Just Reading

A few weeks ago, when Jacob had his infamous stomach bug (the one Nicholas had had a few days before with minimal problems), I found the boys in Jacob's messy, messy room like this.

























I really like these two. Especially at these moments. Not so much during power struggles. Or tantrums. Or whining. Or fights over toys. Or brazen defiance. But here? Man, I really like them. It is oh so easy for me to not appreciate these moments when they come. They sneak up on me so quietly sometimes I just don't notice. Darling.

Chicago's pretty

And I have a new reason for not blogging this week.

I'm a fairly hearty person (at least hearty enough to keep slogging along with the mom stuff while sick) but I was driven to my bed on Wednesday afternoon in a very dramatic and Victorian fashion. After 48 hours of chills, fever, cough, sleep, and staring off into the distance for long periods of time I emerged Friday. Still sick, but functional.

The boys got a milder version and so the three of us have been a sorry sight. Matt was able to care for the boys when I was at my worst. My worst being when I tried to open a bottle of juice and the exertion made the room grow dim and my head spin in danger of blacking out. For real.

I also haven't left my apartment since Wednesday at noon. Let's see if our coughing and fevers can make it a full week! Give me a few cats and I'm ready to stay in forever.

So, a recap:

1. Come visit us in Chicago and we'll take you to see the city from the Hancock observatory. Matt took me on a date there one evening and it was gorgeous. The day (as you can see) is pretty amazing too. Actually, we'll take you anywhere...just come visit!

2. Beware the flu. If it's been a while since you've truly had the flu then watch out. And while I definitely advocate the flu shot...it didn't work for me.

Dear Winter:

We are no longer friends.

You give me a cough that lasts a month and you give my kids multitudinous infectious diseases. These sicknesses seem to never overlap (ex. Jacob just finished a cold, so Nicholas spiked a 102 fever tonight -- which really happened). This never happens in summer. Explain that, would you please?

This means that our general enjoyment is diminished through sickness and by the fact that WE CAN NEVER LEAVE THE HOUSE!

You'd better shape up sir.

Oh, and you came 2 months early.


















Thank you.

Spilling the beans and throwing down

It's hard for a two year old to understand being sick, especially throwing-up. Yesterday evening Jacob was sick 5 times in 3 hours and trust me, he was confused. He tried to bring it back to some sort of understandable level. Firstly, he noticed the nature of his "sick" and told me to "clean up the beans". Jacob had already dubbed throwing up "spilling" in November so, last night after a couple of sick times he said, "Jacob spill beans". I was impressed.

Later in the evening we told Jacob that throwing up was no fun. He said, "throw up in the sky" and so we said, no, um, we guess you threw down. So now he thinks throwing up is either "spilling beans" or "throwing down"...noooot quite.

He's doing much better now, but he was sick, sick, sick all last night and this morning. Here's the proof (and rest assured, there are no "beans" in these pictures).



































Nicholas has yet to get sick, and we are hoping and praying that he doesn't. Meanwhile he is enjoying his newfound friend the exersaucer in an attempt to keep him out of contaminated zones. (I am a germ freak and so my imagination is going wild with visions of invisible sick-germs getting at my little guy.) Lookee how cute he is.


















(By the way, we had a wonderful time in Utah...posts to come!)

Sick House

That's right, I believe I am incapable of keeping my child healthy. Heaven help us when we have two! I would like to blame church nursery (and do), but seriously, what is it that makes germs stick to Jacob like flies on stank (no offense, J.J.). This latest sickness has included a mystery fever for two days and now some mild stomach problems, about which I will not elaborate. It hasn't been a terrible experience by any means...we've just spent a lot of time inside, which is a tall order for us.

He fell asleep on me today, which is a sure-fire sign that he's feeling ill and I didn't know what to do!?! Let me explain.

1. I was REALLY hungry. In fact, my stomach was growling. In other words, which child do I take care of. Hmmmm.

2. I needed to use the bathroom.

3. He was only wearing basketball shorts. No socks, no shirt.

4. I had put his bedding in the wash and had not put the new sheets on his bed yet.

So there I was, trapped under a child woefully unprepared to take a nap in every way yet desperately needing a quality nap (read: a nap in his crib). So, I eased him onto the couch. I got up, turned to look at him and gasped. He was an angel. An angel wrapped up in a ratty old Daytona Beach towel laying on a sheet to protect the couch. It didn't matter, he took my breath away.







(The end of the story is a 4 hour nap in his crib once I dressed his bed and dressed him. Tricky mommy!)

(Also, I do know how to take pictures, but silly blogger cropped them...just use your imagination for the forehead, fingers and toes that are missing.)