Aunt Laura to the Rescue!!!

I just wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know Hallie is doing a lot better, and so am I.

Over the weekend, Hallie was still hacking away and I began to run a very low grade fever. I also blew through two boxes of kleenex and Sharon and I consumed numerous mentholated cough drops, popsicles and other frozen non-milk based items to cool our raging, swollen throats. Nothing really helped much, and we were beside ourselves (not to mention thoroughly exhausted).

When Hallie is ill, she doesn't like to be put down. I can understand why: when you feel miserable, you want nothing more than to be held in comforting arms. But when both moms are also ill, this is a bit hard to do. Sharon sat up holding Hallie in the glider most of Saturday night, and the best she could manage in terms of achieving a modified horizontal position was creating a nest next to her on the futon for Hallie. But by Sunday morning, she was exhausted, and Hallie and I were still sick.

So in swooped Aunt Laura, who rescued all of us. She held, fed, comforted and played with Hallie while Sharon slept and I engaged in the relaxing endeavor of editing a copyedited version of an article that needed to get back to the publisher pronto. I know I probably should have slept, too, but it was imperative to get this work done.

Anyway, Hallie had a great day with Aunt Laura and I attribute her speedy recovery to the good care and love she received. Plus, Aunt Laura--who, as mom to four beautiful kids is an expert in everything child-oriented--sucked out Hallie REALLY well and taught us how to use the nasal aspirator properly (we've tried to replicate this, but it takes two of us to do -- one to grab Hallie's hands, hold her head still and virtually sit on her, and the other to excavate the gunk).

We ended the day with a Chinese New Years banquet. Well, not really a banquet, but some very good Chinese take out. Happy Year of the Pig!

So, by this morning, things are settling down for two of us here at home: Hallie is back to eating more normally, sleeping in her bouncy chair, and playing happily. She still has some nasal schmutz clogging up her nostrils, but she is clearly getting better and no longer sounds like a seal pup. I'm virtually over the cold (which means that I have now had my first cup of coffee since Thursday. I really missed my java!). Sharon, alas, is still in parainfluenza hell: she has a bit of a fever, a bad headache, a raging sore throat, and muscle pain. I hope she doesn't have anything more serious than that which felled the rest of us and that it's simply a matter of her being one day behind the rest of us.

And, for those of you who prefer pictures to prose, I leave you with two images of Hallie taken about a week ago during her play date with Maya. As soon as I hear that it's okay from Maya's mom, I'll post some pictures of both girls together.