When I'm Sick I Have Nothing to Say

Well hello there. The unplanned absence was due to my lingering cough, which is just horrible. When I get a cough (maybe once a year or every other), it tends to be brutal. I'm not sure why, but it sticks around for two or three weeks and just completely drains my energy. All my other symptoms--body aches, headache, stuffiness--disappeared last week, but this cough just sucks the energy out of me. My abs are so sore! By eight at night my whole body is completely exhausted from coughing, so I've been going to sleep early, taking cough medicine, sucking down cough drops, drinking herbal tea like it's my job, but still not really seeing much improvement.

My biggest concern is getting Terry sick and/or giving this virus back to Marshall. We've really done our best to get lots of sleep and stay away from each other, but it feels impossible with a baby, especially one who's teething and chews on all the things. Please send healthy thoughts our way...

So anyway that's why I've been MIA. When I'm sick I just have nothing interesting to report. Marshall and I have been laying low, mostly staying home and taking short walks to get fresh air. Workouts, of course, have been nonexistent because I can't even walk a few steps without coughing. Unfortunately, I think the lack of exercise affects my sleep, so then I get less rest. It's a cycle. But I didn't have anything interesting to say, and in my opinion it's best to keep quiet in those cases. :-)


This weekend was a quick trip up north to celebrate my dad's birthday. As always, 48 hours flew by, but we had a really nice time. We arrived Friday for a late lunch, which I dug out of my mom's fridge (thanks, Mom!). We played with the puppy (he needs to just STOP with how cute he is!), let my parents hang out with Marshall, and ran a few errands. Friday evening my brother and Ashley arrived, and we ate pizza after Marshall went to sleep. We had a really nice evening before an unfortunately less-than-awesome night of sleep.

My mom and Ashley

Brothers-in-law

Me and the birthday boy!

Dad opening a bunch of letters from loved ones wishing him a happy birthday

Eiger and me!

Ash and Eiger

Saturday morning Terry and I took Marshall to the park to try to fend off some of his fussiness. I swear, during parts of this weekend I was certain our baby had been swapped with a very convincing lookalike; he was by far the fussiest I've ever seen him! I was SO grateful to have extra people around so that when the whining started to wear on me a grandparent or uncle or aunt would swoop in to distract him. It takes a village, indeed.

Ashley and I headed out mid-morning so she could cut and color my hair! Hooray! And I LOVE it! I don't really have any good photos yet, but it's at least 5-6 inches shorter, SO much healthier, and perfect for the rest of summer. Thanks, Ash!

Saturday evening was a relatively small get together for my dad's 60th. It was lovely to catch up with some folks we don't see too often, and the food was phenomenal. I think my dad enjoyed himself, which was the priority. Marshall got a balloon and was happier than I've seen him in a while.

After a family breakfast on Sunday the three of us headed home. Marshall zonked out for three hours on our drive and then tormented Scout when we got home. Scout, of course, was thrilled.

And then this week has been super mellow. Tonight I may try some at-home very low-key exercises just to get the blood flowing a bit, but a walk is still not in the cards for me. Just some simple planks, push ups on the knees, clams, Pilates-inspired moves, etc. Hopefully it'll help me sleep a bit better.

My mom is a big believer that "acting sick" can lead to feeling worse. Last week, when I had insane body aches, it was a pjs-all-day-and-sit-on-the-couch-whenever-possible day, but now that it's just a cough, I'm trying to "act healthy" to convince myself that I am, in fact, feeling better. Aside from going to bed early and continuing medication, tea, and cough drops (plus even more water than usual), I'm showered and dressed and planning a little afternoon outing with my sidekick. We have some fun errands to run for Jenn's baby shower this weekend (woo hoo!), plus we might be able to sneak in a visit to daddy. It'll help the day move faster, if nothing else!

Be back tomorrow with some kids-in-the-kitchen stuff. Stay healthy, friends!

What do you do when you're sick? I never used to drink tea, but now I've fallen in love with Peet's Lemon Rose tea, and I have had at least four cups a day lately. Soothes the throat and tastes like zen. I also try to get more rest/sleep than usual, which means fewer errands and chores and more sitting around the house. A nice break from the usual, I suppose, but after a few days I get antsy!

Any tips for getting/staying healthy when others in the household are sick?