Sick Day Quiet Play

I stayed home with Little A today.  Usually a day off with her is filled with adventures and lunch somewhere, but not today.  She’s under the weather and has almost no energy.  There were only two small bursts of liveliness out of her today. Most of her day she only wanted to be cuddled on me reading books, watching tv or me telling her impromptu stories about secret rooftop gardens.

This morning after a little smoothie I decided to do runway painting.  A revised version to what I’d do in the summer because I didn’t want to go full messy inside.  But this summer I want to do a big messy one with her this summer and frame it with both her feet. We switched her pj bottoms for a skirt and got set up.

So I set up a long strip of paper and taped it down so there’d be no slipping.  Grabbed a bucket with some water, our tempra paint pods and two paint brushes.

We coated Little A’s soles of her feet then I lifted her up, planted her down on the runway and said – OK run!

Running footprints

She thought this was great! We did a few runs with her feet. I only got to help her paint her feet once, she wanted to “do it myself”.  Ya go for it – this is your paint play not mine.

Painting her feet

Then she decided to do a bear walk with her painted hands.  So she loaded up her fingers and palm.

How about my hands mommy?

Swishing her hand for more designs

Of course being two years old, paint went on her legs and the back of her hand, across her cheek, each time we tried to figure out how to transfer it onto the paper.  Sometimes it worked, other times she just moved onto the next body part.

Loading up her paintbrush

The game didn’t last too long because she soon wanted to have a shower-bath to clean herself off. But  it was entertaining and got her blood flowing without being outside (where it was trying very hard to snow).

We took one more little opportunity of an increase in her energy to go outside for some fresh air but after only two blocks she said she was too tired to go any further.  We came home and I tucked her in on the couch where she fell asleep within the opening credits of her TV obsession “Little Einsteins”.

Cuddled up on the couch

Poor thing, I hope she feels better soon.

The Face of a Migraine

I have struggled with Labyrinthitis  for a long time. I get dizzy spells where I feel like I’m on a boat or maybe in an earthquake.  I get noise sensitive and confused.  It’s frustrating.  I don’t respond to the one recommended medication.  My last episode had me at the doctor yet again but wanting a new look at my symptoms.

I’ll relive my last event.

– Come out of an elevator, try to put on my daughter’s jacket before going outside and I’m hit with a wave around me.  I grab the chair to steady myself, was this the big earthquake hitting Vancouver, did anyone else feel that.  NOPE just me.

– I take a deep breath and head across the street, we are meeting my husband for dinner.

– Noise sensitivity starts up pretty fast.  A glass being set on a table feels like its smashing against my head, my daughters chitter chatter is gouging into my face, my husbands simple questions like what to order for my daughter become blunt arrows attempting to pierce my eyes.

– Comprehension weakens -I can’t find words to answer questions like would you like tea or coffee, the ability to make the decision is impossible at that moment. I lose words – I want to say glass of water but can’t think of the right term for a container that holds water

– I am frustrated and try to act like I’m ok, but I’m squinting and my shoulder are squeezing up to my ears.  I’m  not OK. and its obvious.

This is not Labyrinthitis.  This is an Atypical Migraine and I’m having one tonight.  It’s not huge -about a 6 out of 10. Forgive me if this post has errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation but I wanted to get it out.

This is the face of a migraine, my migraine.

The face of my migraine

I’m sitting in the dark, the computer brightness as low as possible, no noise.  My neck hurts, my head hurts, my lips are pressed tight together, my hair is frazzled, my one eye is being lazy, I don’t feel I can hold my head straight.

Now I’ll go take some medication and sleep it off.

Beginning Advent Calendar Days

PHEW I made it.  Finished filling Little A’s special Advent Calendar just in time.

December 1 came up so quickly this year.  Times certainly does NOT stand still when you have a toddler.

My husband and I are now quietly reading while Little A sleeps, but I’m bursting inside wanting her to wake up and see the Advent Calendar.  It looks like the Advent and the Chair are ready to go too.

Advent and Chair – ready for Little A

Isn’t it beautiful.  My sister-in-law and her husband made it for Little A last year.  I was astonished when they brought it out and presented to her. I was beyond words thinking about all the time, and energy that would have gone into making this advent calendar.   Hand crafted and every box filled with homemade, personal gifts from my wonderful in-laws.  Little A’s cousins helped by making finger puppets and writing stories and other gifts.  Beyond thoughtful!  Aurora is so lucky to be loved by my extended family.  I was so very touched by this gift.

Auntie showing Little A how to look for goodies in the Advent Calendar

Little A with her cousin playing match 2 – pair of cards each a photo of family members

 

Little A figuring out how to open her advent gift

Little A opening her animal flash cards

Princess Butterfly gets to open finger puppets (notice the hockey in the background. sigh)

Quietly colouring in her handy dandy notebook after opening box number 18

I could go on and on because last year I was obsessed with taking a photo every day when Little A opened them.  This year I will still take pictures but I want to enjoy the moments not behind the lens but beside her.  With Christmases to come I hope to make better and better choices with the items I put in the advent Calendar  -the inaugural Advent Calendar bar was set very high.  While this year my gifts are all store bought, for me the point was that  I did it, I followed thru and continued the tradition, that was important to me.