What's Been Up, or Alicia In Real Life

Long time, no write (but I have been reading your blogs!).

We had a very nice Christmas with my family in PA. Our trip was delayed a day by Rosie getting a very high fever and my having some very bad days that made packing impossible. So we missed the family reunion on Saturday, but arrived late Saturday night. I had a kind of average week pregnancy-wise, so I was sick a good bit, and just doing the family stuff pretty much used up whatever energy I had. So I enjoyed my family, but didn't get to see some of you as I had hoped.

The children were so glad to be there (as was my Brian) and they all enjoyed themselves. Grandma's ham was it's usual Christmas wonderfulness, and I got my chocolate chip cookies from Hershey's Chocolate World as I must each trip - they're delish.

Thanks to the size (very small, think hobbit hole) of my parents' home both my parents were very aware of my middle of the night spilling of guts :^) and were very sweet. My daddy, after learning of my need for a simple sugar, like Poptarts for breakfast when I'm having a hard time, presented me with a honeybun from his morning coffee run after hearing me up the night before. He simply said, "I figured you'd need something sweet this morning." It was nice to be taken care of - wish they were closer.

We got home the next Sunday night, and by Monday evening, Rose was burning up with the same fever she'd had before we left, despite the fact that I had stripped beds and sprayed couches. Too weird. This time it lasted three or four days. Then the cold/virus things began to hit. They're almost over them (I don't get colds). Anna got one and recovered after a couple of days, then Brian got it and is still fighting it almost a week later, Rose got a milder version. She had a nighttime cough for about a week and is now showing other symptoms, but they seem to be working their way out rather than worsening.

And I've been about the same as before. A few days that are somewhat normal, most days that are not so great, and a few days of debilitating fatigue and/or nausea and vomiting that make me want to die.

So the suitcases are finally unpacked and my living room is starting to resemble itself again, but the Christmas stuff (what little I got out this year) is still out, though I've finally managed to get the boxes down from the attic to put it away.

School is still starting very late in the day, but we're accomplishing more.

And ya know that girl's name that we liked. Well, it's just not growing on me. I really like Jane, but not the Laurie so much. Laurie was never really I name I'd considered before and I really don't care for the name Lori (no offense to anyone out there :^). So, my husband and I , being equally picky about names are just not having a meeting of minds yet with anything. So the hunt continues. I have several names I love (names being first and middle name combinations), but he's not in love with any of them.

Oh, and Ethan had a birthday. Eight years old. I'll get his birthday letter posted soon. He had a Clone Wars theme, but really more of a sleepover than a party. Three buddies slept over the night before his birthday and we spent his birthday afternoon with them at a children's hands-on museum. They thoroughly enjoyed it.

I think that about sums up this past month. If you made it this far, you must be a true friend or very bored. :^) , but thanks either way. I'll try to resume normal posting. Oh, and my CPU is shot again, it was dead when we got home from PA, so I have to use Brian's laptop. At least my favorites are internet-accessible. :^)

Happy New Year (a couple of weeks late)!