List made, checked twice... Santa is ready!

We're having a lot of fun around the house these days. Ian can't wait for Christmas. I am choosing to think it is his anticipation that drives his, "Stop singing that!" comments. You know, that he is so excited about Christmas that he just can't stand to hear his Mom singing Christmas songs around the house!



Noa is blissfully unaware of the activities around him - he's my cool cucumber. After all, all he wanted for Christmas was his two front teeth, and he got that! Both top teeth have now broken the skin and are working their way down. It's so strange to see my little guy sitting up with teeth. I swear he is growing up much faster than Ian did. He is really interested in food and will grab plates and spoons if you aren't watching carefully.

Two of these pics are from our trip to Christmas at Brookfield Zoo. That was really a great night and is sure to be a part of our Christmas tradition for years to come. People right behind us in line to see Santa had been coming for 20 years. The kids were all grown up and they sat on Santa's lap for a picture. I love it!

I am really looking forward to a short week at the office. My most generous boss has even said I could leave at 4 pm on Christmas eve (@#%&! scrooge!). My supervisor has let me know on the low down that the big boss won't actually be there so I shouldn't worry about it too much.

Ian is looking forward to visiting the Grandma's because, as he told me last night, there are kids to play with there. Ahhh... I feel bad that he is lonely. Aaron and I are aware of his need for interaction with other kids and we have enrolled him in the Chicago Park District preschool program. So starting the beginning of the new year he will be going to Independence Park every day from 12:30-3:30 for preschool. It's a three or four month program and very affordable. We are thinking it will be really good for him and Dad. At least it is the hope that this will provide him with stimulation, companionship and help stave off cabin fever. Lets all keep our fingers crossed because he is definitely squirrelly right now! It is enough to try a saints patience and Aaron and I are not in line for sainthood! Yesterday I busted him running around in circles spitting juice. I was in the process of feeding Noa and talking on the phone to Mary (who thought this was all very funny) and I hear this spitting noise. I couldn't believe he was spitting juice on the floor while running in circles. Do you think he was trying to get my attention??

Well it is time to stop procrastinating, get dressed and start this Monday. If I don't start the week, it won't come to an end.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Bliss

Noa has gotten one of his front teeth through the skin and the other is soon to follow. I can see the edge of it right below the skin. That and the anti-biotics have made our home a much quieter place to be. We had a great weekend! Saturday evening we packed the boys in the car and headed to the zoo. Brookfield Zoo has a Christmas with the animals and they put lights in all the trees and line all the lanes with decorated and lite Christmas trees. It was a great time AND we got to visit Santa Claus! Ian was so giddy he did a little happy dance, let out a squeal and ran up to Santa. That was worth the half hour or more spent in line.

On Sunday we made cookies and decorated them. Ian kept eating all the candies that were meant for decorations. He had no interest in trying a cookie or in the frosting - just wanted those candies. We had a great time - sugar buzz and all. Christmas is soooo much better when you see it through the eyes of a three year old!!

Watching Bugs Bunny

IMG_3068, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Stek.

Uncle Josh has a fan club in my house.

Nothing in particular...just another blog post.

Hi All! We had a great time at Thanksgiving, it was great to see the fam. Unfortunately all of us came down with Noa's cold starting about Friday for me and Ian followed soon after. Aaron was the only one that didn't seem to get hit too hard. I am taking today off because I just can't seem to shake it and Noa is headed to see Dr. Peter today for the same reason. Noa now rolls over both ways and will sit up by himself for brief moments. He has his left top tooth just under the skin so you can imagine with colds and teething there isn't a whole lot of sleeping going on in our house. In spite of all the chaos, and maybe because of all the chaos, I am happy. After all, if things weren't nutty, it's probably because I wasn't living.



Ian has been perusing the catalogs and deciding what he will be asking Santa for. We are planning on getting a tree this Saturday. That and the snow we are getting today will be sure to put us all in the holiday spirit. I'll have to see if I can save my cookie cutters from the playdough bin...

... and the little one said "Roll over, roll over"

Aaron tells me that Noa rolled over last week but I didn't get to see it. And apparently, now that he proved to himself that he could do it, he isn't interested in trying again. We are having fun thinking about the holidays and the first time we will spend Christmas in our home, with our children. Ian is excited about snow and the holidays.

We are going to make the plunge and go to the big T-Day parade this year. I don't know how crazy it is so I will have to get back to you. I hear it is about the equivalent of New York's Macy's Parade. But since I work one block from the parade I thought it would be pretty easy since we have access to a potty and hot chocolate. Also the L stop is right in front of my work, so really, it will take little effort to get there and probably much worth it for the expression on Ian's face.

