Boo for flu....

Well, it was bound to happen eventually, but I sure wish it hadn't.

Jeremy's been fighting a cough/sore throat for over a week now. We finally convinced him to go to the doctor's, and found out he's got an awesome sinus infection. Two days and many pills later, he's well on the road to recovery.

Saturday, I woke up with a scratchy throat, but thought nothing of it and went shopping. As the day went on, the scratchiness got worse. By evening, I wanted nothing more than to curl up in a blanket with some hot tea, and go to bed. Went to the doctor's today, and apparently, it's viral, so all we can do is wait it out. Booooo...
What really sucked was not being able to take anything to relieve those pesky symptoms!
At least I have real acetaminophen now--Saturday night, the only kind we had was children's liquid tylenol. Have you tasted that stuff recently??? It's like liquid candy! Yuck! Thankfully, Jeremy went to the store and got some real tylenol, so I can rest a little bit more easy (though the cough and congestion still keep me from having a good nights sleep, but I digress....)
It sucks being sick when you're pregnant....
The only thing that sucks more than being sick is...... being dead. :) Thankfully, we're very much alive, just a bit miserable! So we'll take our drugs, drink our teas, get some sleep, and hope tomorrow is a fresher, healthier day (no late night partying tonight for us!)
Yet again, I cannot drink a glass of champagne on New Years....
Happy New Year! Goodbye 2007 (weird...) hello, 2008! A nice round number.

Oh, and apparently I've lost 10 lbs since going to the dr's last (I think in June? July? Something like that? Maybe August? I dunno.) So that made me feel better, even if the number was still higher than I would have liked. Baby steps!
Too bad that number will likely just continue to climb back up, but hopefully it will be all baby this time, as most of it was last time.

joshnjess.blogspot.com???

I was beginning to think we were the only ones who waited until last minute to send out Christmas cards--and then we checked our mail on the 26th to find it full of 'em! Yay!

One of them was particularly interesting.... It was addressed to "The Wilcoxes" and our address was written on it, but it was from someone in NW DC. Odd, we don't know anyone who lives in DC....

Open it up, and it's a nice photocard, with two beautiful children on it. I studied their faces, hoping there would be some recognition, but nope, never seen them before in my life. Inside, the card was written to, "Jess & Josh" (????????) and signed by "The Sterlings, Andrew, Catherine, Jane & Calvin"

"So great to hear from you! You're still part of the family!" was also writtin inside....

Uhh.... a bit strange.... I could see getting cards for a previous owner, or a card for us being sent somewhere else, but never expected a card to someone who's probably a long lost cousin or something to show up at our house.

Cute kids, though. And I checked Zillow, just outta curiosity.... It's a big house, worth big money. The kids kinda look like the long lost children (grandchildren?) of Condoleeza Rice.

Amusing. :-)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve at my Uncle Nelson's house--Jeremiah was more interested in the bows than anything else! He carefully took each and every one out of the bag.... and then proceeded to stomp on them.

Playing with my cousins Sofia (almost 9) and Julia (5).

"No, Mom, I'm not trying to get the presents.... see how angelic I look??" Apparently, digital cameras do not work well when cold (probably has something to do with the LCD display... it warmed up pretty quickly, though!)

Oh, and he was really trying to get the ornaments that had fallen off the tree. Don't worry, it wasn't glass... one of those fancy unbreakable ones (I guess more appropriately dubbed "shatterproof", but you get the idea.)

"Oh no! Granddad's attacking me with.... Louie the Lamb? Willy the Lamb? I forget."
Love the "My First Christmas" outfit in a size 18 mos. :-)
Too bad it'll be way too big for Jess Jr!

So happy! Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone had a happy and enjoyable Christmas!

We got some good news over the weekend....!

We spent our day opening gifts with Jeremiah (not so much fun... he was afraid to tear the paper... :-) eating a nice big meal, and opening more gifts! Jeremy's parents are in town right now, so we had a full house, especially since my family was able to join us as well (they should be in Portugal right now, but couldn't catch their flight due to bad weather in Boston last week.)

I wonder if anyone can figure it out.....!

The rest of the week should be more relaxed, as the crazy shopping days are over, and leftovers should keep everyone full for at least another day or two.

We're not telling anyone yet, but the suspense is killing me!!

May God bless you and your families! The Lord has truly blessed us this year, and we are very thankful for all He's done for us--most importantly, sending His Son so that we may have eternal life! Merry Christmas!

Any guesses??!!! It's just a "little" something we came up with recently.... ;-)

12 Days of Christmas

lol, Pretty amusing take on a classic.

How 'bout a new video?

Guess he really liked his Christmas gift from Grandma & Grandpa.



What a silly boy.... :-)

More photo shoot pics!

So we decided to try once again to get some family shots for a possible Christmas card. These came out well, and since they didn't have an annoying watermark running through our faces, we could actually see what the pictures looked like, and were able to order a few. Here're some highlights.

