Melted Hearts

My little (I'm big!) boy is sick with fever and aches. He has reverted back to his habit from when he was still a baby (and then a toddler) and needed to feel safe and connected. He digs his fingers into my warm armpit and then falls deep asleep. 

 

There was a time when this annoyed me: his nails were too sharp, his fingers too cold.

Now, after too many weeks or even months of Big Boy, this small return to a unique baby-habit... my heart melts. 

How did I get entrusted with this special soul? 

XO

Sick Little Lady

Our little lady has spent the past five days feeling pretty icky. It started with a fever and some more complicated teething. 

Then she broke out in a nasty rash and got some nasty belly problems. I saw this face a lot. 

But then it slowly started to get better. Slowly. 

Thankfully today has been fever free and little lady is even eating regular foods. 

Looking adorable!

XX 

The Temperatures Are Rising (sick)

Ugh. The past two weeks haven't been too much fun around the Steinbach clan. We've been passing around a virus from one person to the next. It started with PJ and his request to sleep while on the way home from kindergarten...cause little man isn't one to sleep.



The next day we were off to the doctors; PJ got to stay home two days with Jelly Bean and I while fighting off a light virus, or maybe just really strong allergies.

The kiddos watching Frozen together. 

Right when PJ returned to "work" (his word), Jelly Bean started showing signs of a viral infection. But she was still pretty content, slept a little bit more but nothing serious, so I stuck to more natural remedies and lots of fresh warm, bundled up tight.

A walk, all bundled up on a cooler day.

Another walk on a much warmer day this week.

Little lady feel asleep on the floor.

But then last night she started to have a rattle or a wheeze or a - man, I really need to practice descriptive language for doctors - something in her chest. She was still happy and still eating, so I decided to wait until the morning to return to the doctors. 

Jelly Bean at the doctor's office.

Turns out that my still laughing, still smiling, still easy-going little girl has a double ear infection, a 'medium' bronchitis, and a "raw" throat.

Poor, poor, poor thing. 

XO

Happy Half Birthday!

Wow, it has been a crazy week. Must have been because I haven't blogged since Monday. The short version of the story is: started off quiet, took a turn into Sick City, rebounded with a wonderful visit at friends', and is now ending with little man turning six whole months old.

The longer version is: turns out little man is willing to spend time in his (previously hated) stroller as long as he can sit up and comment on just about everything that goes past him.



And: Holy moses - I found my ab muscles. Turns out ten hours of puking my brains out and then dry heaving for about another five hours should be considering one hell of an abdominal work out. Not one that I would really recommend but highly effective for locating stretched out abs. No gym membership needed - just eat something off.

I had been curious how nursing would work if I got sick. I learned earlier that during a cold I needed to drink extra, extra water and that sneezing really pisses PJ off. This time I learned that my body will still create enough nutrition for my son even when I cannot keep water in my body. That just seems miraculous to me. I also learned that while sneezing still pisses PJ off, he could seriously care less if I lean over his body to vomit while he is nursing. Seriously, people: my boy is already ready for frat parties. And, no, there is no picture of that one. Your welcome.

Thankfully, Opa was able and willing to come over on both Wednesday and Thursday to help take care of PJ. On Wednesday I was thankful that he could come but I also sorta expected him to come: he lives less than 30 minutes away; loves PJ; his wife, son and daughter are all out of the country; and he is retired. What else was he doing that could outrank our PJ?

Then PJ was ready for his nap, I was too sick to rock him after nursing, and PJ - who loves his structure - got more and more tired but was unwilling to sleep until I came over and did my job. I could almost hear his little voice chanting, "It is so difficult to find good help these days, dammit."

In my absence, Opa tried everything he could for over an hour, including singing, back rubbing, carrying, until PJ pushed his little arms off Opa's chest, looked him right in the eye, and then shrieked into his face without end.

Shrieked into his face. Without end. To know what that looked like, remember this blog entry?

I finally gave in and called the Mr to please come home, hoping that PJ would put on a more subdued performance for his papa. I also got a short reprieve and somehow managed to hold it together just long enough to finally rock PJ to sleep.

After all of that, imagine my (sheer) surprise when Opa was actually willing to repeat the performance on Thursday. Seriously, that is grandparent love right there. Kid shrieks in your face for an hour and you still give up your morning to spend time with him? And smile about it? Awesome.

Seriously awesome.

Opa, Oma and PJ in happier days.

And, we got to spend a nice afternoon with Little Precious's parents and younger brother (who is adorable beyond words). For one glorious half hour all three kids were asleep and the parents went wild....drinking tea and a beer and chatting. Mostly about kids.

