Or a Bulldog, if you’re not familiar with Boston Terriers.

I got a call at 2pm from daycare on Friday requesting that I pick up the Coop-man because he had a lovely fever of 102 degrees.  I was surprised because when I dropped him off this morning, he was laughing and smiling at all his teachers…he laughed hysterically when I blew my hairdryer at him at home…he just seemed in a very good mood.

I walk in his room and he’s laying on one of the teacher’s lap, sweaty, red, half-naked, and listless.  Since it was chilly outside, I wrestled some pants and socks back on him and took him to the pediatrician.  There I sat, and sat, AND SAT, with all these bigger sick-and-nasty kids coughing on me and Cooper, touching his toys, and touching his face.  Normally I don’t mind because I know a lot of kids love babies, but I was annoyed because their mothers did nothing to peel their children carrying ADDITIONAL nasty germs from my kid that was already pretty sick.  Plus, I was annoyed that I was sitting so stinkin’ long.  I got there at 3:15pm and wasn’t called back until after 4pm.  Granted, my appointment was at 4pm, but at most places, if you get there early and before other folks, they bring you back early and before other folks.  Not the case…saw folks come in after me and go back before me.  And just when I started to feel like I was going to morph into a possessive 4-year old (”no, MY baby!  don’t touch!”) who thinks the world should be fair (”it’s MY turn!!!”), they called me back.

By then Cooper was crying unconsolably and pitifully…didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to be rocked, and certainly didn’t want to be stripped-down and poked and prodded.  Turns out that child’s fever jumped to 103.2.  So we got some Tylenol there, got a flu test, declared bacteria-and-flu-free, and sent home with the usual “fluids, humidifier, fever-reducer, but-don’t-you-dare-even-think-of-a-decongestant-or-anything-that-might-remotely-make-him-feel-and-sleep-better”.   I still hate whoever took infant decongestant from me.

So I have been spending a LOT of quality time with a baby who is so congested and miserable that he sits and breathes with his tongue hanging out slightly of his mouth, accompanied by a nice phlegmy rattle and snot dripping down his nose.

Some of you may remember where I wrote a letter to my fellow Virginia drivers imploring them to get an EZ-Pass/Smart Tag. Well here is the pictorial equivilent of a “strongly worded, single-spaced letter of complaint”.

HEY!!!! GET A FRIGGIN’ EZ-PASS, YA LOSER!!!




OH CRAP! Since when does an officer stand right next to the toll booth lane? Wonder if he saw me spazzing out…?




Hiiiiii Offffficerrrr!

Or, um.  Well.  You know what I’m trying to say.  Hope everyone is out there getting flowers, or chocolate, or jewelry, or maybe just a foot rub and a nice dinner.

Here’s a list of 13 things I love besides my husband, my kids, my dogs, my cats, and my friends and family, and stuff I said here because I’m lame and taking advantage of the holiday and hey, there’s all SORTS of reruns on TV right now, too.

1.  I love Blog Bling.  And I finally got some!   

 Burgh Baby’s Mom was sweet enough to bless me with this lovely bloggy Valentine: 

and I’d love to pass it along to Lag Liv, Precarious Tomato, Madame Queen, and The Rocking Pony (Karen, don’t feel you need to pass it along, since you were on top of things and already passed your earlier Valentine along).

And Karenwas so lovely as to give me this bloggy bling (even though she usually makes MY day):

I would like to pass this fun along to Burgh Baby’s Mom (yes, I know you already got it from Karen, but you do crack me up), and to Flea because she gave me such a sweet compliment about my awful Christmas morning pictures.

2.  I love how VDOT put down sand and salt on my residential street sometime between 9pm last night and 8am this morning.  Even though the ice storm was on Tuesday, where hundreds of people were stuck on major highway overpasses for 8-10 hours without moving due to the ice (and no road treatment–but don’t get me started on their lack of preparedness–that would take at least 300 words).  Even though the rain we got yesterday ended at 4pm.  Even though the wind whipping through the streets dried out the streets by 8pm last night.  Even though we did not receive any precipitation last night and aren’t forecasted to get any for another 2 days, at least.

3.   I love how I get up early and somehow everything keeps me from getting to work at a decent time and I end up late.  Yet, on the days I wake up late, I still need to deal with the stupid stuff and still end up at work late.

4.  I love how I will be sitting at my desk for 6 straight hours and not hear a peep from anyone, but the moment I get up to go to the ladies room, or run out to grab a bite to eat, I suddenly have 15 IM boxes blinking, 2 voicemails, 7 emails, and at least 3 people physically looking for me.

