We made it this far ... but our streak has ended.

Abby is sick.

She has a throat ulcer. I feel awful for her. She obviously is having pain when swallowing, so nursing, laying on her back, using a pacifier are all painful for her. We'll see how tonight goes.

I did learn one very important thing, though. Trust my "Mommy instincts."

They actually talk about that in all the classes you take before giving birth. If you feel something tugging at that instinct, act on it.

Well, I initially thought she was teething. She was drooling like crazy, tugging at her ear, struggling to nurse, and refusing the pacifier. But when there were no teeth four to five days later, we thought it might be an ear infection.

She hasn't had a fever, though, so there was no tangible proof that something was wrong. I just felt something was wrong.

As terrified as I was of getting to the after-hours care office and be wrong ("She's in perfect health ... you're just an idiot!"), we went ... Tom gave me a pep talk and told me I was an awesome mom and needed to go with it. He was awesome.

The doctor checked both her ears. "That one looks good! So does that one!"

I wasn't sure if I wanted something to be wrong. If there wasn't anything wrong, our child was simply unruly. I think I'd rather nothing be wrong.

She has a throat ulcer, which means she is struggling to swallow (hence her struggles nursing, using a pacifier and sleeping). The worst part is that it is a virus ... the only thing we can do is treat the pain.

Tom and I are hunkering down for what could be a tough night. We've already put her to bed four times and she didn't have an afternoon nap.

Happy Parenting to us!