Sickness and AAA and thank you notes

R has been sick with allergies which has felt forever. She's been using her inhaler, taken Clartin and she's still not getting better. She's missed school all week. Yesterday she didn't have a fever so she's trying to go to school today. Tomorrow is her filed trip to the heart center I don't want her to miss it. Please let her be well. In the medical world AAA stands for Ascending Aortic Aneurysm. For some reason the laser spine institute thinks I have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. I'm trying to get my heart doctor's nurse to work this out with them, I talked with her all day yesterday trying to get it straightened. While I'm glad the spine institute is being so through I really wish they would believe me already! Last night I was helping R with her thank you notes from her party. I know the party was a few weeks ago and usually I get out or make the kids get out thank you notes right away. But I wanted to use a group picture from the party and had to get them printed. As I was muttering to myself about not getting them out sooner, I realized again not many of her friends brought gifts. Is that the new norm? I would be embarrassed sending my child to a birthday party with out a gift. And this party was for 2 girls, and R got more gifts than the other girl, which I felt bad about too. What's the deal you just send off you child to a party and some of the parents didn't know us, and let us drive your child 45 minutes to the party location and then of course 45 minutes back to our house with out meeting them or sending a gift or card? One boy didn't show up in time so we picked him up and he's older brother came too? What??? I wouldn't do that if the party was even at so someones house but this party was going to cost us $16 per child, I think the parents owe us a thank you and not us thanks for coming to my party notes. Of course these boys had no gift for either girl. $5 or a homemade card would have been better than nothing. Maybe I'm just wrong, and gifts aren't really about attending a classmate's birthday party. But weren't they embarrassed when the girls opened the gifts they had? I would have been very uncomfortable even as a 10 or 11 year old.