Haiku Friday: Times gone by

Feel the warm sunshine,
see palm trees and clear water.
Close your eyes and dream.

Oh, such simple times.
Life was like a vacation.
I miss you, husband.

13 GOOD things about having the flu

Just after The Baby got over his poop-jag, Mommy got the flu. I hate having the chills and I doubly hate limiting my interaction with The Baby. But when your body feels like a bruise and your throat is on fire, you might as well look on the bright side. Here are some good things about being sick:

1. Missing work. Okay, I took two half days, rather than full days, but I still missed some work.
2. PJs until 11 a.m.
3. Watching SpongeBob Squarepants in the morning when I’d normally be pulling into work.
4. Falling asleep after SpongeBob and napping on the sofa.
5. Not worrying about housework.
6. Not shaving. And I always shave. I even shaved while in labor.
7. Not cooking or cleaning up after dinner.
8. Getting sympathy hugs and foot massages from hubby.
9. Not being hungry. I usually am planning my next meal or snack one meal or snack in advance.
10. Getting a free ride out of diaper duty. Okay, the price tag is being sick, but it’s nice not to have to change diapers as The Baby is at the point in his life that having his diaper changed = pure torture.
11. Blasting the heat in the car. Mmmmmmmmm… when you are cold all over it feels so good to blast the car heater. It’s like taking a hot bath without the water.
12. Nyquil. It’s a shame, but these last few days my sleep has improved.
13. Cough medicine with Codeine.

74 diapers later...

The Baby, poor thing, had diarrhea for eight days. Luckily, he didn’t get dehydrated. He continued to eat and drink as if nothing was wrong. That what came out of him in this time period was at least twice what went into him confounds me. Meh… some things just aren’t worth thinking about too much. He seems to be okay now. Still going more than usual, but twice a day instead of four to seven times a day. Thank goodness he was a happy pooper or it would have been a really long week! Also, thank goodness that my parents-in-law were in town, since kids with the back-door trots can’t go to daycare. Since they live nine hours away and don’t get the chance to see him often, poopy diapers weren’t issue!

I got out of Code Brown using only one sick-day and with only one up-the-back-and-out-the-diaper poop and one tub poop. I feel like a lucky woman.

One thing that I have noticed in the last 11 months (I will have a one-year-old soon!), is that The Baby has impeccably poor timing when it comes to getting sick. For the first five months we dealt with acid reflux, so he was often miserable – and who can blame him? He went from warm days floating on a cloud of amniotic fluid and hooked up to a constant supply of food to a much heavier, colder, quieter place where he gets hungry and has to work for his food. Throw in a sour stomach and projectile puking and who can blame him for being mad? Since then, it seems like every time we go visiting or host guests something happens: allergic reactions, double ear infections, upper respiratory infection, diarrhea. Sometimes I feel like my out-of-town relatives (everyone except my parents) never get to see The Baby in his true light. That’s a bummer. He really is a sweet little guy.

Here's a question, why is that The Baby is perfectly content to munch on a peice of cat kibble that he finds on the floor, but we practically have to sedate him to get that first spoonful of "big-boy" food in his mouth? Certainly meatloaf or Gerbers chicken and carrot sticks are better tasting than Friskies?!?

Haiku Friday: A rabbit and a question

He buries his face
in soft fur, his stuffed rabbit
is tattered with love.

He is sweet like this
always a hug or a kiss
for his furry friends.

I can’t help it, come Saturday and Sunday, I find myself still ticking off syllables on my fingers!

Here is a question:
do you too count syllables
after Friday’s gone??

Ummmm… Anyone? Anyone?

Housework = more sex??

The AP released an article by David Crary, “Men who do housework may get more sex.” If you have a minute the article is worth a read.

Let me just take a moment to brag about my husband. He does housework – and I don’t mean he does one load of wash a week, loads the dish washer twice and thinks he’s doing half the work – he really does half the work. Dishes, cooking, vacuuming, childcare, you name it and he does it.

Poor hubby, he’s probably reading this scratching his head wondering where his extra sex is. If sex were a direct result of housework, my husband would be the happiest - or at least the most satisfied - man around. I'll have to work on that!

Honestly, I get mad when I hear about husbands who do no housework, but have time for sports and video games. The sense of entitlement really just gets me. I don't know how people can allow someone that they love to carry such a heavy burden, but I won’t dwell on it here since there is a good possibility that many of you have husbands like that.

I think that you should forward them this article. :-)

The operation continues

I'm at home today with a sick baby (see yesterday's post). We're still operating under a strict code brown at the Pump Room household. I chalked up his loose and frequent stools to teething. He just doesn't seem like his belly is bothering him. I called his pediatrician and they said it was probably a virus and that until he had firm poop, he should stay away from other kids. While he does have some really fussy moments, he is basically a happy pooper, so I've enjoyed spending the day with him.

The Baby, who is sure to start crying now that I am blogging, has been asleep for the past two hours. He woke up at five this morning, as he's been doing regularly for the last two or three weeks (does this stop? Please tell me this isn't his forever wake up time!).

Uh-oh, right on cue... I will try to pop back on later. Have a great day. I'm loving the warmth in the North East, even if it's raining.

Code Brown

On Saturday, my husband and I were watching Diagnosis X and they used the term Code Brown. Turns out that it is code for a diarrhea situation in a patient’s room. Code Brown would have worked well for us this weekend.

The Baby had the trots, poor fella. We think he’s teething. His gums are swollen and he’s a crank. We were told that we could expect tooth number nine at The Baby’s nine-month appointment, so far it’s been a no-show. Since he chews on his finger non-stop, is digging a frozen teether (usually he ignores his teethers) and he has the poops with no apparent stomach issues, we figure he’s getting some teeth.

We felt sort of helpless, among other things. We have constipation down to a “T.” The Baby is almost always constipated (cure = ½ dose of MyraLAX every three days). Loose stools? Totally clueless –– we just tried to give some Pediatlyte to replace fluids. He, of course, hates it and won’t drink the stuff, but we still try. I freeze Pedialyte in 4 oz breast milk storage bags since he uses it so infrequently.

I say we felt helpless “among other things” because I forget how trying it can be to try to comfort an infant or baby who doesn’t feel well. It was a long weekend for everyone. Lots of inconsolable crying and frustration. Can we have a do-over? :-)

The Baby is feeling better today, thank goodness. Hurry up, Friday!