There we are, wild and crazy:



And today my worm, my little man, my most precious PJ is six months old. Half a year. To celebrate, he is strutting his stuff in his little (borrowed) tuxedo and showing off his skills:

Six months old. Insane.


xo

Is Little Dude Styling?

I'm sick. Whoa is me. Whooooaaaaa is me. I am not a very good sick person, but I am an excellent complainer. I'm deep into my third day of complaining about being sick and being a general PIA. I'm also into my third pot of homemade chicken soup. 

Yesterday we were suppose to go to the Christmas market and introduce PJ to Santa Claus. That didn't happen. Today we were suppose to go to Oma and Opa's for lunch. Thankfully, little man and the Mr. were able to go and I'm at home relaxing, eating chicken soup, overdoing the vitamin C and getting some more sleep. 

Whooooaaaaa is me. 

Since little man was going to see his dear Aunt S-Squared (for a collection of her outfits, click this link), who is quite the style goddess, I had to make sure that he was decked out in absolute adorable-ness. That's not all that easy for me since, as S-Squared has told me twice over the years, my style is "boring" (and that was the nicest word she could find and she really tried).

Not that she doesn't have a point. I tend towards simple cuts, solid colors, and stuff that I can wear for years. I tend to tease S-Squared about being hit hard with the style stick because she always looks put together and just awesome (well, except for those very unfortunate boots she wore for a little while). 

So I dug into PJ's drawers and did my best. Here we are for your comparison efforts. Me, simple black shirt with hair pulled back, neither complementing anything (and no, its not because I'm sick ... this is just me, causal & boring); PJ in dark brown overalls with plaid, button-up shirt that both matches his overalls and complements his little red cheeks.

Here is little man in all his glory, right next to the Christmas tree. What a cutie-pie!

Did I do a good job?


xo

The 3 Step Kill-a-Cold Program

I’ve got another cold and, since I’m still growing our little worm, medicine is out of the question. Which is actually okay because the best way to deal with a cold doesn’t have anything to do with meds. It’s the 3 step kill-a-cold program:
1. Homemade chicken soup
2. Sleep
3. Beautiful & happy things

The chicken soup must be homemade - nothing canned is going to work. Even with a cold, its super easy to make. For two-three days of chicken soup-based meals, you‘ll need:

• Water
• Two chicken legs (with both the thigh and the leg) with the skin still attached
• A few carrots
• A handful of small, fresh potatoes
• Two large onions
• A few pieces of garlic
• Salt and pepper

1. Fill a large pot with the amount of water you want for your soup
2. Boil the chicken legs in the water until they are cooked all the way through
3. While the chicken boils, cut all the vegetables into small pieces. I like my soup chunky, so I leave the pieces bigger
4. When the chicken is done, remove them from the water - save all the water! - and let them cool shortly
5. Throw all the vegetables into the water
6. Strip the meat off the bones and cut the meal into smaller pieces
7. Add the meat into the water and vegetable
8. Salt and pepper to taste
9. Let the soup simmer until the potatoes and carrots are soft
10. EAT!

Once the chicken soup is ready and you’ve had at least two big servings, climb into your bed and sleep. Not on the couch - in your own bed in your bedroom with the windows darkened and the electronic stuff (that shouldn’t be in your room anyways) off. Sleep until you wake up, eat some more soup, and then sleep some more.

In the limited time when you’re awake and not eating homemade chicken soup, add a few beautiful things to your environment. Like music you enjoy, fresh flowers, a happy movie, and a loving partner or friend.

It will still take a few days to feel totally healthy again but it will pay off better than any package of cold medicine. I’m about 12 hours into the 3-step-kill-a-cold-program and I’m already feeling a little bit better. By Monday I bet I’ll be back to myself again.

Now to figure out how the 3-step-kill-a-cold-program will work with little ones…

xo

Little Sick Peewee

Our little Peewee is quite sick - we aren't quite sure yet what is wrong or if it is treatable. On Wednesday she got a bunch of blood tests and an ultrasound- meaning she got a new accessory and a haircut. She is a little shy with the haircut but posed with her new jewelry.

Lets hope she gets better.



xo

For the Record

When the male half of the new steinbach clan gets sick, he does not:

• moan 
• groan 
• whine 
• complain 
• get mean 
• become unpleasant to be around 
• swear he is going to die shortly.

Instead he can be seen hacking his head off while cleaning the kitchen.

That, ladies and gentlemen, that is awesome.

These things cannot be said about the female half.


xo