a few new things

Vintage Jack... one year ago. These pictures make me want to cry! Where did my baby go?

Before I head to bed, I wanted to write down and remember some of the cute things Jack has been doing and saying lately. I'm not sure where he picked this up, but I'm guessing that he may remember it from the baseball games or from the festival we attended last week, but he loves to say "charge!" in the most adorable, high-pitched toddler voice ever. We will now say "da da da da da da" or whatever you say beforehand and Jack raises his fist, smiles, and says "charge." The way he says it is also hilarious, because it really doesn't sound exactly like charge, but it's close enough to understand what he's saying. It's too funny!

He has also been getting into "The Ants go Marching" song and loves to pound his fists in the air and say "rah rah!" Whenever we sing the song, he's on the edge of his seat, waiting for his moment to shine. Love it!

Finally, our awesome babysitter, Becky (originally, Kathy's roommate and best friend), gave Jack an interactive Leap Frog drum. He has so much fun with it and he loves to put it on the setting where there is a voice that instructs you to clap your hands, play the drum, and sing out loud "la la la" and Jack loves to sing "la la la." I've also noticed in the car or when we're listening to silly music that he tries to imitate what's being sung. He keeps us so entertained! Jeff and I are so blessed by our little boy.

chicago - my kind of town!

Ok, so I haven't blogged religiously, like I said I would. However, we were in Chicago for four out of the last 8 days, so that's my semi-excuse.

We had such a terrific trip! I'm so glad that we decided to bring Jack, too. Of course, Jeff and I are looking forward to the day when we can go back, just the two of us, but it was just so much fun having Jack with us! We arrived early Friday afternoon ate lunch at Pompei, one of my all time favorite pizza places in the city. It's located in Lakeview, pretty close to where I used to live, and I would walk there all the time. I would go there by myself, I would meet up with friends (Kirsten, on a bi-weekly schedule!), Jeff and I would eat there frequently, and I would always take our visitors there. That's how much I love this place. The restaurant just creates such a relaxing and laid-back atmosphere, the food is good, and the prices are right. You can't beat it! Jack thought it was fantastic, too. He ate an entire slice of pizza whole (not cut up into small pieces). He's becoming such a big boy!

After lunch, Jeff thought that it would be neat to check out the pro-volleyball tournament happening at the lake. We decided to make the trek via our feet, so we walked down to Oak Street Beach (well, strollered Jack). We thought that he would, surely, nap on the way down. However, he had other ideas, because he was too intrigued by all the busyness happening around him. We walked down the lake shore path, along the lake, while dogs, runners, bladers, and bikers zipped past us. Jack's head was, practically, spinning! When we finally arrived at our destination, we were able to watch some volleyball, but we were not interested in paying a $40 admission fee to watch up-close, so we decided to hit the beach instead. That was a great decision. Jack had never been to a beach and, in the eight years that Jeff lived in Chicago, he had only been in the lake once. So, this was a big treat for everyone! Of course, we weren't prepared for a beach day and had no swim suits or towels, but we winged it, and it was fine. At first, Jack was hesitant to go into the water and clung to me for dear life. However, he loosened up after a few minutes and started to splash in the waves and run along the shore, digging his feet in the sand. We had a blast! He is such a little ball of energy, so he became real excited to be at the beach and just wanted to run and run and go to the water for a bit, then continue running and running. After playing at the beach for a while, we decided it was time to make the long hike back to our car, which was parked near Pompei. Finally, on this walk, Jack did take a good stroller snooze. In fact, he napped long enough for Jeff and I to stop for ice cream on the way back.

We arrived back near Pompie, at a park, around 6 and waited to meet up with Mike. Mike and Laura are two of our best friends and we stayed at their new townhouse for the weekend. Mike is also Jack's godfather. Unfortunately, Laura was out of town for work, so we weren't able to see her at all! However, spending time with Mike was awesome. He was so great with Jack and Jack warmed up to Mike very quickly and couldn't get enough of him. Since Jeff and I love Chicago pizza so much, we suggested pizza again for dinner, and Mike was totally up for it. Another one of our all-time favorite spots is Pequod's, so that's what we decided to get. And, as usual, it didn't disappoint!

The next morning, I went for a nice run around Mike and Laura's new neighborhood (they live on Wolcott, near Diversey - a bit west and south of where Jeff and I used to live). It was a great run and it was awesome to run in the city again. The run seems to go by so much quicker and it's just more interesting, because you're passing by tons of people and lots of cool shops, restaurants, buildings, etc. Then we decided to head to a great NYC bagel shop. I used to stop there a lot before work, because I could make it be "on the way" to work. They're the best bagels in Chicago, I think! Even Jeff, who is not a bagel lover, thought it was super! The employees are so much fun and they even gave Jack a free bagel, while we waited in line. Talk about good customer service. After our breakfast, we headed over to a park to play some "bat-ball," as Jack calls baseball. Mike has this home-run derby bat and a wiffle ball, so we were all set. Even though, the bat is just about as big as Jack, that did not stop Jack from playing. He was all about it. He wanted to bat, he wanted to throw, and he wanted to catch. This was probably the high-light of Jack's weekend!

