So, before Carnage, NatureBoy came down with a pretty bad congested cold. He coughed lots, and felt lousy. So we kept him home from school for several days. On the second day, I decided to take him to the pediatrician, just to rule out anything serious. It turned out that he tested positive for strep. So he was home from school for yet another day while the antibiotic kicked in, and then the following day was Carnage. Well, his cough continued, though it got gradually better over the weekend of the convention.

We got home from Carnage quite tired, and then our washing machine died. Beloved Wife, having inherited the fix-it gene from her shop-teacher father, had the washer on its side the following morning and had identified the problem.

It didn’t look like something we could fix easily or cheaply. So we needed to get a new washer.

I started to get sick in the middle of the week, and NB sprouted a spotty rash.

BW took him back to the pediatrician, who said it was a systemic reaction to the amoxicillin (i.e., not an allergic reaction), but we needed to stop giving him the med. And I came home from work early, because I felt horrible.

Over the weekend, NatureBoy’s rash continued to spread and get more uncomfortable.

I have gotten more tired and congested. Thankfully, BW has stayed healthy. Earlier this week, she was able to identify a Whirlpool washer at Costco that looked like a good bet. Yesterday, I juiced myself up with some cold meds, and with the help of BW’s parents, we got the washer home.

BW managed most of the install herself, and we spent the evening catching up on laundry, and watching DVDs.

Today, NB has gone off to school. BW went with him to give some benadryl meds to the school nurse, and touch base with his teachers so they don’t flip when they see the rash. She also contacted the pediatrician, who said that this is definitely allergic, increased the benadryl dosage.

I’m still feeling crappy, so I’m home, too. I got to sleep until 7:30 this morning. I wish I felt better and could have enjoyed it. Mostly I’ve been couch surfing, drinking lots of tea, blowing my nose… I hate being sick.