Baby Z's preference

Baby Z was diagnosed with pneumonia yesterday. On Sunday evening his fever started. His temperature reached 104 F, and at that point he was very red in the face, burning hot, fussy, and unable to sleep.

Yesterday, we spent about 2 hours at the doctor's office, as Baby Z had to be xrayed, and injected with the fist dose of antibiotic for the pneumonia. We went to the doctor's office before 9 am and came home around 11:30 am. I told the kids to do as much school as they could on their own, since I didn't have much sleep myself the night before. Alhamdulillah they did, though it was probably more of a 'fun' day for them.

While I napped with Baby Z, they played outside, constructed their igloo, went sledding on a nearby pseudo hill which we had realized was existent. For Baby Z though, it was far from fun. His fever spiked up again and again. He didn't want to eat, and he developed random temporary affinities for certain people.

Last night, while we were praying, baby Z was sitting in front of us but behind hubby. He kept tugging at hubby's leg, and would cry when we took him. When we were done, he hedl out his arms towards hubby, indicating that he wanted Abi to take him. Obviously he expressed his preference, refusing the rest of us.

At another time, when I was holding him, he fidgeted and looked for S. When he saw her, he reached out both hands towards her, indicating that he wanted her to hold him. She took him, and he immediately laid his head against her chest and wrapped his arms about her shoulders and neck. Subhanallah! The babe only needs me for milk!

S once said to me,

"I think it's going to be a problem if he's too attached to me."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because then when he grows up, he's gonna want me all the time, and I won't be able to do anything."

"Well, that's good for me then, huh?" I grinned.

Both my girls are fond of babies, just like I was when I was a child. I worried that H might not be too fond of them, since he was always complaining about toddlers bothering him while he was praying at the masjid, but alhamdulillah he now dotes over his 'best buddy'. I wanted more babies, even though I knew the hardship that comes with it. I worried about how I was going to homeschool with a new baby, but the fact that Allah gave me one indicates that I do have the strength to bear all these hardships, for Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. So, even though homeschooling is a little 'crazy' sometimes, with a baby who has extensive eczema, multiple allergies which affect his sleep schedule and such, I do see the ups of it.

The kids simply adore their little brother, mashaallah! The moment they hear even a peep out of him from my room, signifying that he's up from his nap, they would stop their school work, look up at me and ask eagerly,

"Can we take Z?"

If I give a nod, all of them would race to my room, and Baby Z would be greeted with three eager, smiling faces, each fighting to hold him.

All of them feed Baby Z his non breastmilk meals, each taking a turn for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Though they do try to get out of it sometimes, claiming that s/he had already done it for breakfast and that it was his/her turn next, they do still feed him. It's no surprise then that Baby Z is attached to S, because she also changes his diaper whenever I ask her to, and she basically does everything except nurse him.

So even though I am facing these daily hardships with Baby Z while homeschooling, Allah does make easy other things, subhanallah.

Now, may Allah heal and cure his pneumonia, for only He can cure. Ameen.