etc

Beef shank soup is simmering (beef nilaga) on the stove, the fuzzy squash is cooked and rice is being kept warm in the rice cooker. I suddenly find myself with a few precious moments to myself - these minutes are so rare nowadays, especially with Swe-cha and I being under the weather and all - and I find myself rummaging through my PDF library to look for ebooks that I could imagine myself reading.

I use the term "imagine" because I am still so deprived of much-needed sleep that I would much rather sleep than read. I am just thankful for small blessings such as these few minutes that I find myself alone (Swe-cha is sleeping and dinner is ready to be served) and able to check my email, check out job prospects and post an update or two.

I am also taking the time to check out daycare facilities in my area and hoping to find online reviews so i can at least weed through the list before I start calling and making on-site visits. Ideally, I would love it if Swe-cha can go to daycare a few times a week (or even once a week) so that he can get used to being taken cared of by someone other than me but him getting sick this bad so early in the year is making me have second thoughts. I'm tempted to just keep him home in the meantime and transition him to daycare when I start working (friends tell me that kids adapt quickly and that seeing other kids in daycare will help him with the transition, I hope that this is true).

ill

Swe-cha's sleeping schedule is still off. He's been going to bed at 4:30a to 6a and waking up all through the night due to his colds (can't breath) or hacking cough. It's so painful to watch him struggle through this bout of sickness. A huge part of me wishes that I can take his place and be sick in his place but then the rest of me realizes that that was exactly what happened - he got sick, I got sick and then he got sick again (this time, the virus / bacteria came from me).

So while it might've seemed like a good idea to wish to get sick in Swe-cha's place to spare him the discomfort, it's not really ideal in retrospect because since I am his primary caregiver, he's only going to catch it back from me.

Hay.

Catch up

So many things to do and so little time! I have been swamped since last month and I can't seem to keep up so I cannot even imagine when I can even try to catch up.

First off, our holiday cards are still on my desk, half are signed but we still need to get stamps.

Then, I have not gotten to sending thank yous for the presents that we received for Christmas and Sean's birthday.

Then, I've got to sort through our accumulated mail (around half a foot high now) and shred the junk and file the important ones.

Lastly, I still need to get a photobook arranged and ordered for my Ama, she has been waiting for her "brag book" of Swe-cha that she can bring to her adult daycare facility and show to her friends.

Oh, which reminds me, looks like I need to revive that running list of things to do that I used last year.

Ear infection

Just got back from the doctor's and it's confirmed that Swe-cha has ear infection in addition to his cough, cold and pink eye.

We just got his prescriptions filled and they're quite hefty. $40 co-pay for the eyedrops, $15 co-pay for the antibiotics. If we consider the $30 doctor's co-pay we paid this week, the $30 we paid last week and the $15 co-pay for his DM drops last week... that's $130 in medical expenses just in January alone.

The expense isn't really so bad, I just wish that my son would get well quickly. I wouldn't mind spending $$$ if he stays well and healthy.

Snowstorm

So the big snowstorm that we've been waiting for has arrived. It's sort of a letdown because while we did get a lot of snow (close to a foot, I think), the roads have all been cleared so quickly that there was really no excuse to declare a snow day and stay home from work (in hubby's case).

Swe-cha is still down with his cough, cold and conjunctivitis. Yes, he has what seems to be the pink eye now. Sigh. It never ends. I did make an appointment for him to see the pedia again tomorrow morning and I hope that we get prescribed some antibiotics so he can get on the road to recovery quickly. He's lost around 1.5 lbs again and I'm not happy about that.

In the meantime, gazing outside at the pristine white snow makes me long to go out, I love walking on and making footsteps on virgin snow. However, with this cough that I'm still nursing and with a sick baby in tow, there's no way we can comfortably go out and get a breath of (cold) air not unless there's a Garden Patio Heater to warm us up a little bit when we go outside. I'm sure I will wish for that heater again tomorrow morning when we venture out to the doctor's.

Annoyed

Our son is still sick and he has not been sleeping well.

Tonight, he seems even more restless than usual and would whimper every now and then. A few minutes ago, as I left him to hubby's care so I could express milk for him, I left careful instructions for hubby and demonstrated how I would massage Swe-cha's hands and feet when he whimpers and told him that this would calm him down and get him back to sleep.

Hubby, skeptical, sort of sneered and said "babies and adults are different" after I explained to him that I started massaging Swe-cha after I remembered how my extremities felt numb when I had the flu last weekend and how I would've welcomed a massage.

Kaasar.

So I told him to look for his own baby-specific soothing technique and better yet, go ask the baby what's bothering him and see if he gets an answer. I'm sure there is no need to remind him that babies and adults are different (especially in the sense that he's sure not to get any answer from Swe-cha).

Hmp.

Anyway, I'm hoping to be able to get some serious sleep tonight as I already got myself some Nyquil. I haven't slept well at all since last weekend and it's taking a toll on my attitude (I'm so sungit already!).

Back

Our family is back from our holiday travel and while it has been fun and very memorable for everybody, we've also been plagued by nasty fever, cough and colds a couple of times. We've even had to postpone travel plans for a few days because I had very high fever and we decided to just stay with my sister a bit longer so that they can help us out for a few more days.

Swe-cha's daily schedule is still messed up and I'm still groggy and hazy from these medications that I've been taking so I have not been able to greet 2011 with a bang yet. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to the new year and all the challenges and opportunities it will bring us.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and new year!