Maddie woke up last night with a fever of 102.5, complained that her throat was hurting and vomited. Since she has had a fever off and on since Friday, I decided to take her to the doctor.

Which leads me to this. . . Why are all of the good toys in the sick child area? As I sat in the waiting room- after Maddie vomited all over the place- I noticed all of the other sick kids. One had suspiciously pink eyes. Another had a nasty, snotty nose and a crazy, scary cough.

And, they were all playing with the toys. The germ infested, virus contaminated toys. There was nothing I could do about it. How do you tell your sick baby not to touch the really cool rocking horse? Or that super big bead thing?

"Sorry, honey, I know you are sick, but that kid over there, with the green stuff coming from his nose, just touched it. Yes, darling, I realise you just threw up on the chair, but that's different. I understand that we don't have these toys at home, and they are lots of fun, but you absolutely can not play with them. In fact, don't even look at them."

Yeah- I see that going over well. When sitting in a waiting room, for God knows how long, it is absolutely imperative to not have a screaming 4 year old. Hell hath no fury like a sick preschooler, when faced with a room full of toys and instructed to leave them alone.

I looked longingly into the well child area. There was a little boy that kept looking out the window, at the sick area. And, he wanted out.

When the door opened, to call back a sicko, he made his escape. He ran right to the toy that Pink Eye Patty had been playing with. The mom tried, but she was too late, "Nooooooo!" she screamed.

As we were leaving, Maddie wanted to play with the toys again. I wouldn't let her. I assured that we would be back. Probably next week, and probably with pink eye.

And that the little boy that got in trouble would probably be there, too.

I've developed a bad habit. I thought I only did it around Maddie and Justin. I was wrong.

And someone at work caught me. Then, he called me out on it.

"Um, Chelsea- did you, um, did you just say 'dude'?"

Crap. I'm a 30 year old valley girl. Righteous.

I don't know when it started, but I use that stupid word all day long. Maddie shows me something new- "Cool, dude." I can't convince Maddie that I'm right, and she's wrong- "Whatever, dude." Maddie yells at me, while sitting on the potty, that she is going poo poo- "Do your thang, dude."

Tonight, I said it to an adult. He asked for me to help him- "Sure thing, dude." I. Must. Be. Stopped.

Or, should I?

Maybe I should embrace my inner valley girl. It sounds, like, totally gnarly, dude. I could, like, you know, say whatever, sounds awesomely cool.

Cowabunga. Dude.