Self Diagnosis and a Trip to the Seashore

Mimi is finally feeling better.  Hooray!  To be honest, she wasn't down that long - only 3 days - but that's an eternity when you're trapped inside.  Both Mimi and I were getting cabin fever by Friday night.  Mimi had it so bad that she began diagnosing herself.  She started by taking her temperature...

...which she found it to be a bit high.  This required further investigation.  Is it a chest cold?  Flu?  Perhaps a virus?  Mimi decided to check her vitals and give her lungs a listen.

 Unfortunately, she was still stumped.  Oh well.  Perhaps a nice bath would help. 

But that didn't do it either.  On Saturday morning Mimi was still under the weather.  She finally gave up and decided to see her doctor.  Luckily, the doctor was in and she had just the remedy Mimi needed: a 3 hour nap on the couch. 

Full of energy Sunday morning, Mimi let us know she wanted to get out.  "Go!  Go!  Go!" she chanted, pointing down the steps to the front door.  We bundled her up and headed north for Point Reyes. 

Around 1:00 we stopped off at the Hog Island Oyster Farm in Marshall (a bustling town of 50).  The oysters were amazing.  So fresh and sweet.  And the setting was gorgeous.  Next time we go we'll be a bit more adventurous and shuck our own.  We weren't quite ready to try this with Mimi around.  Generally, toddlers and knives don't mix. 

Blissed out on oysters, bread, and cheese, we headed for Drakes Beach.  Mimi, who had been hacking up a lung only 24 hours earlier, insisted on running into the surf.  I suppose she does take after her father in some ways. 

Rescued from the crashing waves, Mimi pointed out the birds as they swooped down from the cliffs above.  "Patta, patta, patta!"    Mimi's bird impersonation had the unfortunate effect of scaring away all birds.  Not the outcome I think she was hoping for. 

Sumie and I are so glad to have our little girl back.  Seeing her so sick, watching her struggle with her cold and cough, that was, by far, the hardest part.  The constant nose-wiping wasn't fun, and the missions for milk at 2:00am were frustrating, but nothing compared to simply seeing my little girl so out of sorts and not being able to do anything about it.  I suppose that when it comes to their kids, the last thing parents ever want to feel is that there's nothing they can do.