Chicken Soup Where Are You?

When I'm sick things just don't run quite as well. T.G. manfully steps in and does all he can to make it easier and to look out for everyone, but when the mama is taken out by illness the whole household goes a bit wonky. Obligingly I try to stay healthy as much as possible, but this time not only am I feeling crummy, but Little Guy is sporting a faucet nose as well. We are doing a lot of hanging out in our pajamas, napping, cuddling together, and watching Peep and the Big Wide World.
On the whole I have had worse colds, and I know this one will pass, but it is still pretty lame at the moment. And then on top of me feeling sick our refrigerator stopped working right. Now all our perishables are living on the back porch in big coolers, which means my neighbors get to see my sniffling pj clad self several times a day as I go in and out for milk, lunch, etc. Thankfully it is so cold out, otherwise I don't know what we would do. We're working on getting a new fridge and the weather is allowing us to find exactly what we need for a good price. This is no small mercy with the way L.G. and I go through milk. Speaking of L.G. he began referring to the computer as 'Mac' on Monday. I love that kid. He is currently obsessed with farm animals and there is often mooing, quacking, and baaing coming from him all day long. He is the most amazing blessing in our life. We can both be tired, worn out, and crabby - but five minutes of L.G. walking around his room alternately singing and mooing would put anyone in a good mood. I'm relishing the one on one time I get with him, because I know soon it will be at a premium. We've been working hard to prepare him for the arrival of a sibling in March, but I'm just not sure how much he understands. Today he and I looked at a book with photographs of a pregnant mommy's tummy growing and a drawing of a baby inside that tummy to try to explain what I meant when I said his sister is in my own round belly. He was interested and happily turned pages watching the development of a child in the womb and then of a newborn infant - but then everything fell apart because he got to the page showing how to bathe a baby which featured a rubber duck.
All I can say is that I'm pretty sure L.G. is hoping his sister will actually be a duck. Sigh.
However, this might come in handy. A few months ago T.G.'s cousin's wife suggested getting L.G. a small present when the baby arrives and giving it to him at the hospital when he comes to visit with the understanding that it is a present from his sister. Apparently they did this with their son, and it really smoothed the transition. I may need to look into a duck or farm related present for L.G., because I have a feeling her advice will turn out to be golden.