The cold remedy I think I have to start endorsing

Many of you know that when I get sick...I get REALLY sick. I get hit with colds really hard. I always have.

Well, nursing brought with it concerns over everything I take - and decongestants were a concern in that they can lower supply. So I tried everything I could find on the internet that was a breastfeeding-safe cold remedy.

I ate hard-boiled eggs. Didn't work, as far as I could tell.

I made Matt think a poopy diaper was somehow left in his office (he seriously said that) when I boiled apple cider vinegar so I could inhale the fumes. It burned my nostrils and brought very brief relief.

I tried snorting stuff up my nose. And I tried pouring it through my nostrils with a neti pot. Works well for allergies...the various solutions just get stuck when you're really congested...

So, we have this book called Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child. I am soooo psyched because Bennett has really been too young to use the remedies, but most of them can be used at a year and when he's regularly drinking from a cup (we're getting there) because they're given in the form of drinks and whatnot. Since he's never been the greatest about a bottle, I didn't even want to try giving him any of these things.

Anyway. During my last cold and the one I currently have, I was able to really keep the symptoms to a minimum. I've done this by taking zinc for 3 days - a lozenge every few hours - starting as SOON as I notice symptoms in either me or Bennett. Then I take this liquid form of echinacea and goldenseal - it's disgusting. Seriously gross. You put some of it in water, hold your nose, drink it, and if you don't vomit afterwards I swear it helps!

The fact that my husband made it possible for me to sleep in after I was up frequently with a coughing baby helps too :-) And I just picked up some stuff for Bennett to take...as soon as he wakes up from the nap he started in the car. I can't believe he hasn't woken up from any of the several coughing fits he had!

Oh, and he has really fat feet. We went to get him a couple pairs of hard-soled shoes just now. 6s are a little long, but I can get his sausages in there. 5s are the right length, but I'd have to remove a toe or two to get them on him!...or at least shave a little off the top of each foot.

Lastly, we need to get some recent video of him walking for posterity. He walks so well now! And the way he is moving has changed so much in the month he's been walking.

He tries to run now. He can't control his feet when they go that fast, though...and he falls EVERY time!

Legos!

We have these gigantic fake Lego blocks. They're "Mega Blocks."

Well, Bennett can put them together! He's combined nesting with stacking and put the "single" block on other blocks. So cool! He's done it several times...but seems to refuse to do it for his dad -- and his dad is probably more excited about this particularly ability than anyone could imagine!

Dad comes to see, and he's not interested in putting anything ON or TOGETHER....only pulling stuff apart!

Also. He freaking loves carrots and applesauce (which I put puffed millet in because it's the only way I can get him to eat it...and we have lots of it!).

I'm pretty sure he ate a cup of applesauce after eating some onions and beans tonight.

Yet he won't really eat anything for lunch and he hardly eats anything for breakfast. Dinner is the big mealtime for Bennett!

Quick note - our pictures have moved!

Matt had decided to use Picasa instead of Photobucket. So now you can view his sometimes-updated photo collection at http://picasaweb.google.com/MattTomCarl/Bennett#.

Fun stuff!

Bennett is now officially a walker. He much prefers walking to crawling - he'll crawl to get over to something so he can pull up (he hasn't realized yet that he *is* actually capable of simply standing up wherever he is), but that's about it.

Anyhow, here are some pictures from the last couple weeks!

Bennett and his friend Noah crashing Bennett's car. So irresponsible!

Bennett looks a little concerned about Noah's driving...

Millet and Apple Sauce: A perfect pairing!

Dried mango -- YUMMY!

This past weekend I took Bennett for a run/walk on a 40-degree afternoon. He was pissed about having to wear something on his head - we had to use his jacket's hood because he instantly will rip a hat off. Anyway, he fussed about it before we left. This is when we returned. I have to say, he generally has this look on his face when in the stroller. He looks angry...but his dad's neutral face is a scowl, so perhaps that's the case here? He doesn't make a PEEP when he's in the stroller. He hardly moves. I think he's just chillin' out...

Close-up.

Bennett is obsessed with the dogs' food and water. Mainly, we think, the water. He just loves water. He puts his hand in their water bowl, and he's been known to dunk his shoe in (while not wearing it). So, this weekend we decided to give him a bowl of water sanctioned for play and see what happened. First he put his penguin pirate in (it's a bath toy he's been wandering around the house with lately), and then it seemed necessary to stand in it with his right foot. Repeatedly. It was serious business!

And a video of the occasion:

Wetfoot. He's pretty cute.

After dinner last night, during which Bennett smeared food in his hair, he got a bath. We let him stay in there for quite awhile...at least 30 minutes...and he still didn't seem to want out! (And he was rockin' quite the bath 'do.)

This is such typical Bennett. As he's getting ready for bed, he wants some hard toy. I've tried to get him interested in a few teddy bears and plush toys, but he could not care less about them! Last night he had a Valentine's Day bucket from Grandma Joan and half a toothbrush case (the toothbrush case is a favorite. He gets ahold of that thing almost every day and has even fed it with a spoon.)