The Flu Strikes

Oh my, the last week has been something else. Last Tuesday night, Andrew was giving me an especially hard time going to bed, and it turned out he was not feeling well. I gave up and put him in the bed with me a little after 11 PM, and I woke up at midnight, because he was throwing up. To make a long story short.....13 puke episodes and 7 loads of laundry later, it all ended until Thursday night. I thought he was going okay and made the mistake of giving him mac and cheese. He got sick again on me in the bed at midnight. So...I had to take Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off of work. Saturday night rolls around, and I get the flu! I had to take Monday off of work, as well. I am still feeling pretty weak, but getting much better. It has been almost impossible to keep up with the two classes I am teaching. To top it off, Andrew would not let me do anything this morning, and I had to carry him to daycare. I walked through people's yards with a kid in his pajamas over my shoulder.  It was quite the scene. I have been off of work for a week, and I didn't have time for nonsense! 

I just wanted to catch people up, because I haven't posted as much as I usually do. Also, for my family members reading this, I forgot to put stamps on my Christmas thank you cards, so they should all be sent out now. One didn't come back at all, so maybe I stamped that one? Who knows. I just want everybody to know that I did not forgot about all the wonderful gifts that were sent to us!  Do I sound like I have been stressed lately? :)

Did Your Face Catch On Fire?

Catchy subject line, eh? I had a couple of sun spots on my face, so my dermatologist prescribed me some cream to put on my face for 2 weeks. However, it can cause redness and blistering. I'm on day 11, and I'm looking pretty scary! I have been trying to avoid going in public this week, so if you do see me out, I was not involved in an accident. I'm doing this to myself on purpose. :) It is supposedly going to heal very nicely (uh, hopefully!).

These last few weeks, we have just been trying to wind down from the holidays. Andrew and I had a cold last weekend, so we did a lot of Bob the Builder watching (his new favorite). I also wanted to mention that I took him to get his 2 year photos on December 31st, but it was a complete flop. I have used the same girl since he was 6 months old, but when I got there, there was a girl that had only been there 2 weeks. Let's just say I almost grabbed the camera out of her hands and pushed her down (too harsh??). I did buy one picture for $7.99. I'm still debating if I want to reschedule over the next month or two, because the whole thing can be stressful.

This past week has been really crazy with work, as I started two new classes, and I am getting re-certified for two different areas. I will be able to breath again next week when the two re-certification workshops are over. 

I have a few of pics of him enjoying his new things from the past 2 weeks...

We really need to have a talk with him about all this cell phone usage (especially while driving)...

Every single hot wheel must come in with him. Every. Single. One.

Vegas Trip

Mike and I were thrilled to take our first vacation since before I got pregnant. When NIU got into the Orange Bowl, we played around with the idea of going to Miami, but the whole thing was just too expensive for 2 to 3 days. Vegas came in second, and Mike's parents were kind enough to stay at our house to watch Andrew and Jez while we were there. 

At first, things were not looking good when we got there New Year's Eve. We arrived at 11:30 PM because flights were super cheap. Well, when we got there, there was some type of mix-up with Priceline and the hotel, and they did not have our reservation. They did not even have a room! So, here we are past midnight on New Year's Eve at the airport calling hotels in Vegas of all places. Mike found one at The Orleans, which was off the strip. The taxi driver told he he just drove around a couple to 5 different hotels, and they were all booked. He said the average stay was $900 a night. Well, Priceline actually said they would not only refund our money, but pay for our hotel! So.....we finally arrive at 2 AM (4 AM our time) and hit the sack. I was pretty tired the next day, but I was so excited about being there that I was able to deal with it. :)  We spent the next couple of days gambling, eating, and watching sports. (I Just wish I got a little more sleep.) It was much easier to watch the Orange Bowl without Mr. Andrew around who likes to turn the TV off when it's not one of his shows. Our other 2 nights were at Palazzo, which has awesome rooms for sports, because they give you two TV's. We lost a good chunk of money on the Illinois/Purdue game. They also have the best sports book EVER. You get your own TV, couch/chairs, and server while watching your games. 

We also saw a movie while we were there, which you don't understand how rare that can be until you have kids. On the night before we left, I ended up going on a hot streak and won over $800. We came back home even, so that's what I call a good trip! I put $40 in a machine and won $100. Then I went to a different machine and won $300. Then on the third machine, I won $550. It was insane. I played it down $150 and then walked away. For a while I thought the machine may have malfunctioning, because I have never seen a machine win so much. We were feeling pretty down when it was time to go home, but we were also anxious to see Andrew. It was a MUCH needed vacation!