I haven't kicked the bucket, but I've definitely thrown it around a lot
Ethan and I are sick, and I've also got another small human's feet under my ribs, so things around here have been more fun than they are now. I don't know what it is with Ethan this fall; he keeps getting these mega colds like every other week. Could it be a global warming situation? Akin to the whole New York hurricane/snowstorm fiasco? I haven't had to call in FEMA yet, but I'm almost there.
Never in my life have I had a sinus infection before, but let me tell you when you're 35 weeks pregnant is not the time to try it. The strongest pain meds I can take for my exploding-face-sensation is extra strength Tylenol, which is certainly better than nothing, but still. This is America. I shouldn't have to feel pain.
Luckily after just a single z pack antibiotic treatment I'm feeling waaaay better, and Ethan has maintained his loving personality throughout this round of viral plague. Yesterday he invented the game "Hot Sack," in which we passed around a fabric bag of heated rice and pressed it against our heads and faces. He even insisted the baby bump get a turn, further evidence of his growing awareness and excitement for the arrival of his baby brother.
Quick baby update: Of his own accord recently, Ethan has informed people that "See that big bump?" (pointing to my tremendous midsection) "There's a baby in Mommy's tummy!" Out of the blue, he told my dad there was a cord connecting my belly button to the baby's, and that's how he eats. The other day he was counting the members of our family, and arrived at the total of four all by himself. So sweet. And encouraging.
Anyway, we've been overloaded on kids'-TV-via-Netflix, so when Ethan offered me a penny to play "Minecrafter" (Minecraft) with him on the Xbox, I couldn't really say no. Although the Xbox controllers have so many buttons and knobs that whenever I hold it I react the way my 80-something grandmother does while holding her universal TV remote: just start pressing things and hope for the best. Incidentally, this method yields about the same results whether being used for TV or Minecrafter.
The first time I "played" it, the other day, the best I could manage was to repeatedly throw my bucket into an irrigation ditch while trying to harvest some vegetables from the garden, and then throw my bucket at the bed while trying to retire for the evening in our house. (Noah has set up quite the little farm for him and Ethan, which I have been slowly and systematically destroying while he's at work.) At one point Ethan started crying in frustration, so we quit.
Today's adventure wasn't a whole lot better. I texted Noah about it on his break.
Me: Ethan is making me play minecrafter. There has been some damage done to your house.
Noah: Lol nice.
Me: I accidentally destroyed one of the beds and I couldn't remember how to close the door when I was leaving, so now there is a wood block just inside the door. I did harvest some wheat, but Ethan punched a hole in one of your home's walls.
Noah: How'd you destroy a bed?
Me: I'm not really sure. I was trying to get up for the day and I may have axed it. We also began the process of blocking up an alleyway with wood and stone.
Noah: I'm sure he's having a blast.
Me: He got mad when I couldn't bust down part of a fence, so he took over, but now we are watching Kipper.
In spite of it all, Ethan still says I'm "the best Mom in the whole world." That's some pretty effective medicine.