"I'm ready to go to Sun Valley now!"

She woke up feeling much better this morning. She grabbed her jacket and hat, and gave us this BIG smile. She's the cutest little thing in our lives! Even when she makes our lives so crazy...

As many of you know, I spend one week every October in Sun Valley preparing and enjoying the Idaho Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference. I'm the past president for the early childhood subdivision, called the Division for Early Childhood (DEC). DEC has been a huge part of my life for almost four years now! In January the end of my four year term on the board will be up. Every year since I've been on the board Zac has joined me in Sun Valley. The first two years were purely enjoyment for him. While I was in meetings, luncheons, and sessions all day, he was mountain biking, drinking coffee/micro brews and lounging around Ketchum and Sun Valley. Last year we had a 2 month old with us, and Zac politely said "we will never refer to this as a "vacation" for me again." I reassured him that the next year would be much better.

I left on Wednesday since I had a board meeting that night, and on Friday afternoon Zac and Maggie were preparing to come down to Sun Valley and stay the weekend with me. On Thursday he calls me to say that Maggie just isn't herself, and he thinks that she is REALLY missing me, and she keeps asking for me. I convince him to leave extra early Friday morning, and he spends all Thursday getting ready and packing.

Then I get a text at 3am saying "call me." Apparently Maggie's been up all night (every hour) with a fever. I'm of course instantly wondering how I can get home to her since I had rode with my co-workers. Sara had been sick and diagnosed with influenza just a few days earlier, so I know Maggie most likely has caught the flu as well. I think it's literally impossible to not be with your baby when they are sick---so even though I am presenting on a panel that afternoon, and we still have the DEC open house that night, and the post conference the next day, I find a ride home to be with my little Moo. My fellow DEC board members and co-workers who are presenting on the panel with me are so supportive. I couldn't ask to be surround by better people in my profession.

What a sicky she is that day--I'm so glad I made it home! She certainly has the flu. I convinced Zac to take her into the Doctor. She saw Dr. Kissam, who tested her for influenza which came back positive for Influenza A. Dr. Kissam said that she's lucky, and she should be feeling better by Sunday.

Well, it's Sunday now, and Dr. Kissam was right. Moo IS feeling much better now. We of course were not able to get out of our reservation in Sun Valley, so Grandma Tara enjoyed a beautiful suite (apparently our room had been upgraded!) at the Inn. We have not left the house since Friday, except to go to the drug store. Zac is fairly confident he's catching "it," and is frantically trying to get some stuff done before he feels worse.

Mom Lesson #2: When you are a mother, NOTHING ever goes as planned.