Laughter: Our Medicine of Choice

Talia has accomplished a dreaded, yet inevitable first, illness. She, along with Daddy and Mommy, has a cold. Last week was filled with outings and fun; This week we are spending our days in our camphor scented sick house. But, as our title suggests, we are still enjoying ourselves. Talia is the most pleasant congested baby I have ever seen. She is still smiling, cooing, playing, and laughing, with occasional bouts of frustration demonstrated by pawing at her face and spirited sneezes. Our events of the week have been limited to: Finishing our stove shopping, going to the drug store to buy a steam vaporizer for Talia and cough drops for Daddy, visiting the post office, and a couple walks. Here are a few pictures of our sick, yet fun-filled days. Thanks to Daddy, we also have the video of Talia's laughter.

I know we have posted several pictures of Talia in her stroller, but if you look closely you may notice a difference. We adjusted the seat so Talia is more upright. Her head control is fantastic and she can sit-up with a little help, so we decided to give her an improved view. She stayed awake longer than usual, fascinated by the outside world.



Since Talia is working on strengthening her torso muscles and improving her balance, I have been putting her in her Bumbo seat (given to her by Uncle Mike, Aunt Evelyn, and her cousins). This chair gives her a whole new perspective of her surroundings.



They say that children laugh an average of 300 times a day, while adults only rack up a pathetic 5 instances of laughter. Not only are children joyful, but they bring joy to others. The adult average must include some rather melancholy adults, because parents, teachers, and others that spend time with children will attest that their day is often punctuated with bouts of laughter. Jon and I find frequent occasions to laugh as we watch Talia. As a kindergarten teacher I found myself laughing often, and trying desperately to suppress my laughter when one of my students made a serious but hilarious comment. The Bible says that laughter is good medicine so we are taking every opportunity to do so. Here are a few clips from Talia's second day of true laughter. I hope it brightens your day and strengthens your bones :).