Cold season

We had a mellow and different holiday this year for several reasons. First, we had Christmas dinner in our own home. I made prime rib, roasted potatoes, and Lisa made homemade marshmallows for hot cocoa. We feasted like royalty. Also, at the last minute, we had some friends who were stuck in town come over for dinner. My high school friend, Hetty, whom I hadn't seen in almost 18 years, came over for dinner. Her train to Rochester, NY was canceled because of the weather so she was by herself for Christmas. Also, our friends Alison and Geoff came over for dinner as well. Afterwards, we played a round of Wii. It was great being spontaneous and having friends over for dinner.


Second, Chicago got hit hard by the winter weather with record snow accumulation. This affected all sorts of travel. Third, Zoë caught a real bad viral infection and was dealing with congestion and high fevers. She felt miserable. This also meant Zoë couldn't go to daycare. This was tough on Lisa and me because Lisa was working during the day, and I was working night shifts in the ER so neither of us were getting a break. Lisa and I would see each other on average 1-5 minutes a day - she'd arrive home and I would be on my way out. All this time, Zoë would be crying or having no desire to eat. We were tired. Because of the travel conditions and Zoë's condition we decided at the last minute to cancel our trip to Lisa's parent's house the weekend after Christmas. However, we really needed help with child care so we called Lisa's mom, and she hopped on the first train to Chicago. She has been a tremendous help. The great news is that Zoë is feeling so much better now and is no longer spiking fevers. We also had sort of an impromptu, late Christmas celebration a week after Christmas with Lisa's mom, her brother Bryan and his fiance Lindsey.