5.  I love steak.  Specifically, filet mignon…mmmmmmmmmmmm….nom nom nom.  My stomach is growling just THINKING about a steak!!!

6.  I love sitting at home vegging in front of the TV.  I am a big couch-potato-sitting-whore.  I just can’t get enough of sitting and doing nothing, letting my mind rot.  Although I do love watching those real detective shows and all sorts of programming on the History Channel and the Discovery channels…so maybe a little less rot going on?

7.  I love dancing.  I don’t claim to dance well by any means, folks, but holy crap do I love to dance!  If I’m at a bar and the music’s going, even without any alcohol in my system, it will be really hard for me to not at least do the Roxbury Head Bob.  And if I’ve had a drink or two?  Well, then *watch out*  because this dance ain’t for everybody–Only the sexy people!  (and yes, I think that I am one of them)

8.  I love people who use turn signals.  No, I’m not being facetious.  I am completely serious.  There are folks on the roads around me who seem to think turn signals are a minor option; some, I fear, don’t even know that their vehicles come equipped with turn signals.  Instead, they will stomp on the brakes to make their turn.  So if I have someone in front of me actually use their turn signals, I am this close to getting out of my car to hug them for their courtesy.

9.  I love knitting.  It’s simple, but challenging all at the same time.  It’s quiet, you can do it in front of the TV or while riding in the car, and you usually have something to show for it by the time you’re done (as long as you complete the reception-blanket sized blanket before the child is a hunkering 25-lb one-year old).

10.  I love fast food.  I mean, I love sitting and eating a good meal and a restaurant, but OMG!!!!!  I am a drooling quivering twit if I can have either (a) the 12-piece nugget combo at Chik-Filet with buffalo sauce and a extra large sweet tea, or (b) the Big Mac meal at McDonald’s with an extra large sweet tea.

11.  I still love the idea of having a pet pig.  Since my husband drew the line at livestock, I have my two snorting Boston Terriers instead.  But given the chance, I would get me a pig and call him Gus.

12.  I love tax returns!!!  I’ve had several people suggest that Justin and I adjust our withholdings so that we get more in our check each week and less at the end of the year, but getting a little windfall each spring is nice.  That’s how we paid to replace the flooring in two bedrooms two different years (previous owners had a cat with litterbox issues, which, um, tempted our cats to have litterbox issues); it’s how we put a down payment on our truck; it’s how we paid for paint to purdy-up the house or get ready for a baby; it’s how we paid for furniture for Gavin (both nursery and big-boy furniture); it’s how we paid for part of our honeymoon.  This year, we will be paying off a credit card or two.  And maybe go on a date.

13.  I love stupid folks who have nothing better to do with their time or education except create worms and other malicious code.  I’m trying to figure out what they get out of it.  Are they trying to take down a major corporation?  Or do they just hope to take down every unsuspecting email user?  Well, I hope whomever created this nastiness has an undercooked dinner that makes them nauseous and vomit.  And not get any candy.

(14.  And um, I love how Wordpress doesn’t allow me to center my images, no matter how bad I beat it with code)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!  The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Yep, you made it a whole 7 months! And while you charmed everyone when we voted this morning, you certainly are not going to let go of the “High Maintenance Baby” title we gave you shortly after you were born.

But who needs sleep??? LOOK AT THOSE CHEEKS!

Cooper and Gavin celebrate with party hats.

I know the Chesapeake area (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) gets really sloppy seconds to Super Tuesday, but if you live in those areas, please go vote.  I did.  It didn’t hurt at all, although it was weird to see candidates that have dropped out of the race still on the ballots (i.e. John Edwards, Mitt Romney).  And it was strange to have to declare to the Election Officer which party ballot you wanted to vote on.  I admit, this is my first presidential primary I’m voting in, so I wasn’t sure HOW that worked…I was kind of hoping that I’d be able to choose the candidates I wanted to run in each party.  I certainly didn’t think I was going to have to tell them (especially since I kinda haven’t made up my mind…).

So please…go vote…if you live in any of the below states, put it on your calendar and vote:

• February 12: District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia
• February 19: Hawaii (D), Washington (R primary), Wisconsin
• March 4: Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont
• March 8: Wyoming (D)
• March 11: Mississippi
• April 22: Pennsylvania
• May 6: Indiana, North Carolina
• May 13: Nebraska (primary), West Virginia
• May 20: Kentucky, Oregon
• May 27: Idaho (R)
• June 3: Montana, New Mexico (R), South Dakota

(thanks to About.com for the data above)