A comprehensive list of dullness.

I hereby give you a collection of the dullest events I could think up that took place over the past 7-8 days:

• I got sick. Again. I had just parted ways with December's cold and then January had to go and stick another one down my throat. I don't know about you guys, but I've about had it up to here with January's shenanigans. Anyway, this one's been much worse than December's—which was just more of a nuisance than anything else, like an obnoxious little brother that won't quit breathing in your space. (What would I know about obnoxious little brothers? Not a thing.) But this cold has required high dosages of Dayquil and Nyquil at all hours, which have left me wandering around doing ridiculous things like putting cups in the trash bag and trash in the dish washer. Really though, the biggest victim in all of this is my poor (poor!) nose. I'm on the mend though, so really—no need to send flowers.

• Thanks to the first bullet point, we've experienced an overabundance of cabin fever around here lately, and as such have had to get creative in our forms of entertainment.

• Despite it all though, last week I managed to make FOUR REAL MEALS in a row, aside from one day in between. This is me taking a bow. (However, technically speaking, that couldn't constitute "in a row" but I don't know why we'd bother to be technical about such a small detail.)

• Speaking of making dinner, the other night while I was slaving away in the kitchen over a REAL MEAL I could hear Tom and Clara fighting over the Wii remote while playing Super Mario Galaxy. (Well, he was playing. And she wanted to be.) Those two. They're insufferable. And inseparable.

• Clara weighed in at a whopping 15 and something pounds at her 9 month checkup. 15 and something pounds—are you kidding me?? I had to do some fast talking to convince the pediatrician that I do, in fact, feed her and that she does, indeed, eat just about everything I give her. She loves to eat!, I insisted after he nonchalantly questioned, "How's her appetite?" She really does like to eat though. Lately she thinks she's some sort of professional with Cheerios and those fancy-pancy Graduate Puffs.

• Speaking of the little miss, lately when I sing to her before nap time or bed time, she likes to inspect the gathering of moles on my arm. She starts out by attempting to peel a few off, but once she realizes they're really stuck on there, she leans in—mouth first—and starts sucking on 'em. I tell you what—I get the giggles big time every time.

• We have new neighbors who recently moved in above us. I am 100% sure that I could dedicate an entire blog post wholly to them. But I'm just not sure if I should go there. Should I go there? It probably wouldn't be prudent. But this is me shaking my fists to the heavens and crying in despair, "Curse you, apartment liiiiiiiiiiiiiiife!"

• Shall we get back to Clara? Let's. Last week I was in mourning because it seemed as though Clara was saying goodbye to her afternoon nap and good golly she was NOT ready for that. However, after our visit with the pediatrician he suggested just moving her naps back to later times and that seems to have tickled her napping fancy enough that she has again embraced two naps a day with open arms. (So far.) It seems like that was a simple enough solution that I should have been able to come up with on my own, but since I didn't, I'm glad pediatricians really know their stuff.

• Last week Tom's car failed its safety inspection (two years in a row, the poor dear.) At the top of his "problem" list was a crack in his windshield (for the second year in a row...). Also on the list were two NEW items (broken tail light cover and broken horn) that oddly enough have been characteristics of his car for the entire time I've known him (and his car). So apparently whoever inspected his car this year was a real go-getter. It's super annoying to have to put a chunk of money towards a dying lump of metal, no? Then this morning, guess who found a crack in her car's windshield? (Hint: It wasn't Clara.) I drive my car to a total of about 3 places. Church on Sundays, Target at least 4 times a week, and the grocery store whenever. All of these locations are less than 10 miles away. How on earth does a car that doesn't go anywhere get a crack in its windshield? Gahhh. (Pronounced: "gahhh.")

Well anyway. That completes my list of dullies. I could go on, if I wanted to. January is always a doosy of dullness, in my experience. But just for good measure, here's another picture of Clara and Tom, because who can ever get enough of those?