The main reason we chose this weekend to come up to Chicago was because we were invited to Kirsten's wedding, which was in Milwaukee. We decided that I would go alone and that Jeff and Mike would stay with Jack. It worked out great, because they had an awesome guy's night and I had a fabulous time at the beautiful wedding! Kirsten is one of my best friend's from CHASI, my former Chicago employer. She and I both commiserated about our job, our lack of pay, and the difficulties and challenges of working in child welfare. WHile we loved our boss and other co-workers and we adored the kids we worked for, the demands of DCFS were unbelievable! Anyhow, Kirsten I would often get together for dinner after work (at Pompei.... I think we ventured to Chipotle once) and while we would still talk about work stuff, occasionally, we just developed a really caring and genuine friendship! I eventually switched positions within CHASI, Kirsten eventually left the organization altogether, and then we both ended up working for Children's Memorial Hospital (she became full-time and I worked the weekends). Through the years we definitely saw each other and stood by each other through some really amazing and some really disappointing times. She is one of my most treasured friends! Tammy, another former CHASI worker, and her husband, Chris, were also at the wedding. Tammy and Chris married shortly after we all started working at CHASI (we all began within one year of each other) and they moved to Southern Illinois for Chris's job. They also had a beautiful baby boy, Max, a year later! Before Tammy moved, Kirsten and I spent a lot of time with her and got together with her for dinner, too. She's an awesome woman and just a little bit older than Kirsten and I, but she seems wise beyond her years, so Kirsten and I tended to look up to her! Even though Tammy moved away, Kirsten and I remained in touch with her. I had not seen either of them since right before we moved to Cincinnati. Actually, the day before we moved, Kirsten and I drove out to Aurora ( where Chris, Tammy, and Max had been relocated to in the spring of 2006) to visit the family and to say our goodbyes. So, having this reunion was terrific! Although we couldn't talk with Kirsten as much as we would have liked (understandably), Tammy and I were able to catch up SO much. Loved it! Kirsten's wedding seemed like a dream come true for her and everything was beautiful.

I didn't get home from the wedding until midnight or so, because I left the wedding kind of late and traffic was horrendous. During my drive, both to and from Milwaukee, I was very thankful that I did not have to deal with Chicago traffic anymore. It's BAD! Although, there were few times that I actually left the city when I lived there.

On Sunday, Jeff had plans to meet up with his MI crew, because they were having auditions for the tour company. We decided to grab lunch at Potbelly's with Mike before heading up to the auditions. Jeff really wanted the guys to meet Jack. Well, we had a hefty walk and Jack ended up falling asleep in his stroller. However, they were able to "ooh" and "aah" over his sleeping cuteness. While Jeff was doing MI stuff, Mike had errands to do, so it was just me and the Jack man. We tried to get in touch with my cousin, Matt, who attends Loyola and is living in Chicago for the summer, but we weren't able to connect with hm. So, I just decided that I would walk toward downtown and see where my feet led me. The auditions were near Wrigley Field, so I just headed down Broadway and then walked over to Lincoln Park, near the zoo. Jack woke up from his stroller nap and I thought that taking him to the zoo would be a fun activity. The Lincoln park zoo is pretty great, because it's right in the city and it's free! We just checked out the farm area, but it was cool enough. Lots of cows, pigs, goats, donkeys, tractors, corn rows, other livestock, and some interactive farm...stuff. Jack had a blast running around and exploring the various barns. Then, we decided to head downtown. My first thought was to walk, but then I decided that Jack may not tolerate the stroller for such a long trip and if we chose not to walk, we would get there much faster and have more time to enjoy downtown. So, we ventured onto a bus. This is one tough feat for a pregnant mom! I had the bag on my shoulder, Jack on my hip, the stroller clutched under my other arm, and my wallet in my hand. Thankfully, the bus driver and the other passengers were really nice to me. The bus driver, thoroughly, embarrassed me, when she, loudly, announced that someone needed to give up their seat to a "Mom with a little one and another one on the way!" The passengers, packed in the sardine-like bus, happily obliged the request, though. Since we were packed in so tight and because I was struggling to keep the stroller from uncollapsing (for some reason, it easily collapses, but it doesn't stay that way unless you're holding it!), we decided to get off at one of the very first Michigan Ave. stops. I'm not sure if it's my perception now or if it's how it has always been, but Michigan Avenue seemed extremely crowded on this day! I planned to walk down to Millennium Park and the bean and that's what we did, but along the way, we stopped at the bridge that crosses over the river. Jack ran right up to the pillars and tried poking his head through to get a better glimpse of the boats and the water. While we were there, some street performers started their bucket drumming routine. From the moment they began until they stopped, Jack was loving every second. He was so in the groove and was a dancing machine. In fact, people actually started giving Jack money to put in the donation bucket. I think he stirred just as much enthusiasm as the actual street performers. The funniest thing is that, even though, he knew people were around, he did not care. He wasn't dancing for attention; he was dancing because the music got to him and he couldn't help himself! Seeing his delight in this situation was the highlight of my day. When we arrived at Millennium Park, we had fun running around the bean and Jack enjoyed splashing along the water fountain wall. He had so much fun that he cried when it was time to leave. He is usually pretty content to end activities like this. By this time, we were feeling hungry for a snack and I was craving some chocolate. From there, we began our quest! We walked west on Monroe towards State Street and walked up State Street, where we stumbled upon Macy's (former Marshal Field's on State Street). Marshal Field's is known for their Frango mints and I knew that would satisfy my chocolate fix. We (well, I) decided on a caramel and chocolate cookie and we also split a milk from Starbuck's. We had the classic milk and cookies, but in such chic style!

