Fresh Air and Citrus... the cranky cure-all

This morning, my "Happy New Day" attitude was not present. I "woke-up" (and I use the term loosely... I think I'd been "one-eye-open-asleep" for about an hour when Gracie decided it was time to get her routine going) with a screaming headache, the feeling that someone had sewn my eyelids shut and placed a large, heavy object on me making it impossible to move. I did not want the day to start. I did not feel rested or renewed. I was NOT happy.

You'd think that I'd find a little cheer in the new day since through her sleepless, cough-filled night, Gracie's rash had diminished tremendously. It remains only on her ears, scalp and torso. But, no, this good news was overshadowed by my need to indulge in how tired and cranky I was. (Turns out my not-yet-met, can't-wait-to-meet friend, Hannah, had the crankies yesterday. Apparently, they traveled south overnight!)

My state of mind didn't get better as the morning wore on, either. Preston, who is now in full bloom with a cold, was also up all night, nose overflowing, tossing and turning (and STILL not sleeping in his room). Between my two patients, I still hadn't rested and thus, lost all patience this morning.

My fuse was short... and it wasn't pretty. We all had cabin fever, and despite the fact that it was toasty outside (not good for the lingering rash), I grabbed my camera and let the troops out. And that was a good thing.

Gracie scooted all over, coughing and frothing at her trach, but she didn't care! She was free! Preston ran all over, coughing and frothing at his nose, but he didn't care too much (he cared a little... he kept running to me to help him "blow"!).

Preston signed and said, "Mama, orange, eat," and started tugging at an orange. I picked one, peeled it and we ate it together. Juicy, sweet (but not too) and it smelled heavenly. It reminded me of my Grandpa's ranch as a little girl. I shared a little taste with Gracie, who was far more content playing with the oranges than eating them! She even signed "orange" unprompted! (You can see it in the pics if you look really close!)

I put the leftovers and peels on the kitchen counter and we hung out a bit longer before lunch and tube-feeding time. When we came back in, the house smelled so good. Fresh oranges... ahhhh.

As I got Preston's lunch ready, I realized that my headache was gone and so was my foul mood. Fresh air and citrus with my kids renewed my day and beat the crankies!
And, everyone took a much needed fresh-air and citrus induced siesta!