Finally! House pics!

I finally got around to neatening up enough to take pictures of the house. I tried to put them up in a 'tour' fashion. Hope it makes sense. This is the upstairs, as from the top of the steps, and down the hall. The last two pics are of "the man cave" a.k.a. "Jeremy's Domain Where No Woman Dare Go." Well, here ya go!

The 3rd Bedroom (a.k.a. Playroom/guest room)

The 2nd Bedroom (a.k.a. "The Glorified Closet")

The Hall/Guest Bathroom (exciting, huh?)



The Nursery!!! Isn't it fun?? I painted it all by myself!

More Nursery shots--see? Jeremiah likes it (though he's supposed to be napping right now....)

The "Master Suite" (sans master bath... didn't feel like getting it 'photo-worthy')

The Master, yet again.

THE MAN CAVE! (You can kinda see the 'tv'... At least, the edge of it [on the right])

Ready, set, GAME ON!! (wet bar and fridge included.)

Now that I've got 'em....

The Main Level

The Entryway/Front Door

The Powder Room

The view from the hall, the "Breakfast Nook"

The "Family Room," complete with Christmas Tree, of course.

The view from the family room.

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

From the dining room, we enter the living room.

View from the living room.

The "I don't know what to do with this space" room, a.k.a. The Living Room again.

The Entryway, once again.

Psyched!

If only it were July already....

http://atasteforthetheatrical.com/deathtrap/default.htm

Good for him!

Dad sells son's 90-dollar video game online for more than 9000 (after catching him smoking pot.)

Ha ha... the link says, "canadainternetdrugchristmasoffbeat".

Christmas Photos

Last Sunday, we took Jeremiah to get some Christmas shots done. Some of them came out okay, some of them not-so-much. I'm disappointed with the Steeler shots, pesonally... I don't think they're the most flattering, at least of me, but I digress...

Here's the link, if you wish to view (and if you're feeling saucy, you can even order a few!) The password to view the album is "Jeremiah29".

We were going to order some, but the turnaround to getting these proofs was over a week, and there's no way they'll be ready in time for me to send along with my parents to Portugal for my Grandmother. Oh well. Maybe we'll take him to picture people, and I can use my coupon for a free sheet and 20% off. We'll see!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Uncle James!

My "middle" brother, James, turns 19 today. Crazy. That means he can now legally drink in Canada (unless you're in Quebec, Alberta or Manitoba--they've been schloshed for a year now!) Not that James would do so, even if he could... He's a good boy.

And it's not like he'll see this, since he doesn't have internet access up there in school (he goes to UTI right outside of Philly.) But it's the thought that counts.

Happy Birthday, James!



I couldn't find a recent pic of him, but these are pretty close. It'll have to do. :-)

Note: This is Heath Ledger as the Joker in the new Batman:The Dark Knight movie.... not actually James. lol :-)

Guess we'll let blogger handle the videos from now on....

Seems to be more reliable, at least....

Darn you, Google Video!! You made my night quite frustrating!!! GRUMBLE!!!

How 'bout this one?

Real Quick...

Been trying to get some videos on here for a while, but Google is being stupid--half my videos didn't upload, though it thinks they did! Grr...

So for now, here's a schmorgasboard of vids from Us Wilcox Types:


Update: Okay, so apparently they're not working now... I give up on Google Vid... time to try something new.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly....

The Good:

We had a very nice weekend, for the first time in a long time. Usually our weekends consist of long to-do lists with not much getting done, which leaves one frustrated and annoyed. Well, after last weekend (our party), there wasn't much we needed to do around here, so we got to chill.

Jeremy needed to get his glasses fixed, so we packed up the family and headed out to Clarendon (where we used to live). Jeremy got his glasses fixed, and as we walked back to the van, we passed by Cheesecake Factory. After much arm twisting, we stopped for lunch. And what a nice time we had! They were really great--brought Jeremiah a plate of bread and banana slices just for him (which he loved!) He spent the rest of his time flirting with all the waitresses, and was a good boy, for the most part.

After lunch, Jeremiah fell asleep in the van, so we ran a couple of errands and then drove out to Bull Run Park to look at the Christmas lights. Well, turns out the "Festival of Lights" can be yours for the low low price of $20.... No. That's alright. We found a shortcut, where you can drive through the last part of it for free, and that was more than enough for Jeremiah.

Then it was bedtime! And that was it! What a nice day.

