Sick Day

Well after thinking we were totally in the clear, since we hadn't seen a glimpse of the bug Zoe had for 3 days, Nathan and I got hit.  Nathan was able to suffer through getting to the library to get some work done, but I was not able to do a thing.  After a frightening morning in which I was faced with the reality of taking care of both kids all day without being able to even sit up straight on the couch, I was bailed out by my oh-so-kind friends.  I knew it wasn't going to be good when I got up to try and get some breakfast for Zoe, and she was following me into the kitchen asking for a lollipop.  After I said "No, you can't have a lollipop for breakfast", the whining started.  She then "asked" for a quesadilla with rice and cheese and I just couldn't even begin to explain to her why I couldn't do that.  So what did I do?  I crouched on the kitchen floor and tried not to vomit.  Zoe, in turn, laid on the floor right next to me crying and whining that she wanted a lollipop and a quesadilla.  I looked her straight in the eyes, hoping beyond all hope that this would be one of those beautiful moments where she would just "get it" and cooperate, and said "Zoe, please--I really need your help today.  You remember how yucky you felt the other day?  Well, now I feel the same way so could you please---"  "MOMMY I WANT A LOLLIPOP WAHHHH!"  Did I mention this was at 7:00am?  So, as I crouched by the toilet (literally), I desperately started calling friends to see if anyone would be willing to hang out with Zoe for the day.  Thank goodness my friend Emily said she'd be happy to watch her for the morning and Mariah was able to take her all afternoon until Nathan could pick her up.  Phew!  So, little Owen had probably the best day of his life since all we did was lay around and nap and nurse all day.

One of the funny things about having a whole day off from Zoe was the realization that it doesn't take long at ALL to start really missing your kid.  So often lately, I can swear to you that if I hear the word "Mommy" uttered one more time I might have to get permanent earplugs installed.  I can tell you though, that when 5:30 rolled around and that little girl walked into my house and said "Mommy!!" it was just about the best sound any person could ever hope to hear.  What a crazy job parenting is!

The night before I got sick, I decided to attempt a version of this puzzle from Pink and Green Mama.  She had some old wooden blocks on hand, but I didn't, so I made my own blocks out of cereal and pasta boxes.  It was fun to do, but unfortunately I didn't realize until I was almost done that it's WAY too hard for Zoe but oh well.  Maybe we can find a use for it or maybe she'll like it when she's a little older.

I put a different animal picture on each side of the blocks

Today she was playing with the rainbow rice for a bit and I got motivated to make another little fairy (also from Pink and Green Mama) for the box.  I had made one a few weeks ago but thought I'd try another so they could live in the rainbow rice land together.

So, anyway just plugging away here waiting for Spring to officially arrive.  I can't complain about the winter this year unless I had been hoping for more snow and cold weather, which some years I am.  This year, though I've been happy to be able to get outside with the baby to socialize and take walks.  I'm planning to take on the new challenge (for me) of gardening this spring/summer so I'm already starting to plan that in my head.....we'll see!