Chicago, Parts I and II

Chicago, Part I:

I take the train in on a sunny Friday morning, reading magazines and drinking coffee. I check into our luxurious hotel, take myself out for lunch at a little deli, and spend the afternoon shopping aimlessly for little things (Garrett's caramel corn, new eyeshadow, baby gifts, spring clothes at H&M, books). I meet Jason in the lounge at 5:30, where we have a drink before taking the El to meet our friends at the Hopleaf, a great restaurant/bar in Andersonville specializing in Belgian beers. We run into an old friend from college and her husband and they hang out with our group for the night. We get back at midnight. Saturday morning, we work out before Jason heads off to the exhibit floor and I drink coffee while reading my book. We meet friends for lunch at Topolobambo, have margaritas and great mexican food, and then do some more shopping and wandering together, listen to music at Borders, and get hot chocolate on Michigan Avenue while we contemplate where to go for dinner.

Chicago, Part II:

Saturday around 5:30, I call my parents to check in on the girls, who have been doing great so far. My dad reports that my mom has Jemma in the tub . . . because she just threw up. Annie, he adds, has been having green diarrhea all day and doesn't want to eat much of anything. Jason and I head back to the hotel, where we both start to feel the teeniest, tiniest bit . . . ill. We end up not going out to dinner at all, falling asleep around 9:00 with stomach aches. I wake up at 1:00 a.m. and proceed to spend the next few hours heading back and forth from bed to the bathroom. In the morning, I can't even sit up for more than 10 seconds at a time. Jason is fine, and he gets me into the car, where I lie flat back for the ride to my parents' house, where my mom has just thrown up. We gather the girls and go home, where I have a fever and we are now in diarrhea mode all around.

Insert long line of swear words here.

I am forcing myself to adopt Jason's life mantra: This, too, shall pass. (It will, right? Because it sort of feels like we're going to have some version of this sickness right up until the 4th of July and maybe never leave our house again!)