After our sweet treats break, we continued walking up State Street and then crossed over to Michigan Avenue at Superior, where we ran around the water tower and fountain. Finally, we headed over to the Hancock Tower, where Jack enjoyed dancing by the water falls! After our downtown adventures, we took the express bus up to Belmont. Our ride uptown was a little less chaotic and much less crowded than our trip downtown. We we were offered seats that were facing inland and I held Jack so that he was facing me and could look at the lake through the window. He cuddled and rested his head on my shoulder and just admired the beauty. When we arrived at our stop, he seemed sad and said/signed "more." I think that's one of the cutest things he does! Jeff and some of his MI friends happened to be in the exact same location as us, so we met up with Jeff for a pizza dinner at Philly's Best, Jeff's favorite New York style pizza in Chicago. Philly's is located on Belmont Avenue (right next door to our reception site), so as we walked there, we passed by our former parish and the Church where we were married! It brought back many wonderful memories for us. After dinner, we walked back to Mike and Laura's house. Jack fell asleep during the walk and Jeff and I both, parochially, collapsed when we arrived "home," too. It had been a long, but delightful day of Chicago fun!

On Monday, Mike left pretty early for work ( Jack and I had actually been up since about 6:00/6:30, so 7:30 did not seem too early to us). He was such a gracious host and made us feel right at home the entire weekend! As I already mentioned, Jack adored him and had so much fun playing with him. He also gave Mike big hugs and little smooches on the cheek all weekend. We are really looking forward to having Mike and Laura visit us this fall!

I went for another quick city run and then we took off! We planned on stopping in Lincoln Park to do some shopping and eat lunch, but Jack crashed in the car by the time we turned our first corner. Jeff and I decided to grab sandwiches at Jimmy John's and be on our way. When Jack woke up, we stopped for him to eat lunch at... Dairy Queen! I have never eaten anything there besides their ice cream, but they seemed to have an ok kid's selection (nothing worse than most fast food options). He had grilled cheese, apple sauce, and milk. The most amusing part of the lunch was that we sat at a booth, with Jack on one side and Jeff and I on the other side. He was such a big boy and did very well! Traveling was a little rough, and Jeff and I are realizing that we need to have more car-friendly activities for Jack. He slept for a couple of hours, but the trip takes about 5-6 hours. That's a long time for a toddler to happily travel! A portable DVD player may be a future purchase. We're also thinking of taking along a magna-doodle or an etch-a-sketch. In one of the gas stations along the way we also saw this magnetic puzzle, designed for traveling. That looked like a pretty good idea, but it cost $10 and seemed a little expensive. I'll do some research before our next big trip!

This trip will probably go down in history as one of our easiest and most economical trips to Chicago. For one, Jack is still very tolerable of the stroller and can ride in it for long periods of time. At the same time, though, he enjoys walking and running around, too. So, we were able to have a good balance of containing him when we needed to and letting him cut loose when it was appropriate for him to do so! Also, he just has so much fun wherever we are and he's too young to have a "gimme" this/"gimme" that attitude yet. Sure, we have meltdowns here and there, but they're usually short-lived and he's normally redirected pretty quickly.

Unless we head up to New England this fall, our next big trip will probably involve the four of us. It's pretty amazing to imagine having a family of four! We're really excited and a bit anxious about the journey that lies ahead of us!

