Snowed In

This was the scene outside of my condo Saturday, as one of the biggest blizzards in Minnesota blew through. I have lived here since 1995, so I missed the big '91 blizzard my friends love to reminisce about. This was by far the biggest snow fall I've ever seen - it just kept coming down, and was blowing everywhere. I could barely see the parking lot of the other building that my windows face.

 

We were holed up at home anyway, since Sebastian came down with hand, foot and mouth disease (which is the worst illness ever. There was nothing we could do for the poor, miserable baby). It's very contagious, so he's not allowed to be around any other children for 7-10 days. But being trapped in a blizzard with a sick child is tough, because I was constantly in fear of him taking a turn for the worse, and us being completely stuck and unable to go to the doctor. Thankfully, he was feeling much better by Sunday. He went from doing nothing but watching cartoons and eating Popsicles on Saturday to running around the house, playing basketball, trains, dancing and eating everything in sight on Sunday. It was a welcome sigh of relief for all of us.

 

Here's how our snowy weekend progressed.

 

Friday I arrived home from my lovely work Christmas party to the news that Sebastian had H/F/M. So instead of going to our friend's house for dinner, we stayed in and made a quick pasta camped out on the couch watching Elmo in Grouchland. A quick aside - dealing with our first major illness showed me how important it is to be flexible. I'm pretty strict on sugar, television and fast food, but he had all of that this week. A Happy Meal was what I could think of in a pinch that would be fast and he might eat? Bring it on. His mouth hurts so much that he can't eat solids? Sugary Popsicles and juice it is! Too lethargic to do anything but whine in pain? Maybe some Elmo will help! Hah. When you have a sick child, you have to do what you have to do.

 

Anyway, Friday night we ushered him off to bed, but he woke up at 10:30. We got him back down. Then he woke again at midnight, screaming bloody murder. I made a tearful call to the nurse line while Matt tried walking him around the house. Nothing worked, so he finally turned on some Martha Speaks on our Netflix. He watched a few minutes of the talking dog, then fell asleep in our arms. So we got out the blankets, and all dozed on the sofa. He woke every couple hours, and we'd dose him with some pain meds, or he'd climb across to the other person and fall asleep on top of us. We woke up creaky and not very well rested.

 

Saturday we tried to keep him happy with a regiment of books, cartoons and low-key games. While we took turns taking care of Sebastian, we read books, did laundry and cleaned the house. It was nice in a way having all commitments erased, and having nothing to do but nest and watch the snow fall. I also enjoyed checking my friend's Facebook accounts and seeing staggering photos of their snowfall. It was a nice way not to feel isolated.

 

Our groceries were dwindling, so I made pancakes, bacon and eggs for dinner. Sebastian was feeling a little better by this time, so he actually ate a little and let me play with him. He took a bath, and then Matt and I put him to bed and watched The Office Christmas episode with mugs of cocoa.

 

I really love the simple, slowed-down life that we had this weekend. It's what I strive for, but often don't accomplish because we always seem to have a lot going on during the week. It was nice just getting to completely opt out of everything, with no guilt. 

 

Now the snow is cleared, and I'm back at work, but I know we'll be telling Sebastian for years to come about the big blizzard that struck when he was home sick.

 

Also, in keeping with the theme of my blog, this time of year I love, love, LOVE being a condo/townhouse owner. I stayed in my PJs all day and didn't leave the house. The next morning, a lovely band of bobcats and snowplows decsended on my driveway and cleared away all the snow.