The Sickly Blues

I'm sick......again. I don' have just your normal virus, I have Mastitis.....again. I've had it once a month for the past three months. Each time seems to get progressively worse. If you've never had it, it's hard to describe. It's like a very painful flu virus. My baby is just shy of 9 months old. In the midst of my pain, I've decided that it's time to wean him. That's what logic tells me anyway. I can't be sick 3 or 4 days every month. My heart says it's too early. He's too young. Formula smells bad. I cry when I think of it,  not knowing what to do.

My kids have gotten where they are quite responsible when I am down in bed. Zack fixed everyone breakfast and annouced to the others that, "Mom is sick. When I tell you to do something, you need to do it right away without complaining!" Wonder where he got that line? He came and got the baby out of bed and carried him (Oh my, I'm not ready for him to carry him around!) into the family room to play. All four of them took good care of each other and let me get some rest. They are such sweet children.

My dear brother stopped by after lunch and offered to take the kids home so I could get a nap. I said, "The baby too, right?" He said, "Really? He won't need changed will he?" Naaa. He'll be fine. Here's to hoping. I guess 22 yr. old brothers don't do diapers.

My husband is the best. He's a good man, but sometimes when I see a glimpse of his heart I fall in love with him all over again. I woke up in the middle of the night realizing I had Mastitis again. It put me in tears because I knew there was NOTHING I could do. All I could do was wait it out until morning and call the doctor. Dan gets up quite early to go to work. I know he needs sleep and the baby wakes us up once or twice a night. I rolled over and woke him up anyway to tell him my woes. I'm one of those people who need to "share" their discomforts in the middle of the night with others. (My parents could attest to this fact, as I woke them up many times as a child....and a teen....and a young adult.) My sweet husband turned over, wrapped his arms around me, and prayed for God's healing for me. And then he stayed awake and held me while I cried. He is a good man, and I am eternally grateful that God gave him to me. He wasn't able to fix my problem, but he made it a whole lot better.

I really don't have time to be sick. There is so much to do every day when you have 4 children. But, I guess if I hadn't gotten sick I wouldn't know how big, responsible, and helpful my kids are becoming. I wouldn't know how thoughtful my brother is when he doesn't have to be. And I wouldn't have had a glimpse of how much my husband cares for me. Thank You Lord for reminding me of the many things I have to be grateful for in my life.

I DO love my everyday life.

I keep forgetting to bring in a new box of Kleenexes from the pantry. This morning it backfired on me.

 “Kade,” I said, “Would you go get me a long piece of toilet paper?”  He runs off obediently to the bathroom.  He never brings me a long piece, so that’s why I specify. This time it’s semi long. I start to wipe my nose and realize it’s a bit damp. You never know with Kade.  “Kade, why is the toilet paper wet?” I ask.  I was hoping for the, “I got my hands wet, and then touched it” scenario.  “It drug through the water,” he replies.  Now I’m desperately hoping for the “wet sink” scenario. “What water?” I bravely ask. “The toilet, ” he says.  Of course it did. I’ve  just wiped my nose with potty water. 

Good thing I cleaned it last week sometime…..