Back in the land of the living...

I apologize for the delay in my posts lately. To say that we have been a little under the weather would be QUITE the understatement. Joshua and I would have qualified for "Sick and Sicker" titles over the past week. It's been a long one, let's just say that. I believe today is the first day that I've gone more than 10 minutes without blowing my nose. And finally, Joshua is feeling well enough to play and eat and sleep. Thank God for miracles. Jason had been sick a few weeks ago and so graciously shared it with Joshua and I. Let's just sum it all up by saying that things hit a really low point on Wednesday and Thursday nights when Joshua was so congested that he literally could not breathe. He was struggling for breath all night long those nights, breathing in only when I would open his mouth for him to gasp for air. We were panicked...in a way I can't quite explain...except to anyone who is a mom and has spent a night or two on night vigil with their sick child. I think we've all been there- with a fever, or a stomach bug, or a bad cough or whatever, but this breathing thing was a whole new level of anxiety for us. Add to it that I was also sicker than I've been in quite some time (and also unable to medicate thanks to being pregnant) and we had a serious mess on our hands. We got the go-ahead from our pediatrician to give one drop of Afrin nasal spray in each nostril right before bed on Friday, which granted both Joshua and I an improved night's sleep on Friday and Saturday. The doctor said it was OK to do that for 3 nights, but we didn't need to use them at all last night since we were pretty much back to normal....thank goodness.

We were in Lewistown this past weekend to celebrate my cousin Jeannine's ordination as a pastor. What a special weekend it was for her, and we were so proud of all she's accomplished. The Richard family was asked to sing during the service as a gift to her, and we gladly participated. I find it amazing (except that I shouldn't) that we were handed sheet music to sing from 30 minutes before we sang, and still managed to put together a hymn and a Gaither song in 4 part harmony without a single rehearsal. Many of us had never even seen the one song prior to singing. It was a gift to Jeannine that we sang, but I believe we were all blessed by standing together and using our gifts as a family. The other highlight was that we got to see Stacie and baby Anna at church, although the closest I got to either of them was a few pews away. I always marvel at just how miniature newborn babies are and how much you forget about how teeny tiny they're going to be. The idea of holding our own in a few weeks blows my mind.

Given our "conditions" this week, Jason thought it best to make an overnight out of our visit, so we actually headed to my parents' house on Saturday morning. It may also have had something to do with him wanting to play golf with my brother-in-law, but I couldn't say for sure. So, we all camped out at Mom and Dad's for the day/evening and enjoyed the kids. I kept a serious distance from everyone making sure not to spread the germs any further than the Dugan household. Oh how I hated not being able to play with Brooke. Joshua insisted on being outside....in the 97 degree heat....which nearly killed me. We quickly brainstormed options to keep him a) out of the sun which would clearly have caused him sun poisoning despite the SPF 70+ I had coated him with and b) entertained enough that he wouldn't constantly be pulling one of us out into the heat with him. Below you will see what we came up with.


One tub suitable for putting ice and drinks into for a picnic and one garden hose.

Which led to this type of a smile when...

Pap started to spray the water over Joshua's head and clothing.

Pretty soon he was so soaked that the clothes and shoes came off and he was left in his diaper to explore the water. I told my parents that I'll gladly contribute to the increase in their water bill for the month. He was out there for well over 4 hours spraying everything that he could. It was well worth it for us to sit in their garage remaining relatively cool while Josh had the time of his life playing out in the driveway, mostly in the shade.

We headed home Sunday after the luncheon in Jeannine's honor at the church. It was still stinking hot, so we got the pool out for Joshua to play in after his nap. He had a blast. See?

It was a great weekend. And boy is it good to feel good again. And, for me to say I feel good approaching the 33 week mark tomorrow is quite a statement. That just goes to show how bad we felt last week.