It's A Sad Sight

Despite my best efforts to only feed Little One mainly healthy, homemade, wholesome, nutritious, unprocessed food, on occasion, people will give her junk... crap...a treat. She's been known to come home from visiting with friends and family covered in chocolate stains and saying, "Baby choc-lit? Cake! Ice cream! Yes?"

Hubby came home from work with Smarties for Little One. He bumped into a friend who wanted to give Little One a little treat. Mmmm...CHOCOLATE!!! I think a 50g container of Smarties is a lot for a kid to eat, so I've been doling them out to her bit by bit. Okay, it's more like 3 or 4 Smarties a go.





This morning, she found the Smarties box and got hold of it. As she tried to open the box, all the Smarties went flying out and spilled all over the floor!

My two year old flung herself onto the floor, trying to save the Smarties. "Ohhhhhhh noooooooo!!! Choc-lit!!!" could be heard throughout the entire house. Such a sad, sad sight. The look on her face and the urgency in her voice were just so funny and sad at the same time!

*Sadder still is that she won't give up her soother! I'm trying here! Anyone have any helpful tips on how to wean a toddler from her beloved soother?

It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time!

Little One absolutely loves dinosaurs. She loves Dinosaur Train and Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. If you ask her what sound a dinosaur makes, she'll let out a big "RAWWWWWRRRRR!"

She loves dinosaurs!

At least I thought she did!

Since we were in Ottawa and since we were only a few blocks from the Museum of Nature, I thought it would be a fantastic idea to take Little One on an outing that was fun and educational. Yes, I realize she is only 2 years old. Still, I thought it would be a fabulous idea! What fun!

She HATED the dinosaur exhibit. Hated it! She started crying and screaming, "Out! Out! OUT!!!!" The poor thing was traumatized!

Me: It's okay, honey! They're not real.
Little One: No, no, no, no, nooooo! (crying)
Me: But you LOVE dinosaurs! Dinosaur Train! Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs...
LO: Nooooo. (whimpering)
Me: Okay, okay...
LO: Out! Out! Out! Out! OUTTTTT! Wahhhhhhhhh!


What I don't get is that she LOVED the bison, caribou, moose, grizzly bears, pronghorns, and other large mammal displays. She didn't want to leave the museum! *sigh*



Photo from here.

FYI

Ottawa is a really cool place!

When I lived in Montreal and in Toronto, I always thought of Ottawa as a "small town". Yes, it is our nation's capital. Yes, Ottawa holds an interesting history. We'd always go to The Rideau Canal, the Science Center, Beaver Tails, and a few must visit places whenever we had out of the country visitors. Apart from Parliament Hill and all the touristy/school trip spots to see, I had never really explored Ottawa.

One of my good friends lives in Ottawa and she lives really close to the Museum of Nature. We're headed there this afternoon with the toddlers for some fun at the museum!

Little One is having such a blast. After a long drive from the Island to Kingston, she spent the weekend with her cousins. She just loves them so, so, soooo much. Now, we're in Ottawa and she's been having a great time with my friend's toddler. We're probably going to be island-bound tomorrow...unless Hubby tells us otherwise. When I called him yesterday, he told me that the water pipes were frozen after a cold spell and we do not have any water at either farm house! Ack!  Maybe hanging out in Ottawa for a bit longer isn't a bad idea! ;)

Resurrected

Yes, I've gotten in touch with an old flame. I plan to have many clandestine encounters with this former love of mine.

We ignited our passion way back in 2007. For some reason, our love fizzled out after a while. My husband knew about this special relationship of mine and he supported it wholeheartedly. He actually encouraged it, and said that he saw how happy it made me! He remarked on how refreshed, renewed, rejuvinated, and exhilirated I looked after my daily rendez-vous!

Here you go. Straight from the vault, where I've kept the memories hidden since 2007! My old flame is none other than...Hip Hop Abs/Yoga Booty Ballet!!!

Sadly, it's true. I am an addict. Ever since Thanksgiving, my student and I have been hardcore working out. There are a few gyms on the Island, but we're so busy that I don't have time to commute to and from the gym. I have been doing Slim in 6 and Turbo Jam on and off for the past few years. They're excellent workouts, but I needed something new. I had received Yoga Booty Ballet and Hip Hop Abs with my Turbo Jam order, but never even thought of opening them. Here are some promotional photos of Yoga Booty Ballet and Hip Hop Abs. It's not as easy as it looks, people!

