Apparently not without x-rays; the doctor wants to send me to an orthopedic surgeon for those. Well, x-rays are a big no-no when pregnant, so we decided to wait and see on that. Also, she gave me some heavy painkillers, but they're also forbidden and thus also on the shelf for the time being. Pretty much, what I got yesterday was a great big, "Well, yes, I acknowledge that your back does hurt." I feel so bad for my insurance for having to pay for that; they've done nothing but good stuff for me, and then I turn around and give them this.

Temps still up. So, I tested. Can you blame me? Well, you can and you should; it's still way too early for anything to show up on this little dime-store tests. (Though I did use the most sensitive one...) I had hoped the doctor could give me a blood test yesterday, but she put me off. "Wait till you've missed your period," she says with a thick German accent. Well, by then the dime-store tests should do the trick!

Besides, it would have been simply convenient to have it done yesterday. If I need a blood test to confirm the pregnancy down the road, I'll go to my friend, the CNM. Good old Mary Ann prbably won't be our birth attendant, but she's a great gal.

Oh, I forgot to give the test result. It wasn't positive. Doesn't that sound so much better than the "n" word?

Eric is still waiting to hear about the new job. Turns out Racine, where the people who make the hiring decisions reside, is under a massive flu outbreak. They've started sending people to neighboring cities, simply because they just don't have room in the hospitals. I guess we'll forgive their tardiness, just this once.

Hospitals are pretty busy around here, too. When I first heard that, my immediate reaction was, "What, under the fallout from all of the women trying to have Millenium babies?" But no, it's the flu. It's really bad this year, I guess.

The thing is, many people really don't understand what the flu is. People get a really bad head cold, maybe throw up once or twice, and claim they've got the flu. The flu is much, much worse; if you're up and walking around, chances are you don't have it. If you've recovered in two or three day, probably not. The flu can knock you on your keester for a week without even trying, and you'll feel it all over your body, not just in your head.

Eric thought about getting a flu shot this year. I've never been a huge fan of injections, but apparently diabetics like Eric need to seriously think about this one. He eventually decided that he wouldn't start getting them until his control over his blood sugars slips. Thankfully, he's still got pretty good control at this point; the only time they go dangerously high is when he's sick and doesn't eat well.

Speaking of eating, we've only slipped and gone out to eat once this week! I know Eric probably has it in his mind to "slip" again tonight, but think again, honey; I took some chicken out of the freezer before I left for work. So there!

Gosh, I need to get back to work. We've been "weeding" the picture book collection, taking out all the old, ratty, colored-in books so that we can order new books. Boy, the stuff you find when you go through the books one by one is amazing! There are some really, really sad kid's books. Fly Away Home, for one. The Tenth Good Thing About Barney, for another. I was almost bawling, sitting there in the middle of the floor, surrounded by books.

The funny thing is, the kids who read this level of book tends to select them based solely on the front cover graphic. I pity the poor mother whose child comes running up to her with an armload of books about grandmothers, dogs, and birds dying.