monday at the madhouse // a week of recovery

Look at that poor little face. This week we kept Ezra home and took a few days off work to nurse him back to health. The first afternoon, I was letting the dogs out and propped him up on the couch. When I came back in and saw that pathetic look with the tear on his cheek, I had to snap a photo before scooping him up in my arms and nuzzling him some more.I didn't take many more photos of the poor kid this week (or the family) as I was super busy just trying to stay on top of the routine we established to try and get him better. Most of you know babies can't have decongestants when they are this young, so we took holistic medicine to a new level. There were hours spent each day in hot and steamy bathrooms, lots of sessions with the Nose Frida (much to Ezra's chagrin), lots of saline drips, lots of humidifier refills and lots of applications of a special rub for his chest, back and feet. There were also a lot of naps (thank goodness).Oh but wait. What is this special rub, you ask? Well, Vicks Vapor Rub isn't safe for babies this little, so I did some research and made my own holistic version. I KNOW. WHO KNEW I WOULD BE SUCH A GOOD HIPPIE?!Anyway, I just mixed up some cocoa butter, coconut oil, eucalyptus oil and lavender oil. The Eucalyptus opens up the airways (it's also in Vicks), the lavender does as well, but also relaxes the kid for nap times and the cocoa butter just works well for consistency and it smells delicious. I also put a few drops of the eucalyptus oil in his humidifier over his crib to help keep his sinuses open as well. You guys, his room smells like an awesome spa right now... but you have to look beyond the trashcan overflowing with tissues and boogie wipes.Anyway, all that work appears to have paid off (knock on wood) as he was far less congested today and was even back bouncing away in his jumper. He's still tired and a bit more fussy, but he's miles ahead of where we were last week. So let's hope he gets a few days reprieve at daycare before coming home with the next illness.I joke. Kindof.Magda was spectacular this week and is very patient with Ezra's exploration of her snout with his little fingers. Don't worry, we keep a very close eye on them.We have several toys that were given to Ez when he was a baby and was too young to appreciate them. This week we pulled out a few of them to help keep him entertained at home. He particularly loved these blocks with rattles inside.And Magda loved the packaging! That's what we call a win-win!This was taken on Sunday as the clouds of illness were clearing. And that's about it for this week. I'm not gonna lie, Jamie and I are completely exhausted. This weekend there were a few nights where Ez was up every 1.5-2 hours or so, and man is that tough. Fingers crossed he gets those amazing sleep skills right back with his recovery, eh?Oh! And I wish I had more photos of Merlin to post -- but with his tough week, I just petted and loved him up without the camera. He's still doing better since we cut back his pain meds, and hopefully I'll have photos to show you next week.