1. Last week ended up being a kind of week i wasn’t ready for. Tuesday evening, Beau came home feeling just fine. But by the time he sat down to relax and watch the news, he was already feeling the beginnings of what we later found out to be called, the Norovirus. It hit Ephram in the afternoon with 3-4 bouts of diarrhea in less than an hour (though he had done the puking on the previous Sunday *shrug*). And 5 hours after Beau vomited the first time, I was struck with the illness as well.

2. Wednesday was a complete blur of achiness, tiredness, and unsuccessful attempts to find anything that sounded good enough to fill our stomachs. In addition, a semi-unhappy, sick boy needed to be taken care of as well.

3. Thursday was a heck of a lot better, though any food we ate still made us feel awful, even though it stayed down. Unfortunately, the frequency of Ephram’s diaper changes continued. I’m not lying when I say that at one point a pile of at least 12 Ephram outfits sat next to the stairs, needing to be washed from diaper explosions.

4. Once the exploding diapers seemed to end slowed down Friday evening, I may or may not have kept Ephram in the same pair of pajamas for over 24 hours. (I may have broken my record for loads of laundry in a single week…so no judging allowed) Friday was much better for Beau and I, just in time for him to head to work for a set of 5 overnight shifts.

5. Even through the visit of the Norovirus 2010, I was able to mostly keep up on my Frame A Day project. So far, I’m still motivated. Probably a good thing since it’s not even 2011 yet and I only started a week ago.

6. Did you like filling out the census this year? Well, I spent at least 20 minutes searching through the data via this site. The ethnic distribution map is pretty interesting. Go check it out.

7. While spending way too much time on the internet quickly checking in on twitter, I also ran into this beautiful food imagery. I’m sure you’re wondering now, why do I always seem to stumble upon pretty good photos? My answer? I have no idea, but it’s a good thing I hate cooking and can just enjoy pretty pictures.

8. I went all weekend thinking Christmas Eve was on Thursday, not Friday. Once I realized I had an extra day to finish my Christmas shopping, my week got 100x better.

9. The past 7 days have gotten the best of me (see #8). I had every intention of attending playdate with the Northfield Moms yesterday but I needed Ephram to take a nap so I could shower. A crying baby and a sleeping husband lead to a mama rocking her baby to sleep, which in turn lead to a sleeping mama. Nearly an hour later we woke up and my dream of showering was even further out of reach. We never did make it to playdate. (P.S. Go check out the blogs of the Northfield Moms – they are far more interesting than me)

10. P.S.S. If you see someone with the norovirus, run. Run fast.

These images are going on a month and a half overdue. I meant to post them right away and then completely forgot. I’ve actually found quite a few pictures I never blogged this year as I’ve been cruising through Lightroom looking for pictures to print of Ephram. But these photos of Ephram with his Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Chuck couldn’t go without being posted.

Because they are such loving grandparents.

They help hold us up.

And they hold us close to their hearts.

You’ve been cranky lately. I’m sure it has to do with some combination of teething, fighting the norovirus, and a possible ear infection. In addition, you’re struggling with how to communicate your desires to us. And whining and arching your back really doesn’t scream any one thing to me. It could be a number of things and playing ‘communication by elimination’ every time you whine is getting old.

So I will admit, I’ve lost my temper a couple of times this week with you. I’m sure it has to do with some combination of recovering from the norovirus, cleaning a house that has been trashed by the norovirus, and cleaning up very very stinky diapers of yours (seriously, there are no words that can describe the smell of these diapers) while you squirm and cry. Oh, this has been an interesting week for us.

But luckily, you’ve got this smile of yours that can turn my mood around in an instant…

and those frustrations just disappear…

You can work magic, Ephram. Yes, magic.