So, the weekend. Yeah. Um.

Penny was kind of cranky Saturday morning, though more cheerful once we went out to run errands. We risked taking her out to eat, and she was fine. We got her home and put her down for her nap, and she conked hard -- slept for over three hours until I finally went and woke her up just so she'd be able to go to bed at the usual time.

I took her down to visit my mom and Smokey (Dad was, as usual, doing a Boy Scout thing) so I could drop off my luggage for Mom and Dad to put in their car, and give Matt a little break. She was fine for that, and we picked up KFC for dinner on the way home, and she even sat at the table and nibbled on a chicken wing.

Sunday morning, she woke up, watched a movie, and ate breakfast. The usual thing. Except that as the movie was ending, she complained of being chilly and wanted to sit on my lap with a blanket spread over her. She didn't feel feverish, so I chalked it up to just wanting to copy me.

She was good at the grocery store, but kind of clingy, and as we left, she got Matt to pick her up and carry her. She laid her head on his shoulder, and it was kind of cute, but I worried again about her health -- she's not usually so clingy or calm.

But she still didn't feel warm, and she ate a snack of grapes and animal crackers with enthusiasm, so we packed her up and took her to the movies, as planned.

We met up with Chuck and Anita and their daughter Heidi to see Happy Feet, which was cute, if not entirely what I was expecting, and the music was a little weird. Penny did complain about the volume, but we'd prepped her in advance, so she just covered her ears when it got too loud.

About halfway through the movie, she shifted from Matt's lap to mine, and fell asleep. She probably slept for about half an hour or forty-five minutes, waking up just in the last few minutes of the movie. But hey, Matt and I got to see the whole thing!

After the movie, we decided to go over to the Arby's for lunch (it was close by, and since it was fast food we wouldn't have to worry about waiting for the check if we had to get up and leave quickly). But the toy in the kids' meal was a game using six largish "dice" with letters and numbers on them -- Penny and Heidi used them as building blocks, and spent a happy half-hour or so building little towers and knocking them down again. It was cute, and the adults actually got to talk a little bit.

Then we went home, and Penny was listless again. She curled up on my lap and did not go to sleep but did not move all that much, either, for a couple of hours. Matt and I had figured on putting her to bed early anyway, since she hadn't really had a nap, but we pushed the timetable up a full hour. So around 5:30, I coaxed her to eat some grapes and drink a little milk...

Which she promptly threw back up. Huzzah.

On the plus side, Matt and I were both quick, so there wasn't a huge mess to clean up. And having actually resolved her nausea, Penny perked up quite a bit, and enjoyed her bath, though she was shivering from cold. We read her stories and got her put to bed a bit after 7.

I suppose it was too much to hope for, that we'd put her to bed early and have her sleep late this morning. At least she wasn't up before 6. She was slightly grouchy, but otherwise seemed more or less fully recovered from yesterday's illness. She was hungry and full of energy.

I hope it holds. At least she's already got a doctor appointment for this afternoon. Not that I expect they'd have much to say about a transient stomach bug except for "be sure she stays hydrated." These sorts of things pretty much just have to run their course.

My big worry now is that I'll catch whatever it was. Just in time for my trip to San Antonio.

I leave in the morning, travelling carryon-only. I'll be back Friday evening.

I don't expect to have a lot of internet access while I'm there -- I might manage to check email a couple of times, but I won't really be on.

So you all have a Happy Thanksgiving (or, you know, a good week, if you happen to not be in the U.S.) and I'll see you on Monday.

--Liz