Sick

All three of us have been battling colds this week. Chris and Hallie were the first to get hit. I was struck several days later. We take turns griping and moaning. It takes only a couple sniffles and several coughs to make you appreciate feeling normal (i.e. not sick). Chris took one day off school to recuperate. I haven't taken any days off yet but that is the blessing of working from home-- you can be in pajamas if necessary (as it was the day before yesterday). None of us were able to go to church on Sunday.

A lot of loved ones are celebrating birthdays this week. Today is Karen Huff's birthday, tomorrow is Emily Larson's birthday, and Friday is Brittany Wheeler's birthday! Happy birthday to them all! All three are dear friends to me-- the kind that will do anything for you. I feel lucky to have them in my life.

I slowly started pulling fall decorations out. We aren't sure how long we will be in this apartment (we have two weeks to decide). However, I don't want that to keep me from enjoying the season I love best.

Here's the latest with Hallie:
• She is getting better at self-feeding. She will feed herself bagels, turkey, and cheese. She loves to play with the spoon but merely whips it around like she is attempting a new Jackson Pollock painting.
• She wakes up every night becuase she is sick/teething. She is extra cuddly but cries unbearably when we put her down again. We hope she doesn't get in the habit of waking up to party after she gets over this trial.
• She is just over one week away from turning one! We are having a small "Tinkerbell" party for her. We really wish her grandparents from CA could be here to see her! Thank goodness we have Grandma Judy close by.
• We purchased a Tinkerbell Halloween costume online at the Disney store. I was excited when I got it on sale for $12.99 but by the time we paid for shipping it was $20 so I was a little deflated. But, if we get it in time she will wear it at her birthday party too. Then we can get more use out of it!
• Hallie likes to stand in her crib and hold the bars and cry when she doesn't want to nap. It makes it much more dramatic-- which I think is what she is aiming for! Today while she was performing she got a little distracted and started nibbling on the ties to her bedding. She's such a cute little mouse.



Promise not to tell Hallie if I tell you what we got her for her birthday. It's a xylophone that also has piano keys attached so she can play both ways. It is shaped like a croccodile. We have let her play with it twice while in the toy section at Target. She gets sooo excited and animated while pounding on the piano! It takes a lot of self-restraint to hide it until her birthday.