Yesterday, I made a kale smoothie following this recipe on Shutterbean. It was delicious, packed with vitamins and green goodness.
the skeptic
But this guy likes everything I give him (except refried beans, which made him gag and shudder...)
He really really really liked this kale smoothie. He finished his own serving and then sipped up the rest of Liam's with a straw.
Here he is saying: I love kale smoothie. I need more kale smoothie. Yum yum yum.
What's worse than being sick on your birthday?
The entire family being sick.
But just when I was starting to feel really pathetic and sorry for myself, these arrived on my doorstep:
And a lot of family and friends called with well-wishes, and there were even a few cards and packages in the mail. It really did make my day to hear from all of you, so thanks and thanks again.
The birthday package from my in-laws included some daffodil bulbs, and the weather this weekend was mild enough to get them in the ground.
A little time outside did all of us some good.
Especially this guy, who is finally on the mend.
My mom took us all out to breakfast at Mimi's. It was the most food I'd eaten in over a week, and it was wonderful.
For my birthday dinner, I made this Thai Steak Salad Over Soba Noodles from Cynthia Lair's Feeding the Whole Family, except I didn't make it until Sunday because none of us felt up to eating it Saturday night.
And for my birthday dessert, I wanted cherry pie because I love it and Gabriel hates it, so this is the only day each year I can make it without any complaints. But because cherries are clearly out of season, I had to go with a frozen variety, and all I could find were frozen bing cherries at our not-so-favorite big box store. I followed this recipe from Everyday Food Magazine, and it was good even if it lacked the flavor a sour cherry pie would have delivered. Not to worry, a scoop of real vanilla ice cream makes everything palatable. Yes, I have been testing how much dairy River can handle. A little cheese here, a dollop of ice cream there. So far, so good.
So now it's Tuesday, and Liam is back to his usual self, which means I am scrambling to keep up with him. I, however, seem to have come down with a sinus infection, so I still feel rotten. My doctor called in a prescription for me this afternoon, so I should start feeling better soon. One can always hope, right?
And the hero of the past couple of weeks, my mom, has come down with the flu, but since she had clearly been exposed, she is on Tamiflu and already feeling remarkably better.
And Gabriel, finally home from his business trip, has a bad chest cold. So the sickness saga continues.
Don't you just love January?
That flu knocked me off my feet for 5 days. I am feeling much much better now. Weak and congested, but at least no more fevers or body aches.
Liam came down with it on Monday, the same day Gabriel left for a week long business trip.
It's a good thing that my mom is amazing. She has been staying with us every night, making chicken soup, helping with middle of the night demands from Liam (a popsicle at midnight? Sure.), bringing in loads of firewood, and taking care of our chickens out back.
I took both boys to see the doctor yesterday. She confirmed that Liam likely has the flu even though we opted not to put him through the testing, and River has a still lingering chest cold. However, they both also have ear infections and conjunctivitis (pink eye). So now they're on amoxycillin and eye drops, along with tylenol for their fevers.
Things could be better.
Today, Liam is feeling well enough to be cantankerous. A good sign.
.....
Over the last week, I've had a lot of broth, toast, and tea with extra honey (the only thing which seems to soothe all the coughing).
But today I made this, and it's amazing:
Orange Carrot Ginger Juice
I found the original recipe here on Shutterbean, but I left out the bell pepper because the flavor grosses me out when I am ill.
Basically, just toss the following into a juicer:
I drank it all on my own, but technically it makes enough for two decent-sized servings. Liam wasn't interested in trying it, but River enjoyed a bit diluted in his sippy cup.
It will be nice to get back to normal eating, but this and Grammie's chicken soup will get us through in the meantime.
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I have been sick all week. Actually, sick since Christmas, but things have only been bad this week. Sore throat, congestion, coughing, fever, body aches: the works.
Gabriel came home at lunch time yesterday and today to help care for our boys so I could do a lot of nothing. I finally went to see a doctor this afternoon in hopes that I had something treatable.
The nurse came in, listened to me rattle off my symptoms, and asked if I had been exposed?
What do you mean, exposed?
To the flu?
Oh, well not that I know of, but I have been out in public, doesn't that count?
Apparently, it does. I tested postitive for the flu. That test, by the way, was the most awful thing I have ever endured in a doctor's office. I was totally not prepared to have two long swabs pushed deep through my nostrils into my sinuses. Awful.
To all of you I have seen in the past 7-10 days, you have been exposed. Deepest regrets.
And since I first fevered on Sunday, I'm at the tail end of it and wouldn't benefit from tamiflu. So, now I wait it out.
My boys are making me soup for dinner. Things could be worse.
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I have two confessions to make:
1. I rarely (read almost never) hang our cloth diapers on the line to dry. That picture up there, I took it months ago. And I felt so accomplished then that I felt the urge to snap a picture to commemorate the event. I haven't line-dried a load of diapers since.
And since I don't line-dry our diapers, the PUL lining in the covers is starting to break down, cracking in places and completely disintegrating in others. Too much heat does that. And then they leak.
So now we are down to just a few covers that are still in good working order (and, yes, I am still running the remnant through the dryer), which leads me to my next confession:
2. I bought disposable diapers for River to wear on our St Louis trip since we didn't have enough covers to get him through 3 days without washing. And not only did I purchase disposables, I opted for the Target brand instead of the Seventh Generation ones we have used for other trips. They were half the price, and 'twas the season for penny pinching. And they had cute polka dots.
Today, I have served my penance.
At the doctor's office, River (wearing one of the aforementioned polka dot numbers...because I may as well use them up while they still fit...gah!) had the mother of all blow out diapers. While we were waiting for the doctor to come back with some adjustments on his helmet and the diaper bag waited on the backseat of the car.
After the appointment, I ran out and grabbed the diaper bag and went straight to the bathroom.
It was a mess. Completely up his back and running across his shoulders. And since he is still breastfeeding every 4 hours but is also eating three meals a day of table food, there were chunks. And it was stinky.
I wriggled him out of his soiled clothes, and mopped up what I could with the diaper.
Have I mentioned that I didn't have any wipes on hand?
Instead we used the paper towels dampened under the faucet, which were prone to disintegrating.
This clearly wasn't working, so I ended up sticking him in the bathroom sink and giving him a bath. After a pat down with more paper towels, he was clean and dry. I put another polka dot diaper on him, a spare change of clothes, and that was that.
.....
In other news, the orthotist was impressed with River's head-growth. In the month-and-a-half since our first visit, River's head circumference has increased by nearly 3/8 inch. He even re-checked the measurement, saying that he has never seen a baby River's age with such rapid growth, which is why we are already seeing a lot of results. His head is obviously much rounder than before we started with his helmet. So, it's all good news.
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