For some reason, I had the urge to see what it was all about. I think I was turned off because I am by no means a ballet dancer. I'm not graceful enough and I am in serious lack of poise. My mother enrolled me in jazz ballet when I was a kid. I took one lesson and then decided it wasn't for me. I'm not a girlie girl by any means. I'm also not very coordinated. I've got two left feet and can't seem to follow steps. I took a Hip Hop class when I lived in Toronto a few years ago. I swear, I looked like a chicken on crack. I'm embarrassed to say that I just don't have any sense of coordination.

I do love music and I do love dancing though. I love dancing to music where I can "feel" the music and follow the rhythm. That's why I used to love going to clubs that play reggae, calypso, soca, etc. Just let your body go with the flow!

There, in its original plastic wrap, lay my Yoga Booty Ballet/Hip Hop Abs DVD. It was time to check this baby out. We popped in the DVD and oh my goodness! It was like instant love! I wanted more and more and more! The workout was hard, but so much fun! I am officially addicted! I ask myself if I'm addicted to the workout or if I'm addicted to the feeling I get after the workout.

Oh, I don't have to worry about looking like a chicken on crack with all of the fancy footwork and gyrating body parts, because I'm in my own house! I keep my student and my husband entertained. That's for sure!
**I'm finding that even with dance class, Zumba, walking up and down the highway after work, and eating healthy, it's still not enough. Maybe doing all of the above and Yoga Booty Ballet/Hip Hop Abs might help even more?

Toddler-isms

Little One was looking at photos of her cousin Kenny and twin cousins (Brooklyn and Olivia) on Facebook and said, "Ohhhh! KENNY! Brookie! Other one!" BAHAHAHA!

 

Me: "What's your name?"

Little One: "Ra-Ra!" 

Me: "Yay!" (clapping hands) "What's your name again?" 

Little One: "Elmo".

Hahaha! She cracks me  up! 

Little One was not quite sure what to make of some of the American Idol contestants on TV the other night! One minute, Little One was dancing and bopping around to the music and the next minute, she had a perplexed "WHY are they making that NOISE?!" look on her face! Oh, and Steven Tyler cracks me up! Love him!

Me: (noticing how sleepy Little One was looking) Is it time for bed?

Little One: No. (shaking her head)

Me: Do you want to stay up by yourself? Mommy's going to bed.

Little One: No.

Me: Can Mommy go to bed then? 

Little One: No.

 

For some reason way beyond my comprehension, Little One decided to remove all her clothing and parade around the house. She stopped in the living room and put her hands on her chest. 

Little One: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Ohhhhhhhh! BOOBIES! (and, proceeded to laugh her head off while covering her breasts).

Little One has discovered that if she sucks up her beverage from her straw sippy cup, she can store liquid in her mouth, swoosh it around her mouth and then spit it out all over the floor. 

Me: AH! Please don't do that. It's not nice. 

Little One: (giggling) Ohhhh...Not nice. (Then proceeds to do it again)

Me: AH! Mommy said that wasn't nice. If you do that, it means  you're all done. *sigh* Now Mommy has to clean that mess. (As I throw a paper towel on the floor to absorb the liquid)

Little One: All done, Mommy! (She smiles sweetly and starts wiping up her drink with the paper towel. Honestly, how can I get mad at someone so cute???)

 

 

 

*Photo courtesy of PhotoCaptiva.com

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How Do You Get Mad at Someone so Cute?

 Image from here via Google Images

Little One was quietly playing while I was doing the dishes. I stress the word "quietly". Of course, it was too quiet! I looked over my shoulder to see her with the sugar container and ALL its contents dumped all over the kitchen floor. She then started dancing all over the spilled sugar.

"Help, Mama! Help!", she smiled.

"Ohhhhh!!! Arrrrgh! [Insert Little One's real name here], why did you do that? That is not nice!"

I brought her over to her little chair near the kitchen window and told her to sit there. As if sitting there to contemplate what she had just done would even work. She's still too young to register the meaning of a time out. Sure, she's two, but she's younger than two (corrected age since she was a preemie).

Thinking hoping that she just might understand that she did something she wasn't supposed to do and that I was not happy, I sat her by the window. All of a sudden, she started laughing!

"Mama! Sun, bird, snow, puppy, cow!" She was listing off all the things she could see from the kitchen window.

Of course, I  had to laugh. She was just too cute, happily chirping away and naming all the things she could see from the window. She makes me laugh.

