home again, home again

jiggity-jig. after a crazy turn of events in which my original flight was canceled, i returned to the little yellow house for a two-hour nap and a little bonus cuddle time with aaron, flew out seven hours later than planned, waited for a delayed flight out of washington-dulles, and finally arrived at o'hare at 1 a.m. this morning, i am home. the plus side? i got to see both of my nephews and my sister-in-law for a few extra hours. the down side? i had to say good bye to them twice in one day. but it is good to be home again with my loving husband, who made sure that, during the five days i was gone, our apartment was readied for tonight's glögg party, which was a success, if i do say so myself (not that i have any right to take credit for it).

first, a few photos of our nephews, with whom i spent the past week:

aaron enjoying cheerios

isaak in his spiffy christmas sweater

relaxing on the couch

after-school fun with the boys

pulling himself up on his feet -- baby-proofing, here we come!

isaak the private detective assesses the situation
with gretchen, aaron, and a-m

it was a wonderful and difficult week, and i am so glad i went. susanna is doing really well, but she has a long road ahead of her still, as she regains the strength to get herself around the house, take part in normal daily activities, and care for her children. she has been told not to lift more than ten pounds, which rules out aaron, who (when i took him to his nine-month check-up this past wednesday) weighs in at 19 lbs. 9 oz. her sister is returning on monday to spend another week with them, which will be a great help. i am just so grateful for this positive outlook for susanna. as peter said this week, "we're bummed we can't come to chicago for christmas, but susanna is here." 'nuff said, big brother.

photos of the glögg party will be forthcoming. i need more sleep first.