The Bad:
So the Steelers played the Patriots Sunday... and lost.... badly... 34-13??? I mean, c'mon, there was NO reason for Brady to still be in the game when they were up by 3 touchdowns with two minutes left! Sheesh. Whatever. This is going to make Christmas Eve at my Uncles (my family's from New England, after all) very annoying.... He's gonna be blah-blah-blahing all night about it! Booo.... Oh, look at the time, we gotta get Jeremiah to bed, g'night! :-)

The Ugly:
I woke up yesterday with a nasty stomach bug. It was nooooo fun! Thankfully, I was able to convince Jeremy to come home and take care of Jeremiah so I could rest. I'm feeling much better today, as a result. And now Jeremy knows what I do all day, but not because he did it! Jeremiah didn't get out of his pajamas once, there were piles of dishes all over the kitchen, there's laundry in the washing machine from Sunday that will probably need to be re-washed, there were crumbs all over the floor from Jeremiah, etc, etc, etc.... I guess I do a lot more than I thought I did. :-)

Sunday we got pictures done of us as a family (haven't seen them yet, but hopefully I look alright--Jeremy and Jeremiah, of course, looked very handsome, so they may have to carry the picture.) I'm hoping to get them soon, so we can figure out what we want to order. We're not doing gifts or Christmas cards outside of our family this year (no extra money--figured the party was gift enough, right?? :-) But if we've got a good pose, then we may print a couple of those out for everyone. We'll see. At the very least, we'll have something here on the blog.

And that's all. Time to go get ready for some more Christmas shopping! Missed a day because of yesterday, after all.

Jeremiah-isms...

~Jeremiah has learned what a "big stretch" is. When he wakes up, whether from a nap or bedtime, as soon as you put him on the changing table, he'll reach his arms up and stiffen his whole body for a really good stretch, a.k.a. big stretch. When he's acting up during a diaper change, we just say, "BIG STRETCH!" and usually he'll do it, at least long enough for us to strap his diaper on...

~Trying to put socks and shoes on a toddler isn't always easy, but lately Jeremiah's been pretty helpful--if he see me pull out some socks, he'll lift his right foot up, so I can put them on him. However, he only does it with his right foot. Apparently, his left foot doesn't require a sock, but his right requires two... Unfortunately, shoes are a whooooooole other story.

~Everyone, repeat after me: "Shoes are for feet, hats are for heads. Shoes are for feet, hats are for heads." Now, can someone help me explain this to Jeremiah (who keeps trying to take off his hat and replace it with a shoe....)

~Everything is amusing, if you can play peek-a-boo with it... Hands, napkins, plates, glasses, counters, corners, doors, chairs, etc, etc... And boy does he laugh.

~When I was a little girl, little enough to still drink bottles before bed, I would twist my hair around my finger and stroke it while I drank (never stopped playing with my hair, though I did give up the bottle eventually...) Oddly enough, Jeremiah's hair has gotten long enough where he, too, can twist and stroke his hair whilst drinking. It's so cute!

~He's mastered the "taking out" side of "in and out". He has yet to figure out how to put things back "in". Like all the water bottles left over from the party--they're all on the floor, at least until Mommy puts them back in the tubs. And then Jeremiah takes them all out again. Wash, rinse, repeat.

~Apparently, spoons are meant to be on the floor--fingers are all that's needed to eat! And after a drink, you must throw your cup on the floor as well. Don't worry, Mommy will pick it up when you're thirsty again....

~Speaking of eating, Jeremiah's decided he doesn't like to do it much anymore. Unless it's a cookie--excuse me,--"cracker". At least, they're cookies disguised as crackers, but I digress... Babycenter says it's a phase babies go through. Hopefully so--he goes off formula in a month now, and unless he starts eating his foods again, well, it just won't make Mommy happy.

~If there are no buttons to press that makes it light up, a cell phone must be thrown on the floor. And if there are buttons to press that make it light up, press those buttons, and then throw the phone on the floor. Finally, whine and fake-cry until Mommy picks it back up for you, then repeat.

~Oh yeah, he recently figured out that sticking his fingers deep into his mouth will cause whatever food is in there (whether he likes it or not) to come out--along with whatever he ate before that. (Ewww, gross... But he does it almost everytime he eats now... Very annoying...)

~Mommy's hair is there for pulling... and that's all.

~Daddy's glasses are for breaking.... and that's all.

~Opening and closing empty cabinets (or cabinets with bowls/plates/toilet paper/etc...) is okay, but opening and closing cabinets that contain chemicals is more fun. I don't understand why they're locked now....

~And finally, the best thing to do with the mail, whether bills or magazines, is to rip them up. Christmas is gonna be fun. :-)

Happy 11 months, Jeremiah!

We're having a big boy lunch at Glory Days right now, and he keeps trying to eat the crayons...

Oh, and I've learned that he's afraid of balloons... at least the green one a nice lady at Wal-Mart was kind enough to give him.

Let's try it this way.

Google doesn't want to authenticate my videos.... I don't know what it means by that, but it won't let me upload them until it does. So the heck with them, we'll try using blogger instead.

Cleaning out the camera, part 3.

Our First Snow, here in NoVA! While it's snowed since he's been born, this is the first time Jeremiah's had a chance to play in it. Look at all that snow! Three-four inches, at least!
That's a lot for around here.

Video coming soon...