Chesed

Sunday March 22, 2009

By Michelle March 22, 2009 Uncategorized 31 Comments


We’ve gone through 4 oz of children’s motrin, 2 of children’s tylenol, nearly the milligram equivalent of that in infants, and ounces and ounces of gatorade.  Adam still has fever.  Today is day 8.  At what point do I worry about this being something more then the flu?  And what do you say when you’re son with the temperature of 102 insists on going outside with daddy?


The good news is that Liam is fever free, motrin free, and tylenol free for 24 hours.  His nose is still running; but for the most part he is back to being a normal, happy baby.  And finally after two weeks of me being relegated to the base of his food pyramid, he is once again eating solids.  Or at least his version of solids.  I have never in my life seen such a gaggy baby. 


On Friday I was so discouraged with all the continued illness and crankiness and snot on my shoulder and whining and snot on my skirt and more neediness and baby attached to hip days.  I was tired of having clothes left in the dryer overnight getting so wrinkly they were either going to have to be re-washed or ironed more then I want to think about.  I couldn’t seem to do any task because in the ten minute segments I got, it took too much brain power for my overwhelmed body to be productive.  Not to mention, I was tired. 


I asked Adam what reward I could have for cleaning the kitchen and he thought I could play with him.  Reward?  For who?  Finally we decided we could go across the road to pick some forsythia.  Two days prior I was so desperate for a sign of life instead of illness I went out to the edge of the woods and picked limbs off bushes with half-grown green leaves.  At least they made me feel better.


Throughout the weekend there were happier moments.  Liam is smiling more.  Adam eats at least one meal a day.  David Lee totally surprised me with a dozen red roses.  I love them so much I carry them from room to room with me so I can see them all the time!  They stay in the kitchen most of the day and at night they head upstairs to our bedroom so I can see them when I’m falling asleep and wake up to the memory of how loved I am.  Best of all, David Lee was home yesterday.  Priceless gift. 


This afternoon I get to pick up my friend, Anita, from Ireland!  I haven’t seen her for way, way too long and it will be a very yack, yack, yack week here as we catch up on everything and solve all the world’s problems as we always do. 


Yesterday we got a phone call from a couple from Illinois.  They lived with us in Ireland for a week when we spent a two month stint there helping out at the mission.  Ernie and Karen impressed David Lee and I so much in our short time with them.  Both are highly intelligent, caring people.  We loved the way they used their talents and assets to help others.  Ernie has his own business and uses a mileage credit card in it.  Instead of using those miles for pleasure, they fly to different missions to help out.  And when they go to help, they help!  They arranged for their own ride to and from the airport on a bus and barely got there before Ernie wanted to change into work clothes and see the shop.  During their stay, he fixed a tool that had given trouble ever since it was purchased and Karen went around helping everyone everywhere.  In our late night talks we were fascinated with the way they lived at home, helping to care for her parents, enabling their daughter in taking care of a prison baby, being excited about their son’s vision for his life…..David Lee and I would go to bed and say, “when we grow up, let’s be like them.”  We haven’t seen them since the fall of 2005 and now they are stopping in next weekend on their way up the east coast!  So exciting!


The other good thing about this weekend is that today is my birthday!  It doesn’t feel like a birthday.  My mom’s wonderful birthday meal had to be postponed, I couldn’t go to church, and I’m still getting snot wiped on my shoulders.  But David Lee is grilling steaks for lunch and Adam insists on decorating a cake for me.  So, happy birthday to me and to Freida and anyone else who is celebrating today!

31 thoughts on “Sunday March 22, 2009”

  1. rachi882

    Happy Birthday Michelle!  I like the picture of you and the roses…..you look happy, calm and beautiful!

       I hope your children will be completely healed this week! 

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  5. yodertime

    Happy birthday, hope the kids keep getting better and the memory of it goes away too …. I also have been a snot covered mom the last 2 weeks, sometimes puked on. No fun, but the sun is shining today, so there is hope. Have a cupcake.

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  8. smuckers4jesus

    Happy Birthday girl and I hope and pray everyone in your house feels better soon, it will be nice to see you in church again, it was either you or I that were missing the last month.  Blessings!

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  9. seekinHISwisdom

    Well Happy Birthday, hope you have a wonderful sweet day!!! So glad your boys are getting better, and I understand why you need some form of life in your house. Spring is sounding pretty good after such a long cold winter. Your flowers are beautiful!

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  12. onebusymom

    Happy Birthday !!!!!! Hope your kiddos keep on getting better. We had sickness at this house for a while too and was I every delighted to have everyone feeling better again. Blessings on your week !!!!

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  15. dariusnro

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! Yaay! Beautiful Roses….my honey gave me some this past week and I sure know what you mean taking them from room to room…esp. while being sick w/ strep throat the whole week.  I hope your b/day was fun…and best wishes this week sounds like fun!  Hope Adam feels better soon!  Keep hanging in there…  

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  16. justanotherbeachnut

    Happy Birthday, Michelle!
    You get Anita for a week? So jealous! I’m sure you ladies will have a great time together…
    With spring here, surely the sickness will go away soon! Wishing you brighter days ahead! Blessings…

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  24. lolita_rose

    Hoping for you a day touched with beauty, my far away friend! And may the noses cease their dripping! 🙂 Do you, like me, remember the days when you looked at children with snotty noses and wondered why in the world their mothers didn’t KEEP their noses clean?! What was I thinking-that mothers trot around everywhere close behind their children wiping furiously every time a hint of a snail trail appeared?! Anyway, I am sick and tired of drippy noses too. And how I wish I could spend an afternoon with you and Anita, yacking and yacking! Give her my love!

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  28. itsayoderworld

    And another “happy birthday” (albeit belated) wish from me; I hope it turned out better than expected!  And I really, really, REALLY hope that your boys will both be back to normal (do you still remember what normal is?) SOON!

    There is just this huge visual contrast between your third paragraph and that last picture!!!  How in the world do you look so young, fresh, vibrant, & serene???  I’d have black circles around my eyes, greasy hair, a frumpled dress, and a ghastly fake smile.  No fair!

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  29. Carsonsmom2

    Happy Birthday!!! A day late…. 🙂  Hope your boys are better and you get some much needed sleep.  And just for the record, when I’m sleep deprived?  I don’t look near as good as you seem to be! Yay for flowers and caring husbands!

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