Oh, the books I could write...

My child has been sick for exactly one week and one hour.
Last Sunday he came down with a fever which we nursed until 2:30 Tuesday morning when it became a congested chest cold. Stuffy nose, cranky head, coughing... it's all here. Every morning he wakes up on the bright side, I've got his room so humidified it's like a cool sauna, but by 11 he's fallen apart once again.
I don't blame him - I HATE being sick. HATE. With violence. And so does my son. Thankfully, I make a better nurse than a sick person *and* I'm the adult, so we're getting along fair to middlin'. He's been smeared with eucalyptus infused oils, humidified, syringed, aspirated, wiped, hydrated, cuddled, coddled and fed copious amounts of oranges and pineapple while watching Pride and Prejudice. I hold him a great deal, but the Inside Baby doesn't care for that so much and makes his objections known by repeatedly beating my bladder until I move. Oh yeah.

Being of a literary bent, I've taken a few moments in-between nose wipings and tantrum soothings to imagine some of the books I could write using all the rich content I've been 'soaking in' the past few days.

"Everything is Covered in Snot; A Memoir"
by Mrs. Ann 'Nightingale'

"My Child Just Spewed Baby Tylenol All Over The Breakfast Table; and other adventures"
by Mrs. Ann 'Wet Rag'

"Somebody Smells Like Eucalyptus! A Guess-Who Book"
by Mrs. Ann 'Slather'

"Where's That Syringe?! An Eye-Spy Book"
by Mrs. Ann 'Hold-Him-Down'

"I Just Ate Half A Jar Of Gummy Vitamins; A Survival Guide"
by Mrs. Ann 'Confessional'

"Please Let Him Nap; A Book Of Common Prayers"
by Mrs. Ann 'Baby Tylenol'

"Don't Wipe Your Nose On THAT! A Book Of Every Day Objects"
by Mrs. Ann 'Grab-it-First'

"The Beast Below; Dealing With Early Sibling Rivalry"
by Mrs. Ann 'Gottapee'

So there you have it, from the trenches, 

Ann 

Darcy Day

My son loves Pride and Prejudice almost as much as he loves Baby Einstein - in fact, I think it safe to say that they are tied in his affections. 

When we have a cranky day, an icky day, a sick day, a 'just can't get out of our own way' day, I pop on some P&P and things immediately begin to smooth out. Little Bear sways and hums along with the ever-inviting introductory theme and always enjoys the ball scenes, twirling and clapping with the Bennet Girls and their beaus. When Mrs. Bennet gets her bonnet strings in a whirl, Bear throws up his hands and issues a loud wail of his own and every time Lydia elopes with the infamous Wickham, he grieves with the family as if they were his own, faking tears and throwing himself into the chair cushion with great zeal. 

He plays with his farm puzzles and blocks during most of the episodes, loving the dances and drama the best and stopping in the middle of whatever he is doing at the time to join in, but when each one ends he says, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, mama! More?" 

There is *always* more Pride and Prejudice. It's such gentle entertainment, we go about our day with the lilting British chatter in the background and feel we are very much among friends and neighbors.