Blizzard of 2010 - Part 2

I'm sick of snow. If I never see another snowflake in my entire life, it might be too soon. We got about 8 inches of snow the first weekend in February. Not really a huge deal - just kind of a pain, especially since it nearly kept me from my grandmother's funeral. Things cleared out relatively quickly, but the snow did not have a chance to melt before the blizzard hit last week. It snowed last weekend from Friday through Saturday - we had over 30 inches, and it was just awful. There were hundreds of thousands of people in the area without power. Luckily, we were fine, but my parents were without electricity for several days. Elliot got us plowed out late Saturday night by the Bethesda Rescue Squad (so he could go do his Red Cross work), and then on Sunday he went and "rescued" my parents and brought them back here after nearly 48 hours without electricity.

It was actually a fun evening (for being snowed-in). The Superbowl is also an anniversary of sorts for Elliot and me - we met at a Superbowl party in 2005. Micah was in his football pajamas in honor of the Superbowl, and we watched the game together. He LOVED the half-time show - he was definitely rocking out to The Who. He was very cute as he clapped and tried to sing. My mom was actually humming a song, and Micah kept trying to copy her. My mom and I gave him a bath before bed, and we brought him back downstairs to play for a bit before bed. As I brought him upstairs to go to sleep, my parents both said "night night" to him, and much to our surprise and pleasure, he responded by saying "night night" right back! We said it a few more times, and so did he - he now has a new word in his vocabulary!

The next morning (Monday), the power was restored to my parents' house and we were able to return them home! The local government and schools were all closed, so there was not much going on anywhere in the area. Micah's daycare was canceled, and we were trapped at home with no place to go. Elliot spent the day shoveling snow at my parents' house, running errands and taking care of a few things. Unfortunately, power was still not restored to all the residents in the area, and very few of the side streets were plowed. The main roads were still a mess, and there was panic throughout the area as predictions for the next day's snow storm were reaching 15-20 inches.

The snow began to fall again early on Tuesday morning. Once again, government and schools were closed, and the government requested that we stay off the roads for safety reasons. Micah's class was canceled, and we were again stranded at home. By morning, the snow intensified to full blizzard conditions. The wind was high, and visibility was low. It was unsafe to be out on the roads, and even the plows were directed to stay off the roads. The main roads quickly became impassable. The snow continued until midnight, and we had another 15 inches of snow when all was said and done. What a mess!

Here are a few pictures of our house after the last round of snow. The garbage cans, car and fence are nearly buried.

We finally got plowed out this afternoon, and I actually left the house for the first time in a week! Okay - I just took my dog to my parents' house since we are going out of town in the morning, but that counts, right?

Micah has recently discovered he much prefers to use a fork when he eats:



During the snow, Micah made a VERY important discovery - the Kazoo! We were sitting in the living room and Micah was wandering around the house in circles. We had a kazoo as a party favor that I had tucked away, and Micah found it and started to play it. I heard the noise and it took me a moment to figure out what it was. I was surprised that he figured out how to play it all on his own! I did manage to get some video of it.




Micah has 2 more teeth breaking through on top. He has been a bit cranky. Luckily, he has recently discovered a love for ice cubes (he reaches into the freezer and helps himself every chance he gets) and he finally took a popsicle (homemade - from applesauce), so these new things definitely help with the teething.

And for good measure, here are pictures of Micah with his new favorite toys:


Yes, that is right, our "tupperware" cabinet. It is the one cabinet we have not safety locked, and he spends his days emptying out all the containers and making a great big mess. As you can see, he has a ton of fun wreaking havoc.

He has also developed a new bad habit - he bites when he gets frustrated or upset. I'm not sure what to do about that - I've been trying to tell him no and show him how to ask for what he wants. I sure hope this is just a stage that will disappear when his vocabulary increases.