Why didn't anyone ever tell me how frustrating, challenging, yet funny and endearing it would be to be a parent?

High on Life...and Chocolate

I suffer from a terrible affliction that many moms like me suffer from. The symptoms vary from woman to woman and can present themselves differently and at any given moment. This awful thing I suffer from is called...Mommy guilt.

Yes, Mommy guilt is a terrible, terrible thing to suffer from. I want to be with my toddler all the time. I don't ever like being away from her. I don't want to miss out on any moments of her life. I want to be there to soak up all those precious moments and keep them imprinted in my memory and on my heart.

Having to teach again poses a problem in this "wanting to be with my daughter all the time" thing. It means that I am not with her all the time. I  have to work. I have to prepare for lessons, plan, correct homework, etc. Then I have to come home and divide my time with toddler and household chores. The farm is demanding, the household chores are demanding, the toddler is demanding.

I get burnt out and need a few moments to myself to regroup and recharge my batteries. Like many moms know, this is a challenge. I go to Zumba classes and soon rehearsals for the play will resume. I try to do things for me every now and then. That's when the Mommy guilt hits.

However, the time has come that I now realize just how important time for myself is. One of my best friends told me, "All you need is once a month. Promise me that you will go out, do something for yourself, get your hair styled, get a manicure, go shopping for yourself...just once a month. That's all it takes. Once a month."

Thus came the birth of Girls' Night. My sista friend, Artsy Teacher Mom and I decided to plan a girls' night and invite all the moms we know who could use a break. We work hard, we take care of our families, we're exhausted, and some moms are at home with children all day and never get to leave the house.

We hosted our first Girls' Night at my house last night and it was a huge success! Artsy Teacher Mom also hosted a Silpada party since we had the girls there. We had two blenders going with Margaritas, Pina Coladas, and Strawberry Daiquiris. There was wine and non-alcoholic drinks as well. The spread was pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. Artsy Teacher Mom and I are all about serving our guests scrumptious and delectable food. I think the show stopper was the Ultimately Chocolate cake bombs!

It was a fabulous evening. The energy from the women in attendance was amazing. I haven't laughed so hard in ages! I can say that I felt recharged, rejuvenated, uplifted, and fantastic. The party was such a huge success, that Artsy Teacher Mom and I are planning on hosting a girls' night once a month. Each month will have a different theme. Next up is facials and the month after we'll be making our own bath bombs out of Epsom salt and essential oils!

When I opened my e-mail this morning, my inbox was inundated with an overwhelming number of messages thanking us for the amazing night. All the women said that it was something that they needed and were looking forward to the next get together.

I am so glad we did this! And, I don't feel the least bit guilty.

P.S. Hubby, my ESL student, and Little One were sent over to Artsy Teacher Mom's house for the evening. Along with The Carpenter's Wife's husband and Artsy Teacher Mom's husband, the men had their "men's night"... and took care of the kids!

No photos of the party, since I was too busy hosting! :)

This blog entry is cross-posted over here.

Life With A Toddler

The toddler was yelling "Bok! Bok! Bok! Bok! On! On!", while trying to get her chicken costume from Halloween on. Moments later, "Boobies! Boobies! On! On! Camera! Camera!" while trying to get her bikini top over the chicken costume and wanting a photo taken! *sigh* What a kid!

Little One was happily singing and dancing in the living room, when Hubby started walking towards her with her inhalers. Hubby had to administer her Apotex and Flovent, which is something Little One hates.  Her happy disposition soon changed and she came running around the dining room table, looking for me. All the while, she was screaming, "Ohhhhh! Nooooo! Daddy, Daddy! No! No! Mommy! Mommy! Baby! MAMAAAAAAA!!!"

Little One was playing with a newborn diaper (clean, of course!) that my friend had forgotten here when she was visiting with her baby.

"Mommy! Baby diaper! Bum bum! BUM BUM!", she exclaimed excitedly and tried to put the diaper on her Baby Alive doll. Just as I was about to say how cute that was, Little One decided to undress herself, rip off her own diaper, show me her bum and scream, "Ra-Ra bum bum! MINE!!!"

I hope this isn't foreshadowing and that she really isn't going to be an exhibitionist when she gets older. 

Yummy! Yummy! Yummy!

