To Slice or Not to Slice...That Is the Question

After cleaning the entire house with reckless abandon - top to bottom; not a single speck of dog hair (thanks, Blitzer for sharing with us, but could you please not?!); baseboards spick and span; cabinets scrubbed; doors wiped; every inch dusted and vacuumed; floors scoured while on hands and knees; sheets changed; bathroom rugs washed; toilets spotless - I wearily climbed the stairs to awaken the whiney mess that was my son prior to him laying down to nap. I tore back his sheets, laid down with him for a few seconds before coming to the realization that he was burning up. He immediately told me that he had a headache, and by the feel of him, realized that this must be why he spent the entire morning crying over trivial things. Duh! He was getting sick! You'd think that, being the observant person I consider myself, that I would know the signs by now. Of course, in my defense, he's been very whiney and tantrum-ey (good thing for him he's so cute...) lately, so it's kinda hard to tell the difference.

Anyways...I got him downstairs and we took his temp - 102.7. Awesome. All my hard work cleaning, which was initiated by the fact that we were having company (the Dutton's) that night, was all in vain...although, at least it's done and the house is sparkling and no longer a hair-ball pit of despair! We had to call and cancel, while Nicky cried "but i want trevor come over!" Since Kris had already prepped our dinner for the night (corn on the cob, baked potatoes and to-be-grilled chicken), we went ahead and prepared the feast (and by "we", I mean that my super-awesome hubby was a grilling machine while I soaked my weary muscles in a hot tub as Nick watched Shrek for the millionth time). Goodness, I love that man!

The next morning Kris worked at the fire station and I needed to go into the office for a few hours (yuk! I thought I was done working on the weekends when I stopped waiting tables!). I woke Nicky (shoulda been my first clue - it was after 8:30am and he was still sound asleep) and the first thing he told me was his throat hurt. Sweet. We went downstairs and I told him I was going to look at his throat when he said "ok momma. i sit on counter. you get fwashyite." (flashlight in Nicky-speak...the "l" still gives him some trouble)(can you tell he's been through this scenario a few times before?!). Just as I suspected, big white spots all over his tonsils, and he had a 101.4 fever. Greatness. So, on our way to the office (after packing up a ton of toys, movies, the portable dvd player - best gift EVER...thank you Uncle Brent! - and a cooler with snacks, lunch and lots of fluids) we stopped at the after-hours pediatrics office for what turned out to be a negative rapid Strep test, however, a positive ID as far as the Dr's inspection was concerned. So, with prescription in hand, we went to the pharmacy then to my office where Nicky lounged around watching movies and demanding cold water ("no! wiff ice in it momma!") and juice (aka - Capri Sun Waters - a compromise for us all...still tastes like juice, but less sugar).

In case you're keeping count, this is his 5th diagnosed case of the Strep in 8 months, making him a candidate for having his tonsils removed. Which brings up the question - do we really think it's necessary to do so? Two doctors have told us that yes, we could have his removed, however, it doesn't mean that he won't continue to contract throat infections, they should just be less likely and less severe if they were removed. A work colleague’s daughter is a few days older than Nick and she just had hers removed (along with her adenoids) and to hear her tell it, it was an awful experience. She was up all night in pain; wouldn't take the medicines; wouldn't eat. Do we really want to put him through all that considering there's a chance it could all be for no reason? After researching the interwebnets, I've decided we'll wait it out a bit and see how the rest of the year goes. Until we actually see a Dr that says "yank the suckers", I don't think it's worth it. What are your thoughts out there?