The week of New Years 2005, everyone in our household, including the visiting grandparents, got the flu. Adlani was only 4 months old and too young for a flu shot so he got the flu too and ran a fever of 104 degrees. The pediatrician’s office told me to alternate Tylenol and Motrin, but when I called the next day a different nurse gasped and said that they don’t recommend Motrin for babies because “it sometimes causes gastric bleeding.” Great.

Since I use Tylenol for my own headaches I had always used Infant/Children’s Tylenol for the kids. The last thing we need around here is gastric bleeding. When Adlani got the RTV (Road Trip Virus), the Tylenol wasn’t helping at all, and Auntie Kristin got some Children’s Motrin from her aunt. I took my chances with the GB and the Motrin was a miracle cure! All 3 kids have had the virus and have been able to function almost normally as long as they were doped up with Motrin.

Not a big surprise…I have the RTV now. It sucks, but the regular Motrin helps a lot. The symptoms are runny nose and post nasal drip that leads to a sore throat, painful swollen glands and ears, itchy watery eyes, headache, fatigue, spontaneous vomiting (Norah went through 2 sets of sheets, 6 towels, and new pj’s for everyone sleeping near her last night), high fever (indicated by feeling cold and wearing a sweatshirt when it’s 95 degrees outside), chills, sweats, body aches, and lack of enthusiasm for “romance”, if you know what I mean (I mean, seriously, is he insane?).
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Aliya now has the Road Trip Virus but at least we know what it is and what to do about it. She’s fine as long as she’s doped up on Motrin. Adlani’s blood cultures came back negative and he’s fine now so she should be fine in a few days too. As I was typing this blog entry Norah asked me to take her temperature and she has a fever too. Oh well, at least we can get it all over with.

We arrived at Grammy & Popi’s house in The Villages, Florida on Tuesday around lunchtime. The Villages is a GINORMOUS over-55 community. It’s kind of surreal to see literally thousands of 1-story homes with perfectly-manicured lawns, and golf carts zipping around everywhere. There are more than 20 golf courses and around 60,000 residents. The downtown areas look like movie sets – new buildings that have been “distressed”, with faded lettering on the signs. Everything is picture-perfect.

The first night we went down to hear the live music which they have every night on the town square. They have Happy Hour with 2-for-1 drinks…these people know how to have fun! The next day we went to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda and the theater was just about empty. We had lunch at Johnny Rockets and Aliya dumped an entire strawberry milkshake on me after I told her numerous times to put the top back on. It reminded me of the time in Wal-Mart that I told her not to carry the huge jug of hand soap around like a baby and she dropped it and it broke in the middle of aisle 12. Or the time I told her not to throw the salsa into the cart in Trader Joe’s and she did it anyway, and the container cracked open and spilled everywhere. I’m sensing a pattern here.

Today we spent some time in the pool and then I worked while the kids took a nap. Now we’re headed to a paint-your-own-pottery place, then to dinner and off to the airport to pick up Ben. He was supposed to fly in tomorrow night but at the last minute we decided to change it to tonight. He had about 15 minutes to pack and he’s on the Logan Express bus as I’m typing this. We’re about to get a torrential downpour so hopefully it clears by the time he lands at 10.

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We left Tennessee early this morning and headed for Valdosta, Georgia, which is just north of the Florida border. I was really sad to leave Tennessee – it’s so beautiful and Elijah and Kristin are so lucky to live there. Kristin’s parents, two grandmothers, and two aunts and uncles live within a mile of their house. They have a beautiful home with Kristin’s son Josh, in a gorgeous spot surrounded by acres of fields. The house is only 2 years old so until we arrived I don’t think there was a scuff on it. The kitchen looks like something out of Extreme Makeover Home Edition – everything is new and matches. I wanted to stay forever! But…we had to move on so the newlyweds could get back to normal.

