Take a Deep Breath

Okay, I am trying to do deep breathing and keep my life in perspective (it's the stomach flu, after all, not a devastating life event) despite the fact that I haven't so much as left the house since Sunday morning. Thankfully, Annie's feeling much, much better (signs include: asking for a treat, finally (!) getting "bored" of watching Cinderella, insisting on wearing a dress this afternoon, fighting over things with Jemma, and actually leaving her post on the couch for most of this afternoon) and the rest of us are so far unscathed (knock on wood, lots of wood). With any luck, tomorrow we'll pack up and head to my parents', where we'll spend the night before I take off for Chicago on Friday morning. I had lots of ambitious plans to shop, walk everywhere, do at least one museum, and eat tons of good food. We'll see; maybe I'll still want to do all those things. But right now, what I want to do most is lie in a giant king-size bed and order room-service while watching trash TV, occasionally venturing out for a pedicure or a coffee.

I have to add, before I get bogged down in all my travel fantasies and flu angst, that Jemma has been 100% adorable the last few days in spite of being stuck in the house with her boring mom and sister. She is totally hilarious, and her personality is coming out in leaps and bounds. She's obsessed with this pink sippy cup and must carry it with her every single second of the day. I try to put just a tiny bit of water in it so she's happy, but every time I'm not looking, she intentionally dumps it out, laughs, and then toddles over to demand more. Also, she's miraculously begun clomping around with Annie's high-heel Snow White dress-up shoes on her teeny-tiny feet. It is a mystery how someone who's been walking for around a month suddenly graduates to heels, but she is determined, and quite proud when she's marching down the hallway. I love the 1-year to 2-year growth stage, and I think we're going to have a really fun spring and summer with her.

With luck, my next post will be full of Chicago-related stories and events!