my house is a mess, um, lived in

I am at last experiencing the joys of having a child that gets into everything. Rhys might not be walking but he sure can make one heck of a mess. My house constantly looks like this.

Top to bottom. Not sure exactly how that happens since the kids are confined to the floor, but it does in fact always look like it needs to be cleaned. I am not at all a neat freak, but I do like things to be put away. But alas that just isn't how my family functions. After five years of marriage (oh, and children) I am still trying to resign myself to the fact that my neat and tidy days are on hiatus. Hopefully not forever.

Rhys is sick. As a dog. It's a bit of allergies with a cold mixed in. And it's bad. I am talking buckets and buckets of that clear white gunk that hides in the nose. It is t.e.r.r.i.b.l.e. He can't breathe, can't sleep, and coughs like a mad man, which incidentally makes him furious when he has a lengthy coughing spell. I am breaking the no meds for children under age six rules and giving him children's mucinex. It does seem to be working, but I still wish it would expedite the recovery process. I do not know how many more nights of hearing him snore and wheeze on the baby monitor I can take. I'm scared to turn it down too low for fear of not hearing him so I hear him all night long. Now we just wait to see if Zoe gets it. Ugh, I do not relish the thought of having them both sick.

And just in case you're wondering, Rhys hasn't forgotten how to drink from a straw. I was almost scared he would. I am still amazed every time I watch him do it. Up until now the only liquid he really got was milk/pediasure when he had a bottle. I'd offer him water, tea or sometimes juice frequently but he never drank much because it was difficult for him to regulate the open cup. Yesterday alone he drank about 8 ounces with the straw. I'm hoping this will be a good opportunity for more calories. I'd rather him drink mostly water but the kid needs calories, and he loves tea, so I usually let him have it. He isn't much on juice, but if he was I'm sure I could find some really good, high calorie ones for him to have. I'm trying to figure out how to use this development to our benefit and push a new eating strategy on for him. Problem is I don't have one quite yet, I'm still working on it...