Stuff 'n Junk

This is going to be one of those miscellaneous, junk drawer posts.

• Josiah is almost completely recovered from his cold. He still has a persistent cough that has kept him from recess for the last three days and has earned him three visits to the nurse's office. He finished his disgusting German antibiotic this morning and there was much rejoicing by everyone in this family. Giving is as bad as getting with this stuff--and trust me, the stuff was disgusting. It smells like circus peanuts and tastes like the devil's sweat. Hans and I both tasted. So instead of being the parents who kept saying "Oh come on, it's not that bad", we could commiserate. A little.
• Annika's virus is long gone...it's probably on a beach in the French Riviera sipping champagne...having a vacation after making the mistake of infecting Annika.
• Will's virus is on the downside, I think. It's so hard to know if I should be making a doctor's appointment for him. We feel that it's just a regular cold with a little congestion and cough. There's unfortunately not a lot we can do for him. The Seventh Circle of Hell Diaper Rash is starting to slowly come around. I turned to some anti-fungal cream and it seems to be helping. I don't know about the tooth that he keeps faking us out with. I can't feel anything or see anything. He seems miserable sometimes and other times, he's just as cheerful and happy as can be. He's eating and drinking and outputting and not running a temp, so I think we'll just let it ride. As I write this, he's spacing out in the bouncer.
• It's very mild here today, probably high 30s or low 40s, so instead of pushing Will in the stroller through the slush and muck, I put him into the Baby Bjorn (facing out) and we walked to school. Much more interesting for him. He's usually inside his carrier with the sunshade up and the plastic rain/wind cover over that. A change of scenery is always nice.
• So far so good on the preschool front. The teacher has been complimentary of Annika. As I suspected, she is very well-behaved for other people. This week they are discussing the letter "P" and talking about animals of the ocean. She is having a great time making friends and working on projects and most importantly--she is much better and happier at home with this activity. I know--it's only been three days--but I already feel a difference in this house after 3:00 p.m.
• Will, in his sickness, slept from 11:30-4:00 yesterday and from 11:30-2:00 today, so for the last two days I have been...ALL ALOOOONNNNEEE!!! I don't know what to do with myself. I vacuumed. I surfed. I sent my sister random YouTube videos (you know, because she's not busy and should have time to watch random crap at work!), shopped online and vacuumed some more. Hey--it's dirty here.
• Speaking of Gen, only 20 days until she gets here. Whee, that's less than three weeks! We already have an itinerary planned out that includes visits to Garmisch, Neuschwanstein and Strasbourg. And plenty of time leftover to discuss boys, books, children and our parents.
• Did I mention that I bought a steam mop? Well I did and I (heart) it. It is awesome. After my vacuum, it is my favorite. I e-mailed Hans a picture of a beautiful Miele vacuum from Williams-Sonoma today...hey Kit, it's only $800...that's one of the cheaper models. It would be like the difference between a Kia and a Porsche. Sigh. Maybe for Christmas?
• Taxes are done, thanks to my personal accountant. He's soooo cute, he smells nice and he lets me hog all the covers.

All right, I think that's it. I have to go. Will is airing his chapped bum out and he should be about dry. Needless to say, I've been doing a lot of laundry around here in the last few days. Maybe I should start looking at high end washers....

Wow have my fantasies changed!!