aka Winter Vomiting Disease

This is the crap that kicked our butts over Christmas.

And speaking of iPod, I'm surprised I forgot to mention what Santa Ken brought me: inMotion speakers! The sound is impressive. I can tuck my iPod into the carrying bag with the folded-up speakers and it's a stereo to go.

The new Mac Mini: droool. The iPod Shuffle looks pretty interesting, too. Can't believe they've sold 10 million 'Pods already.

They say when you first set eyes on your newborn baby, it is love at first sight. For me, it's not that I didn't love that tiny, red creature. But what I really felt at first was amazement, relief, disbelief and fear. Over these last months, those feelings have faded away. The love I felt then was nothing in comparison to how I feel now. Sure, there are times I am worried or frustrated or tired. But at night I want to sneak into the nursery and pick her up, just so I can hold my little baby creature.

(And Ken wonders why I sniffle when I read "Love You Forever." Guess it's a girly mommy thing.)

Snow on Ocean City rooftops.



Heidi and Julia on the boardwalk.

Once again, December ate our lives. First, it was extra crazy at work because my boss gave us a bonus of the week between Christmas and New Year's off (thanks, Scott!) -- but that meant we had to make up the lost billable time the other 3 weeks.

Then Wendy & Derek and Mom & Jim arrived the 17th, and that very night, Julia and I came down with (ugh) norovirus, otherwise and aptly named Winter Vomiting Disease. No sooner were we feeling better than Ken got it (Wednesday), recovered in time for everyone, including his dad and Kevin, to get together for Christmas Eve, and then my mom woke up with it Christmas Day. Jim was the last victim on the 26th.

All the invalids, former and recovering, packed their respective cars up Monday the 27th to head for the beach — Mom/Jim to finally get to Bethany Beach, DE to see his daughter, Andrea, and her kids, and us to Ocean City, MD (10 miles or so down the coast) for our previously planned getaway for the bonus week off. The nice thing about being so close to one another is Julia & I got to make up for some of the lost Nana visiting time and Ken got some solitary beach time to recover from a) being sick and b) doctoring everyone else.

We all celebrated a quiet New Year together back in Silver Spring. Now we are wading into a January picking up the various accumulated debris from the end of 2004: unread mail, undone errands, uncleaned house. How much longer 'til spring?