I am realizing that I give so many back-stories in most of my blog entries and there are very few people who read this blog or who know about it. Anyway, hopefully, it is helpful for those three or four of you! Blogging is really my own way of journaling important, funny, memorable, or just daily (or weekly or monthly) happenings, but I'm also happy to share it with people that are interested.

DANCIN' IN THE STREETS OF CHICAGO! Even though this video is pretty fun, it doesn't give a full image of just how hilarious this scene was.

red's game

I really wish that I was more diligent in updating this blog, because whenever I do get around to it, there are tons of other things that I could add, but I usually just write about one particular event or day... maybe my new goal, just for my own sake (since there are very few people who even know that this exists), will be to write something every day or, at least, every other day!

So, today Jack and I met up with my family (mom, dad, Kathy, Eric, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Bernard, and cousins Joe, Bill, Anne, and cousin-in-law, Leon) at the Red's game. For a number of reasons, our adventures could have been disastrous. First of all, Jeff had to work. It's always sad and unfortunate when he has to miss out on fun stuff like this! His absence could have caused the day to be more difficult, because it meant that I would not have the help of my husband and parenting partner :-) Second, the game began at 1:15. Usually, Jack is down for his 2-3 hour nap around 12:30. Third, we were going to a sunny, mid-day, July baseball game, where you don't do much besides sit in the blazing sun and watch 9 innings of a sport that can, potentially, be boring, especially for a toddler. Fourth, we had plans to eat dinner at the Hofbrauhaus, a German restaurant, making it a very long day for Jack.

Well, Jack went against the odds today and did fantastic! He snoozed in the car ride down to the game for about 30 minutes and did not get cranky once during the day. My family was wonderful with helping out with Jack and, although I didn't get to relax much or chat with my relatives as much as I would have liked, I really enjoyed spending time with everyone! During the game, Jack was such a trooper! He happily sat on someone's lap and clapped when the crowd was clapping, danced when the music was playing, and I let him run around a bit near the concession stands when it was not too busy. Jack also enjoyed the restaurant. He loved listening and dancing to the band playing, he ate all of his pizza, (great cuisine for a German restaurant, although I have NO room to talk, because I ordered chicken fingers off of his kid's menu!), and was, for the most part, such a happy boy! I have to say, he shocked me! Not that I don't have faith in little J, but I was anticipating several meltdowns throughout the day and I really did not expect to make it to dinner. I thought that we would probably have to bail out after the game. Thank you, Jack, for having a remarkable day!!

The main reason we all decided to get together today was because Joe, who is currently living in New York City, is home for the week, and we all wanted to celebrate his homecoming! Ever since my cousins and Kathy and I have all become adults, the time we spend together is mainly during holidays (and not even every holiday), so our time together is really precious! As I mentioned, it can be difficult to just relax when I have Jack with me, because he has such demanding, toddler needs that can't really be ignored. I do think and hope, however, that as he grows and becomes more independent, it will be easier to spread my attention to others.

Overall, a very fun day. I just missed having Jeff there!

Before I started writing this, a neat thing happened. I was in the basement resting and I heard Jack crying (it was about 9:00). As I thought he probably would, Jack fell asleep in the car ride home (it was about 7:30), so I decided that since he had not napped today, 7:30 would be a fine bedtime for him tonight (he usually goes to bed between 8-9). His diaper was changed just before we left the restaurant and his clothes were comfy enough to sleep in. Definitely not the most desirable situation, but a workable one. Anyhow, I heard him crying, so I went into his room and he's sitting in his crib, signing "milk, milk." I picked him up, gave him a big hug, told him that I would get him some milk, and asked him to sit back in his crib, to which he replied, "yeah." "Yeah" is his sweetest word these days. Whenever we ask him a yes or no question, everything is "yeah" and the way he says it just about melts our hearts. It's very cute! Anyhow, I came back to his room and since I did not want him to fall asleep drinking milk, I decided to let him drink his milk as I rocked him and sang to him, as I used to do when I was nursing him. These days, after we do our book and prayer routine, I just put him in his bed, usually rub his back and sing a short song to him, and he falls asleep on his own. I rarely rock him anymore, so this was certainly a sweet moment for us! But the most amazing part of it all was that I felt like I was rocking and singing to both of my babies, because as soon as we started rocking, little Alli (I don't think I've mentioned this in my blog yet, but we found out last week that we're having a girl!) began really moving and kicking around. It was really incredible to me! After Jack finished his milk, he did drift back to sleep in my arms, and I think he'll sleep peacefully through the rest of the night. Although if he does wake up again, I'll probably opt to change him into real p.j's and change his diaper again. I just didn't want to do that this time, because I didn't want to risk a situation where he's wide awake and then has a difficult time falling back asleep. I don't think we run such a risk later at night.... I may find out, though! I just love my little boy so much.