I think it's safe to say we all learned our lesson

You know those phone calls you get from daycare at 11:15 that immediately indicate to you something is wrong with your kid?

Yeah, I got one of those on Thursday.

And I'm immediately all "Okay, I can leave work a little early to grab her and get her to the doctor because I'm sure she's running fever.  And then tomorrow, Ronnie can spend the first half of the day home with her and I'll take the afternoon shift because they won't let her come back to daycare until she's fever-free for 24 hours.  I'd better stop on the way to daycare and get some more ibuprofen because I think we are almost out and I wonder if it's her 6-year molars again or if she's got another ear infection.  Jesus, I thought we were finally done with ear infections!"....a little over-anxious much? Probably.  But this is what mothers do...because I think men are incapable of attending to that many details at once. 

But I digress.

Turns out? She let one of her buddies at daycare stick a berry in her ear. 

Actually in both ears, but her teacher managed to get one of them out with tweezers.

So she's got a tiny little berry stuck in her ear.

And they can't get it out.

So I leave work, Ronnie gets her and we meet at the house. 

No luck with the berry extraction.

I had already called the pediatrician and they got her in within the hour (which is awesome, by the way, and almost never happens). 

I will say they gave it the ol' college try....2 hours and 3 physicians later? No berry.

So to the ENT we go.

And finally, with the introduction of the Ear Vacuum, the berry is out.  Sidebar: I am totally thinking that the Ear Vacuum is something that Billy Mays would have done an infomercial for and sold on TV for three low easy payments of $49.99.  But I just can't figure out why people would think they needed one?? But you know, I have the same question about most things sold on infomercials, so perhaps this is a moot point.  "Don't delay! Get your Ear Vac today!"

Lesson learned this week:
-Antibiotics during 2 years of ear infections: $300
-Two sets of tubes: $200
-Co-pays incurred during the berry incident of 2010: $60
-Hearing your kid say she'll never stick anything else in her ear again because the ear vacuum "totally freaked me out"?? Priceless.