Quick 5

We have had A Week, folks.

1.  Poor little Joya was sick.  Now, I fully realize that a sick baby is nothing new or earth-shattering.  Facebook is filled with updates about various symptoms and infections and treatments, especially this time of year.  But it was brand-new territory for me.  I have never ever had to take one of my children to the doctor because they were sick.  Alaina has had a few random colds and one round of the stomach flu, but all of that was handled by just me.  So when Joya was screaming her head off all day Tuesday and there was nothing I could do about it, I took her in.  They think it was either an ear infection or a UTI (yes, baby girls can get UTIs), so the nurse practitioner prescribed a round of amoxicillin.  Joya is so little they couldn't get hard core confirmation on either, but that would wipe out both.  Then Tuesday night was one of the worst night we've ever had as parents, with Joya coughing and crying for most of the night.  We got about three hours of sleep total.  But Wednesday she napped and ate much better, and last night she finally slept through the night again.  And all I can say is Praise the Lord that my girls are generally healthy.  That we don't have to do this very often.

2.  Giving an exclusively breast-fed four and a half month old medicine is NOT easy.  It's nasty and thick and pink, and I think she's actually swallowed only a tenth of what I've put in her mouth so far.  I have to put her on her back on the floor, straddle her, try and pin down her arms while squishing her face into a fish face to try and get the little syringe in.  Most of the time that girl has her mouth open like a fish, but when she sees me coming with the medicine she shuts her mouth tighter than Fort Knox. 

3.  Alaina has been an absolute gem the past few days.  I didn't even have to ask her to be good while Joya is sick and Momma is tired.  She has gone with the flow, even on Tuesday when I had to wake her up from her nap so we could take Joya to the doctor.  I'm so proud of her I could bust.

4.  While Tuesday was a horrible day because of sick Joya, there were actually some really good things that happened that day too.  First, in the morning when I thought Joya was on a simple napping strike, we went looking at curtains for Alaina's room.  I had in mind what it would probably cost to buy curtains and a rod, and I knew it wasn't going to be our cheapest expenditure.  However, with the power of the tax refund I set a reasonable budget and found what I was looking for.  It was going to cost my whole budget, but whatever.  However, when I got to the counter to pay, it turned out the curtain panels were half off!  I ended up spending $25 less than I thought.  Later we got the box of clothes I bought for Alaina off of Ebay, and they are more awesome than they were described.  And finally, I made a great taco soup for dinner.

5.  Want the taco soup recipe?  Here it is...

1 pound ground beef
32 oz. beef broth
1 can canned corn (I drained a little of the juice, but not all)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
1 packet taco seasoning

Brown and drain ground beef.  Put all ingredients in a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil.  Heat through.  Serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

Delish!

Here's hoping your next week is filled with health and taco soup.