Photo from mybindi.typepad.com via Google Images

My friend, SuperAmazingMommy requested this recipe. I thought I'd just post it here for everyone to enjoy. We used to never have any nuts or nut products in our house, since our nieces have nut allergies. Now that they're teenagers, they are rarely at our house. This recipe contains peanut products, so it is not for those with nut allergies.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. soya sauce
4 tsp. ginger (finely chopped)
2 tbsp. lime juice (or 1/4 cup lemongrass, minced)
6 tbsp. oil
6 cloves garlic, (finely chopped)
4 tsp. coriander
4 tsp.  brown sugar
1 tbsp. black pepper
1tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 to 2 red chilies (sliced)
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 c. fresh coriander, chopped (for garnish)
+
1 pkg of bamboo skewers (or if you have metal skewers, that's fine too)

Mix marinade ingredients. Cut chicken into 1 1/2-2 inch cubes. Add to mixture and marinate at least two hours. To soak up more of the flavour, you can let marinate overnight in a plastic wrap covered bowl in the fridge.

While marinating the chicken, you can soak bamboo skewers in water. This will prevent the sticks from burning. Thread chicken pieces onto one end of skewers. Leave a few inches for a "handle" so you can turn your satay sticks over on the grill or BBQ. You can broil chicken in oven, but it's  much better on the barbecue. Baste with marinade. Serve with peanut sauce for dipping. Peanut sauce recipe included at bottom of this post.

This recipe has been a crowd pleaser at dinner parties. The only problem is that you will probably need to double (or even triple!) the recipe since they tend to go really fast! I pity the person (Ahem! Hubby!) who gets stuck at the grill! 

Peanut Sauce

1 c. chunky peanut butter (or smoothe, if you prefer)
3 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 c. lime juice
1/4 c. soya sauce
1/2 c. peanut oil
1 to 2 tsp. hot chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed

A Good Friend? Or Maybe Just One Crazy Mama!!!

 

A friend of mine is having surgery in the next few weeks and needs to go on a very restrictive diet pre-surgery.  She was telling me about how challenging it would be, and I immediately said, "If it will make it easier for you, then I will join you to offer you support". 

Ha! What was I thinking? As of Monday, it's Melba Toast and veggies for me! Just kidding! ;) The diet my friend has to go on is something similar to the 10 day cleanse I did with Hubby. Remember the one I forced him to do a detox with me? Hubby's just glad that he won't be joining me as I show some support to my friend. He has a strong aversion to cooked veggies. He does like veggies, but not cooked veggies. He's also a farm boy and is more partial to meat and potatoes. Despite his mainly meat and carb based dietary preferences and his love of country music (please help me!), I still love him.

As of Monday, I will be avoiding food from the FORBIDDEN LIST:
No baked beans, bananas, beets, biscuits, bread, breaded meat, breakfast cereal, buns, cakes, candy, chocolate, cookies, corn, custard, honey, ice cream, jam, lima beans, marmalade, nuts/seeds, pasta, pastries, potatoes, preserved fruits, pudding, rice, rolls, sugar, toast, soft drinks (except sugar-free), beer, wine.

The menu is pretty explicit. The serving portions are listed and examples for breakfast, lunch and supper are given.
Daily allowances:
Milk 1 cup
Butter or margarine 3 tsp
Melba Toast 3 slices

Tea and coffee, using milk from above allowance, are not restricted.  Do not sweeten with sugar, but a no-calorie sweetener may be used.

Breakfast:
½ grapefruit, or 1 orange or ½ cup orange juice
1 egg (cooked as you like), or small helping of ham, or 2 slices of bacon
1 slice of Melba toast with 1 tsp butter

Lunch:
Clear soup of any kind (but not thickened with flour) {Add fresh or frozen vegetables to broth and boil until vegetables are tender}
Meat: moderate helping (4oz) of any meat, fish or poultry. (not breaded or battered)
Mixed green salad or cooked green vegetables or both (no limit, sugar-free dressing)
Melba toast with 1 tsp butter and ½ ounce of cheese (any kind)

Dinner:
Main course similar to lunch
Afterwards, same as lunch but you can add one apple or one orange as dessert.
You can substitute the cheese with one egg.

If you take the lunch or dinner to work, it could consist of up to 4 ounces of meat OR 2 hard-boiled eggs, with raw celery and carrot. The ½ ounce of cheese could be eaten afterwards with an apple.

Raw carrot, celery, lettuce, peppers, tomato and cucumber can be eaten freely at any time.

