the little man is finally back to himself and i’m ever so grateful that he is out of his misery. he still has a runny nose but the (somewhat eerie) stillness that has hung over him the past couple days has lifted and he is back to the boy i know, the boy thats on the go, moving in twenty different directions all at once. unfortunately, now i am sick with bronchitis and i can’t keep up. i feel the need to call in sick, to be pampered, to curl up on the couch with some tea and watch reality tv show marathons for hours, but there are no sick days as a mama so i somehow muster up the energy to laugh, play, and be silly until the little man closes his eyes for the night and then suddenly, i’ve run out of steam, crashing on the couch in a heap of sniffles, coughs, and exhaustion.
a baby with a cold is a miserable baby. helping holden feel better and recover as quickly as possible is my top priority right now. these are some of the things in my arsenal at the moment that i am using to battle this cold.
(inspiration photos from here.)
our easter didn’t go as planned. we missed the easter egg hunt, visit with the easter bunny, and easter pot luck with holden’s baby friends. while i envisioned photos of holden’s first easter, his perfect easter outfit, pink and white bunny ears perched atop his head, pastel colored eggs caught in his tiny grasp, none of this happened. we’ve had a cold outbreak ravaging our house this past week and we spent easter sunday laying in bed feeling miserable. i spent forever dreaming up the perfect easter basket, struggling to throw together a non-traditional basket that would work for a 7 month old, and i’m disappointed i wasn’t able to pull it all together so i thought i’d share holden’s virtual easter basket.
it all started with my awakening to a slightly sore throat last tuesday that morphed into a full-on, nasty cold by the weekend. i thought that my breastmilk might save holden from infection (i was under the impression that breastfed babies never got sick), but it didn’t and holden woke up from his afternoon nap on saturday burning up with a fever. holden’s first real cold. it’s heartbreaking to watch him writhe and moan in pain, eyes red and watering, nose oozing and dripping, completely miserable and suffering. all i want is to make him feel better, to take his pain away, but i can’t so i hold him close against me, rock him back and forth, stroke his head, and whisper sweet nothings into his ear. he needs me now more than ever before, not wanting me to leave his side even for a second, and i’m finding myself treasuring this newfound clingy-ness, appreciating his urgent demand for me to be beside him. as i’ve laid him down each night, trying to stealthily steal away to eat my dinner and spend time with my husband, his small hands reach out in the darkness, latching onto a piece of my clothing and not letting go. one hand cups my arm, the other tracing my face as he settles back into a peaceful slumber with the knowledge that i am by his side. i’ve found myself relishing in his neediness these past few days, my wild child suddenly subdued enough to enjoy hours of cuddling and quiet time with mama.
