Dispatches from the Invalid.

It turns out mini was battling the flu, and I caught it from her. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so sick — or, at least not for such a protracted period of time. I’m more accustomed to the three-day cold, where day two is wretched but you muscle it out. This flu is a nasty business and it seems to have nine lives. I’ve gone from an intense sore throat (to the point that it felt my throat was entirely constricted) and congestion to aches, chills, and sweats, to an upset stomach to a brutal cough — and the persistent headache that has accompanied it all is nothing short of demonic.

On the upside, I have not worn anything but moisturizer for the past five days (not even mascara — that shows you how sick I really am; I don’t think I’ve not worn mascara since I was maybe fourteen) and my skin has enjoyed the break. Similarly, my body has enjoyed an unplanned and unwilled detox: no wine and…well, basically no food, either, save for a scarce couple of spoonfuls of pasta or nibbles of toast and one truly random but delicious tuna fish sandwich from Daily Provisions which sounds like the absolute worst thing you’d want to eat while nauseous and overall unwell, but it was the only thing I wanted yesterday afternoon?

Possibly worse than feeling sick myself: observing my equally sick daughter who, thankfully, has now boomeranged back into health now that the flu has run its full seven-day course on her tiny little body, to the point that she has no qualms telling me to “go away” when I tuck in for a midday snuggle. The callousness of a toddler — it knows no depths. But there was a day or two where our ailments overlapped and though I was too foggy with headache and fever to truly appreciate it, I won’t soon forget the afternoon we spent in my bed, napping through our illnesses together, her feet pressed against my leg, her ruddy cheeks and dark lashes so angelic on the pillow next to mine.

Poor Mr. Magpie. It is a lot to run this house, but especially with multiple sick patients on a weekend with no help and no breaks in sight. He had a flukey bad Saturday full of irritating mixups and unfortunate incidents, including a full quart of oil spilling over onto our stovetop and kitchen floor, which — once cleaned (and if you’ve ever cleaned oil, you know what an incredible pain that process is) — spilled over again, missing ingredients for the dinner he’d generously planned for us, hour-long tantrums, a disgusting encounter on the subway while mini was in tow, and the like. At the end of the day, I implored him to sit and do something for himself: “What would make you happy?” I asked. “Well first,” he said, “Never get sick again. I need you too much.”

It is a gift to be needed. It has been exceedingly difficult to lay in the other room and feel physically unable to help — or, worse, to attempt to help but find myself radiating with exertion or febrile to the point of unable to hold my son.

At any rate, we are I think on the mend…? Below, a complete random smattering of things…

A FEW OF YOU SAW MY MONORAMMED TISSUE COVER ON INSASTORY AND ASKED AFTER IT — I BOUGHT IT HERE

HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR NEW LAYERING TEES — TASTEMAKER JULIA AMORY SUGGESTED THESE AND I FOLLOWED SUIT

DID SOME SHOPPING AT THEREALREAL THIS WEEKEND: EYEING THESE CHANEL FLATS, THIS HUNTING SEASON CROSSBODY, AND THIS CHANEL TOTE

GOOD SALE AT RYLEE AND CRU — BOUGHT HILL THESE OVERALLS AND EYEING THIS PAIR OF JAMMIES

THIS GINGHAM SILK SATIN DRESS IS A SHOWSTOPPER

SPEAKING OF BLUE GINGHAM: THINKING THAT THIS ROMPER WILL BE MICRO’S EASTER JAMMIES

SAW NICOLA BATHIE WEARING THIS DRESS — ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE

CHIC NEW BEDDING COLLABORATION BETWEEN SCHUMACHER AND MATOUK

THESE JAMMIES ARE $25 AND GET GREAT REVIEWS

THIS ULTRA-CHIC DOEN DRESS IS BACK IN STOCK IN A NEW COLOR!

FUN JUTE TRIM PILLOW

LOVE THE FABRIC/TEXTURE OF THIS DRESS

FUN PERSONALIZED CUPS

THE EARRINGS SHOWN IN THIS POST ARE ACTUALLY THESE BY JENNIFER BEHR

P.S. Getting to know you even better.

P.P.S. I don’t want anything to change.