Fluids:
Drink water every 1-2 hours throughout the day
{women: 6-8 cups of water, men 10-12}

If I survived the detox, I'm sure this will be fine. I'm actually really looking forward to this!

Maybe It's Just Me

Today is the Celebration of Life/Memorial of a friend who passed away on Wednesday. I had full intention of being present today, as she was somewhat of a mentor to me. She made me feel welcomed when I was adjusting to my new life on the Island. She was always so cheerful and always listened. She had countless jokes and funny stories to tell. She was one of my favourite people on the Island.

She made me laugh when we were on stage, because we'd often bump butts or collide into each other! This was in the beginning of our rehearsals, of course! We had things down to a tee for the performances!

She just always made me feel great. I will truly miss her. Which brings me to my dilemma.

With the past week being so stressful and scary with Little One being so sick, I ended up coming down with something. For the past two days, I've been feeling like [insert "four letter word that begins with an S and ends with a T" here]. Though I'm feeling a bit better and would really like to be present to celebrate the life of someone very special to me, I think it would be very selfish to go and share this awful bug with everyone there.

I got a phone call from a friend, asking me why I'm not going. When I said I didn't want to give everyone whatever it is I've caught, my friend sounded surprised and disappointed, and said, "Oh. You're not going?"
I explained again that I didn't want to get everyone else sick. She said, "Just don't shake anyone's hand and don't talk to anyone". I was thinking more on the lines of "Or don't breathe!!!"

As much as I want to be there, I would feel terrible if anyone else catches what I have. I know how awful I felt the past few nights. I would not want my friends to feel that sick. Basically, I was told that I worry too much and that I'm too cautious.

This brings me to the following question. Is it just me? Am I being a bit overly cautious? I don't bring my toddler to play group or other social gatherings when she is sick. I don't go to gatherings or other engagements when I'm sick. For some reason, others seem to think that it's okay to spread colds, viruses, etc. I'm one of those people who believes that if you're sick, don't share your germs with others. In other words, if you're sick, stay home!

What's the general consensus on this matter? To spread (germs/colds/viruses/etc) or not to spread? Stay home when sick or partake in social gatherings and activities regardless if you can make others sick? What do you think?

You Know You're A Mommy When...

...You catch yourself getting super excited because your toddler finally "voided" after a few days of no poop and no pee!  Ummm...yeah. It was that exciting (and such a relief)! Sorry if this is way too much information for some of you. Many of you who are parents will likely understand though.

My friend, SuperAmazingMommy was on the phone with me and we were doing the "HOOORAH!"/dance of joy. You see, with Little One having that chest thing going on and the dehydration, fever, and lethargy, it was not looking good. So glad we didn't have to go back to the hospital. There's something so sad in seeing a tiny little waif like Little One wearing one of those heavy x-ray aprons.

Equally heartbreaking is hearing Little One with her adorable little chipmunk voice saying "Ohhhh, nooooooo!" every time she sees us coming at her with her inhalers. She hates her inhalers. It's just so sad to see her like that. My poor baby has lost so much weight since she's been sick. What's crazy is that she didn't have that much weight on her to begin with. She is down to 21 lbs and you can see her ribs and spine. I wonder how we can bulk her up a bit. Poor little munchkin!

All I can say is "Hooray for wet and poopy diapers!" Never in a million years would I have thought I'd ever utter those words.

Said The Husband To The Wife...

Me: (in an exasperated tone) ARRRRRGH! I am sooooooooo stressed out! We have absolutely no storage space in this house!!!!

Hubby: No. We just have too much stuff.
******************************************

Me: *sigh* Oh, dear. YOUR daughter is walking around the house in nothing but a diaper and boots...and has Play Doh in her hair. Oh, no! YOUR daughter just took off her diaper!! Oh, wait! Look! No...She's not going to pee on the floor, is she???

Hubby: MY daughter? How come she's YOUR daughter when she does smart, witty, and cute things and MY daughter when she's doing something naughty?
******************************************

Hubby: It's 2AM. Aren't you coming to bed yet?

Me: I'll be up in a sec. I'm almost finished an article. Yay, me! The deadline isn't for another two days. Oh, and I want to rearrange the living room and move some stuff around in the kitchen. I don't like where the shelving unit is...

Hubby: It's 2AM. Go to bed!
*******************************************

Me: Honey! Honey! Are you sleeping??

Hubby: I was.

Me: Close your eyes. I'm turning the light on. I want to move some furniture in our bedroom.

Hubby: Seriously? It's 3AM!

