Sick Puppy.

Armed with positive resolutions, new shoes, and a handful of cookies, Gabriel and I entered 2010 with great expectations. I had visions of incredible lifestyle changes, new thinking patterns, an aura of love to surround me and everything I do. What I didn't expect was that we would both get terribly sick two days into the new year... and furthermore that our sniffly noses and sore throats would very rudely stick around well into February. So my resolutions to wake up earlier, cook more, go for more walks despite the weather, and visit friends and family more often all flew into the trash can along with a dozen or so tissues.

When an adult is sick for an extended amount of time, it's an absolute drag. Responsibilities, deadlines, and chores never wait until you're feeling better. When a child is sick, however, the world stops. Especially with very young children, who don't understand what's going on or how to blow their own noses, dealing with illness is a very big deal, indeed. Before children turns two, there are very few medicines that they can take, which can make making them comfortable a difficult chore.

I've found a few tricks that seem to help tremendously, though, such as 1. Steaming (Blasting the shower on its highest heat, closing the bathroom door, and walking the baby around the room as it fills with steam. This is a great help for an extra-stuffy nose or a thick cough.) 2. Baby Vaporub (This product, which I have with mild rosebud, is great to help break up any congestion in their little chests and to clear their breathing passages.) 3. Echinacea tea (Whenever I'm sick, I load up on echinacea, vitamin C, and Zinc. This tea is a great way to help give the wee ones some herbal help and soothe their sore throats.) 4. Cocoa cookies! (While I don't think sugar is a great thing to consume while you're sick, I think that low-sugar cocoa sweets are a great way to keep sick ones smiling.) 5. Blanket forts (When a kid can't go outside, what better way to make the indoors fun and playful?)

Besides all that, a good pair of sweatpants, a few great albums, and some serious snuggle-time are all you need to combat any childhood illness in my opinion.