The Smell of Love

Wednesday evenings are Mark's turn to be out, so I get the pleasure of putting both kids to bed. After we read a book or two in Mama's bed, we go to Stella's room, turn all the lights out while I sit in the rocking chair and she nurses, while Heath sits on the floor in front of us and discusses his latest evening topics, monsters and the moon, and drinks his milk.

Tonight was only slightly different. He wanted to sit in the rocking chair byside you. It was a tight squeeze. Me. Stella lying across my lap with her blanket. Big ole Heath and his Puppy and his milk cup, straddling the edge of my knees. Very cozy, close quarters in the chair. As a matter of fact, Puppy was pretty much shoved into my face. This was most unfortunate, because I remembered my morning plan to discreetly toss Puppy into the wash with the towels. It never came to fruition, so Puppy is now even smellier than the whiff I got of him earlier in the day.

I just went through the same sneak-the-lovey-into-the-wash process with Stella's blanket. Her blanket is a sage green, super soft number that was actually Heath's when he was a baby. It was handed down to her and it HAS to go everywhere she goes. It went two weeks without being washed because I could NOT get it away from her without her crying these giant, shiny tears that broke my heart. But I got a deep-inhale of Miss Greenie on Monday. Stella's short lived tears were a small price to pay to get this thing sanitary again.

Good thing I took care of that yesterday. She has a yuck cold and was in definite need of the blanket all day and tonight. I heard her coughing last night at 10:30. That lovely seal-bark cough. Then at midnight. Then 3. And Mark said he heard her around 5:30. I expected a not well Stella today, but the cough was nonexistent. Her nose on the other hand is a slimy faucet. And she's really into kissing right now. A delightfully loving, wide-mouth, toothy kiss, too. I didn't have the heart to not take her sweet smooches, so I got quite a few treats of SSS (Salty Stella Snot).

As soon as I put her down tonight, the coughing started. I was sitting in Heath's room reading Koala Lou, and we heard the hacking begin. He looked up and said, She sickin' up?

No, just coughing. She has a cold.

He nodded his head, relieved. I like to hold Puppy's ears when I have a cold. He held Puppy's ears up to my face. I tried not to breathe in and made an important mental note. Puppy. Bath. TOMORROW!

But all is quiet on the Ropko front. Hopefully Mark will be home soon, and the ice cream and Six Feet Under fest can begin.