Oh, What A Day!

No one ever tells you how heartbreaking being a parent can be. With a very sick toddler, and with her past (being a preemie), I always get really worried FREAKED OUT anxiety ridden NERVOUS when Little One is sick.

She isn't sick often. In fact, the first two years of her life have been unmarred by any serious medical issues. She somehow ended  up with pneumonia before Christmas. She recovered, only to end up back in the hospital shortly after New Year's.

Having a preemie can be stressful. Though for the most part, Little One is a very healthy, active, super busy, happy little girl, I get so worried when she gets sick. Especially this time. Fever for three days, no appetite, dehydration, no wet or soiled diapers, lethargy, and pretty much being a wet noodle (she couldn't even sit or stand on her own!), can be fatal for little ones. I was told that sometimes it's difficult for ones so small to bounce back from something like that.

I was reminded of how tiny she was when she was born. At 28 weeks gestation, she came into the world at a whopping 980 g! That's just a little more than 2 lbs of butter! I look at her first photos and I cannot believe that tiny baby is now the active and inquisitive 2 year old who constantly harasses me for "Pay Doe" (Play Doh) and says, "Ope! Ope! Ope! Pay Doe! Ope!" until I open the container and give her some.

Most people who talk to me and see Little One's earliest photos tell me  how terrified they would have been if they were in my shoes. They tell me how freaked out they would have been and how scary the whole situation was.

There must be something wrong with me, because I never had any doubts that Little One would pull through. I was sure that she'd be fine. Which is really crazy, if you ask me! Babies born so early often have medical issues (respiratory, neurological, developmental, etc). Nope. I was sure she would be okay.

That must have been my fight or flight response...or me just being on autopilot. Those first few weeks and months in the NICU were insane with so much going on. It's all a blur now. All I could think of was making sure my baby was being taken care of and finally getting her home.

With Little One being so sick for the past few days, and the news of a fellow thespian passing away this morning, I've been feeling two things.

1. Really sad for the loss of a wonderful, funny, caring, friendly, giving woman.

and

2. Very blessed to have been able to have her friendship, sing with her in the Island Singers a few years ago and be on stage with her at the Burns Wharf Theatre last year.

Life can get so crazy sometimes and I realize that we need to make time to stop and savour precious moments...and be thankful for what we have been able to have.

I am thankful for my family. I am blessed with good friends. I have my health and a warm home to come back to after work. I sometimes complain about things, but I know I am pretty darn lucky.

My Husband, the Superhero!

It was my first day back in the classroom teaching TOEFL grammar and writing. The Monday after a holiday always seems so draining. It didn't help that Little One was very sick. Just before the Christmas holiday, she had pneumonia. She got better. We took her on a 12 hour drive across one province and into another. She partied with the family, went from house to house, dinner party to dinner party, and was a trooper through it all.

Then we came home.

She started coughing up a lung. It seriously sounded like my two year old had a smoker's cough. It was that bad. She had a fever that lasted two days. It broke. She got the chills. The fever returned.

Seeing as I had to teach, and Hubby had a few days off from his off-farm job, he stayed with Little One and took care of her. He didn't want me to have to drag her out into the cold and bring her to my parents' place while I was teaching. I thought he'd just bring her over to his mom's so he could to farm chores. Ever since my father-in-law passed away, the farm has been a one man operation. That one man being Hubby.

Nope. He didn't bring Little One to Grandma's place. He stayed home with her ALL day. He held  her in the steam-filled bathroom with the shower running (in hopes of loosening up her congestion). He rocked her back and forth in front of the humidifier. He gave her Baby Tylenol and lots of fluids to keep her hydrated.

When I came home from work, he warmed up the braised beef ribs I cooked the other day and cooked rice to go with it.

I was so proud of my husband. He survived an entire day with the toddler. He took good care of her. In fact, he took such great care of her that she kept calling out, "Daddy! Daddy!" and reaching for him. Oh, and he cooked rice in the rice cooker for the very first time!

I love my husband. He is such a good father.

 Pic of Hubby and Little One taken in December 2008 when she was still in the NICU at Mount Sinai. Hubby looked just as exhausted after looking after our sick toddler today!

In case you were wondering, I did ask him how come the house was a disaster, why the dishes were piled up in the sink, how come the laundry was all over the place. I was joking though! To my "What on earth did you do all day?" question, he retorted: "You will not believe how busy I was just being home with the baby! It's a lot of work!" :)