Thursday, January 15, 2009

thursday thirteen

I'm taking a page from Heather's book with the Thursday 13. The past 13 days have been full of sickness at our house, but I think we're over the worst of it now (praise Jesus). So here, in no special order, are 13 reasons it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

13. So far, I have never been in a position where both of my children really needed my immediate attention and couldn't have it. Both may have wanted my attention, but not needed it. That sounds small, but knowing you are physically able to give both children what they need (though not always what they want) is a huge thing when you have children this young.

12. It wasn't a stomach virus. Which is going around, by the way. One of the families from Bible study had croup followed by stomach virus (and parents were sick, too). THAT is worse, way worse, than what we just did.

11. Little babies who are congested are scary to watch, as some of you well know. Silas got congested, and he got pretty sick, but not hospital sick. No bronchitis, no pneumonia, no RSV. Not, I'm afraid to go to sleep because then who will watch him breathe, sick. And for that I am thankful.

10. Noggin.

9. Yesterday, after our very sad night, Brian's dad took Asher out to McDonald's and to feed the ducks. This was every bit as exciting as Disney World for Asher, and reminiscent of the two-nap days of the past for me. I had an hour of quiet in the morning, and a couple of hours in the afternoon. It was everything I thought it could be.

8. In general, in the past two weeks I have been reminded that it takes a village. This is why I am not inclined towards homeschooling, as well. One of the reasons, anyway - I can't be every single thing my child needs all the time. I can't be play mate and teacher and disciplinarian and nurturer, every day, all the time. Neighbors, grandparents, phone nurses - all play a huge role in my children's lives, and aren't just substituting. They enrich their lives. For that I am thankful.

7. Both of my children are sweet-natured. No maniacal maniacs here, and that makes difficult times much much easier to bear. Little Silas would look up, face swollen, nose running, and just SMILE. It made the day easier.

6. Brian.

5. Speaking of, Brian had surgery last Friday. That added to our stress, of course, but the good news is that we should be done. The surgeon consulted with a melanoma specialist, and based on their conversation did not see any reason to take lymph nodes or be concerned about additional treatment. Good.

4. Asher never stopped eating and drinking. Made it much easier to deal with fevers and not be worried about dehydration.

3. One of my friends in town had the same sickness at the same time, so she became my ally. Every morning we'd check in. "Did you sleep?" "No, did you?" "No." There's something about camaraderie that makes anything less miserable.

2. Asher has new Christmas and birthday toys and books to play with, so this past week, when he has felt better but Brother has not, it was easier to keep him occupied.

1. Everything is for a season. Even croup ends, infections heal, stitches fade to scars. Thanks be to God.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It sounds like every single baby in Montgomery is sick right now.

That's awesome that things went well with Brian's procedure. Hopefully everyone will feel better soon.

leslie said...

you sound like you have handled it better than I have... the funny thing is all the playmates are sick but have not even seen each other in at least a month! at least they didn't catch it from one another... LOL I am glad things are better where you are than they were!

Julie Pippert said...

I think this is a fabulous list, and not just because I identified with so much of what you said about being a mother. I also like how contemplative and wise and positive it is.

Glad you guys are getting to well, though.