infection. Johnny went through a period where he got strep about every six months for two years, but that is about all. I never even considered pneumonia as a possibility. It didn't even cross my mind.

Update: at about 8:30 Joshua had a fever of 101, and was tugging on his ear. John took him to kidscare and Josh has an ear infection too.