We found plenty of stuff to do even though we were visiting a household that doesn’t have any little kids:

~ visit the goats, cattle, puppies, and horses

~ check out Elijah’s 1966 pickup which he has resurrected from the dead

~ learn how to strum a guitar

~ attempt to play ping-pong

~ pretend the uncles were jungle gyms

~ draw intricate scenes on the white board

~ walk around in other peoples’ shoes and Sesame Street slippers

~ watch Josh and Michael play video games…I even participated as the singer on Rock Band

~ roll down the hill behind the house

~ kick a deflated soccer ball around the back 40

~ take out our aggressions on the heavy bag

~ celebrate Popi’s birthday

~ run into walls (mostly Norah)

We had a long drive today, so we stopped at Monkey Joe’s in Marieta, Georgia. They had 10 giant inflatable slides and bouncy castles, plus pizza and hot dogs. It was paradise! They even had wi-fi so I could catch up on some work. The kids were thoroughly exhausted and slept for about two hours until nature called. I had just been wishing for a peach – it’s hard to stop thinking about them when there are giant signs everywhere – and when we stopped at the rest area there was a farmer with a pickup truck full that had been picked this morning. They were SO GOOD. Like a bite of the sun. Yum. They rated right up there with the donuts we got from The Donut Palace earlier today.

Today we saw a giant peanut and the olympic torch in Atlanta. We also saw another truckload of pigs. That never gets old.

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We’re headed to Grammy and Popi’s house tomorrow, by way of the shuttle bus station where Josh will head to the airport. He has been a very good sport but I think he’s ready to go home to the love of his life, Auntie Rachael. Aliya wrote a postcard for her tonight. It says, “Hello Anti Rechul. It hez ben fun we miss ya a lot. We are in Goga.”

Hotel Review: We’re staying at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Valdosta, Georgia. When I registered, the woman at the front desk said that there are free snacks, beer, and wine until 7. WHAT?? Yay! Pros: brand new hotel, soundproof walls, close to lots of restaurants and the highway, 55 yards from Starbucks, pull-out couch, microwave and fridge, flat screen TV, free beer! Cons: None so far. 5 stars!!!

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Yesterday, Elijah and I spent most of the day with Adlani at the walk-in clinic and labs. We let the Motrin wear off and he was in pretty rough shape with a temp of 104.6. The doctor sent us for a strep test which came back negative, so she sent us to the lab at the hospital for a CBC (complete blood count) and blood cultures. The results of the CBC indicated something viral vs. something bacterial, so she told us to just continue with the Motrin and fluids. He seemed to be improving during the night, and he’s just about back to normal today. The amazing thing about the medical experience here (in Tennessee) is that it wasn’t completely overcrowded like the hospitals in Massachusetts. There was noone waiting in the hospital admissions area or in the lab. There were plenty of parking spaces right outside the door. There was even a nice young lady to walk us to the lab. Adlani wasn’t a big fan of the blood draw but with me holding his head while covering his eyes, his free arm, and one leg, and Uncle Elijah holding the other arm and leg, we got it done. The staff had a lot of fun with Adlani’s name…I guess they don’t see too many Benabderrazaks around these parts.

When I finally got the kids into bed last night we had a rousing game of Pictionary with the girls coming through slightly ahead of the boys. I had forgotten how much I missed playing games.

Today the kids slept really late – 10:30! – and then we took a trip down to see the rest of the goats and (giant) puppies. Aliya’s day took a turn for the worse when she stepped in poop of unknown origin, but after a bath and a nap I think they’ll be ready for the big party tonight.

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Adlani has been running a high fever (102-104 degrees) since yesterday afternoon. The fact that I have to hold him down and force-feed him Motrin doesn’t help. He’s fine when the Motrin brings down his fever but when the medication wears off he’s a mess – chills, aches, etc. If he’s not better tomorrow we’re going to take him to the walk-in clinic.

We had a very low-key day here with Auntie Kristin and Uncle Elijah, which was exactly what we needed. I got some work done and the kids had long naps. Grammy and Popi are here so there’s a houseful, but the house is beautiful and can accommodate all of us without a problem. Our big event of the day was a walk down to the barn for a visit with the goats, including Turner, a bottle-fed orphan. We’re going to go to the other barn to see the rest of the herd tomorrow. They have recently had 60 babies so there are LOTS of goats to play with.

The highlights of the day as related by Adlani to Ben were riding in the “trunk” (aka way-back) and wearing the helmet modeled by Norah below. They’re easily amused.

Click on any photo to enlarge:

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