New Year Do Over?

Like most people, Tyler and I started the new year with goals and good intentions. But nature has conspired against us. First Tyler was sick, then Stella, then me. Then Stella got more sick (high fever, urgent care and ER visit), got better, then I came down with some kind of tonsilitis. One of us has been out of sorts for about three weeks of this month. Spending more time with friends in '10? Uncheck. Family time? Not unless that includes one of us gamely trying to help out while feeling terrible. But things are looking up. Stella seems to be back to herself, to our vast pleasure and relief:



Enjoying some post-dinner applesauce in the kitchen. Some of those "mmms" are all Stella. What can I say? She comes by them honestly.


We have high hopes for February. Never a better time to start those new year's resolutions then the start of a new--healthier, we hope--month!

And the whole experience gave us an extra chance to be grateful to ordinarily be blessed with an sweet and healthy girl. When her fever was so bad and Stella was so miserable, it was like having a newborn all over again. All she wanted to do was sleep on my chest. No smiles, no laughter, no movement, not much eating to speak of. And it wasn't much fun putting her through the paces at all those doctor visits, even when we knew it was ultimately in her best interest. I'm much happier having our little busy-body back. It might mean putting the clothes back in her drawer, over, and over, and over again, but it also means getting to see her smile and hear her laughter a lot more, too.