Wander.

Andrew just scurried off with the children on a chocolate milkshake run. Yes, at 9:30pm. I have approximately 10 minutes of silence. No Pokemon blaring on the television, no whining at my ankles, no chatter. My brain feels like its buzzing, like the silence is so foreign, my mind has to break the quiet to make its own noise to fill it back up. My temples ache and there is a continual vibrato in my skull. But it's quiet. And I can think in calm, open spaces. So, here I am.

I have a head cold for the 50th time this year. It's probably because I get far less sleep than I used to. Partly because of a frequent nighttime-waker and partly because Andrew and I willingly stay up late watching episodes of our favorite shows on Netflix. Either way, my body hasn't caught up with everything my mind thinks it needs to do. It's okay, though, because...It was almost 60 degrees today. Spring is on the way and there will be no need for sleep. Okay, maybe a little need. But we'll be up to our earlobes in fantastic adventures and outdoor exploration.

We went on a walk down by the river today, soaking in this beautiful, overcast day. Tomorrow the forecast is snow. Again. But at least we had today.

Today where Oliver ran ahead of us, scouring his surroundings for pebbles to launch into the flowing river below, capped with frothy, milky ice fluff. Today where Dexter's eyes were never wider and his voice was never quieter. Where he explored and experienced and witnessed. Today where we breathed fresh, non-recycled air deeply into our lungs, briskly walking through wet, muddy patches of earth, eyes darting everywhere and anywhere...as long as they weren't fixated on those same tan walls we've stared at inside our home the last six months or so. Andrew ran with Oliver. They raced and laughed. They breathed heavily from the sporadic, much-needed bursts of pure energy. Dexter and I watched and wandered and skipped. He sunk his chilly cheek into my chest, eyes still wide, filled with light and excitement, and I kissed him and remembered the first summer Oliver got to explore through the grass and feel the warm summer sun kiss his alabaster cheeks. Dexter will get to be wild and free this summer and he will get to bask in the heat and know the smell of campfire and lake water, the feel of cold pool water and summer sun. Today was a mere dribble, a small taste of how sweet this summer is going to be for we Fritzes, and I can't wait. I just can't wait.

Cheers.

The Butterfly House.

So, to expand on both boys feeling better, I decided to take the boys to the Butterfly House with Grandma for a day of restoration, relaxation, and general well-being. I needed to see the color green, to feel the warm, humid air, and pretend like it wasn't -9 last night. After being cooped up for almost three weeks now, with one person after the other falling ill, Oliver, then Dexter, then me, then Andrew, then Oliver and Dexter all over again, I decided to put on some makeup, do my hair for once, and do something.

To say it was needed would be an understatement. Oliver was so excited to see the all of the fish and stingrays is in the aquarium and wander around the butterfly house, pretending to be a troll under the bridge, marveling at the baby quail, and watching butterflies gingerly land on his sleeves. It was Dexter's first visit to the butterfly house, and his first real chance to touch and explore foliage and hints of springtime and summer as he was so small last year. There was so much wonder in both of their faces, and my heart was just totally peaceful. I wish we could live somewhere that looks and feels like the butterfly house year-round. I'm ready for this blasted snow to melt.

Anyway, here is the over-share of our adventure.

Cheers xx

9/52

Here I am again, posting another last-minute 52 project post. This time I have a legitimate excuse, I promise. We found out Dexter's little cold was actually full-blown RSV at the beginning of this last week, so the last several days have been spent snuggling, nursing, and filling and refilling the humidifier. Dexter has been refusing to fall asleep any other way than being nursed to sleep in our bed, which I love, but it definitely takes time away from daily tasks, but his little body has needed all the milk and rest it could get, so I gladly trapped myself under the sheets with him.

We brought him to the doctor, which we never do, because my mom was really concerned about his cough. I moreso went to appease her and put her at ease, but when the diagnosis came back RSV positive and the doctor started prescribing a steroid and a nebulizer, unwilling (or unable, I'm not certain) to answer in-depth questions about the medicine used in the nebulizer or the why we would really need to use the nebulizer, we decided to talk over our options.

Don't get me wrong, we aren't anti-doctor, and I realize the benefit and necessity of modern medicine, but we have never been ones to blindly feed our kids antibiotics for every illness, or anything else along those lines, so this was no different than any other conversation we've had about our children's health and well-being. We opted out of both the steroids and nebulizer and decided to battle RSV the old-fashioned way. Some things that helped us (and could be useful for any mom or dad with a kiddo battling chest congestion, whether it be a cold or RSV) are:

1. Antimonium Tartaricum (a homeopathic chest congestion treatment that comes in little tablets). We ground 3-4 of the tablets up a few times a day and snuck them into Dexter's food.
2. Cool mist humidifier with 4 or 5 drops of peppermint essential oil. Peppermint is a common cooling, decongesting addition to many natural vapor rubs, and I would say this is one of the biggest things for us. We put the humidifier in whatever room Dexter was in, whether he was in the living room playing or our bedroom napping. The first time we put the peppermint in the humidifier, Dexter slept for 2.5 hours straight in one naptime, which never happens.
3. "Loosen Up". Which is a locally-made (though I'm sure you could find alternatives online or make your own) vapor rub/natural vicks alternative. Its ingredients are beeswax, evoo, essential oils of teatree, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus, and vitamin e. It is not recommended to use this right on a baby's skin because eucalyptus can be very strong for smaller children, so I would just dab a bit on my chest before bed and since we co-sleep, Dexter got the benefits of it without having it on his skin or too strong.

4. Probiotics. Probiotics are good all the time, but especially when we're sick, so I snuck powdered probiotics in his food just like I did with the Anti-tart.

5. NoseFrida. Seriously. This thing is a life-saver. One of the main concerns of RSV is it turning into Pneumonia, so to prevent mucous draining into their lungs, it's so important to keep their little noses clear of snot. If you've never heard of the NoseFrida (or if you're like mom and husband), you will think it's gross, but it's so much better than using a bulb aspirator, I promise.
6. Nursing on command. I always do anyway, but if he came over to me and acted the least bit like he wanted to nurse, I let him. I wanted him to have as much breastmilk as he would take while he was sick, and I am a firm believer that breastfeeding is the best thing for sick littles.

And then the obvious things, like plenty of rest, staying home, keeping him bundled, etc. etc. He's doing so much better the last two days because of all of the rigorous action we've been taking and I am so glad we opted out of using the nebulizer and steroids. Our parent-gut told us to attack it naturally, and we are validated in that decision.

We've been taking these same steps (minus the NoseFrida and nursing) for Oliver as he was getting over a cold (possibly RSV) as well. Both boys are 100 times better and we are finally looking forward to warmer temperatures next week after a week/weekend of cold temps and snow. I'm ready to get out of the house more than two times next week just to run to the store quick, and I'm sure Oliver is ready to finally see his friends and burn off some of this pent-up energy.

Here's to continued healing and that both boys (and us) remain on-the-mend with no more illnesses until Spring time! xx

Oh, and one more noteworthy tidbit: Dexter turned nine months old this week!

At the Butterfly House

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