Simon stayed home from school today for the first time since he started (back in June). He seems to have a cold but with all the drooling going on it is particularly hard to tell what is sickness and what is teething. In any case, he and Matthew (who also has a cold) spent a day together on the couch. We've been very lucky since we came to Chicago; Simon has only been sick a couple of times. We expected him to have near constant minor illnesses once he started school and that just hasn't happened. Maybe Chicago kids save all their illnesses for the winter months?

We should have mentioned that the large cookie featured in this week's photo is from Bittersweet an oh-so-delightfully-decadent bakery we visited for the first time last night. Simon selected the cookie from the display case and when it was brought to him on a plate he said to the waitress: "WOW. Thank You! You're Welcome! Look at that!"