Noa's awake so I am going to play with him while I have him all to myself.

All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!

Noa is singing this tune today. Apparently it isn't enough to have his two bottom teeth - he's going for a full set by Christmas. He's teething again and pretty miserable. It just dawned on me today what is going on, but the last couple of nights he has been waking and refusing the bottle. At first I thought he was just excited about eating solid foods (which he is) but he had a low fever today and was cranky and arching the back and then it clicked. He isn't refusing the bottle because he wants solids, he refusing because it hurts and sure enough when I tried rubbing his top gum to investigate, he got real pissed and I thought I could feel a ridge there. Forgive me if the teething thing is taking me a bit by surprise but even the doc was a little startled to see them at the last visit.

Happy Halloween!

Ian was the most adorable little snowman for Halloween (thanks Mary!). The weather was great, the candy was abundant and the enthusiasm was contagious! A wonderful night...

And yes, I still fit in the wedding dress... barely. Noa only made it for a short turn around the block. He didn't even get his costume on as the goal of the walk for him was to fall asleep. He did this in no time and Ian and I did most of the trick or treating and Aaron manned the candy dish at the home front. Lots of fun!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Jon Stewart...

I love it when Jon digs up old footage to show how pundits contradict themselves. Especially when he's gunnin' for Fox News.



The scary thing is that Fox News has the highest ratings of any TV news program.

SAHD

So that is the unfortunate acronym for my current occupation. It sounds depressing but it is anything but! I am diggin' staying home with the kids. Granted it is exhausting and testing but it is worth every moment. The biggest challenge so far is getting out of the house. It is easy to cloister ourselves and never leave the safe zone but we get a little stir crazy. It helps now that Ian is comfortable using other bathrooms and will stay dry all day.

We have been going on adventures this week. Last Thursday we went to the Modern Wing of the Art Institute to visit the Ryan Education Center. This turned out to be just a big romper room. They had Caldecott honored artwork on the wall, floor puzzles depicting major works of art, a big bookshelf, and lots of blocks. They had a monitor running a program that morphed from one painted face to another and half a dozen computers. The consoles were nice with flat screen monitors, and a roller ball and a big round button built into the table acting for the mouse (no keyboard). They had a mask making game and a 'match the right bust to the right classical painting' game. These were definitely geared towards older kids.

After we had our fill there we went out to millennium park and walked the gardens and the sculpture park. We went over the Nichols Bridgeway that connected the gardens to the sculpture terrace on the roof of the Modern Wing. Ian thought it was grand! It crosses over Monroe with great views of the lake and downtown. When I figure out how to download photos from my phone I'll post the pics.
For Ian's birthday we went to the Shedd Aquarium. Ian's favorites were the small sharks and the turtles (he knows the difference between turtles and tortoises and will tell you about it). After we had our fill of aquafriends we took a walk along the lake and through Grant Park down to E's office where we had hot cocoa and then went out for pizza!

p.s. One of the frustrating things is Ian's refusal to pull up his pants after he uses the bathroom. He knows how but he'll shuffle about until he falls or his pants come off rather than appease me. Where does this stubbornness come from?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, IAN!!

My little boy is growing up. Last night we took a walk together after dinner. It was a warm fall evening and the star (we do live in Chicago, you can't see many) was out. Ian and I walked around and looked at all the halloween decorations and picked fall leaves. It felt really special to be out with my birthday boy at night. He was just as excited to be outside in the dark too. It's nice that he really participates in social interaction now. What a great kid I have (two!) and how grateful I am to be a Mom.

Teeth!

As I was writing that post yesterday, about how Noa was going to have a tooth in a week or two, he probably already had it in. Yesterday Aaron informed me that his right tooth had busted through the gums and that the left was going to be right behind it. I remember, with Ian, that this first year just seemed to go by so slow. We were so focused on his every breath. Now with Noa, we are so busy, that I can be focused on life and look up and he has teeth! The time goes so fast. My Mom and Dad are coming to visit today, Ian will be 3 on Tuesday and his party is next weekend. There is always so much to do that time just whizzes by. Next thing you know it will be Christmas and Noa will be sitting up, rolling over, and eating! I have to remind myself to stop and enjoy it while it lasts...

Busy, But Happy

Life is good for us in Chicago. My job is going much better. Ian's journey on the potty train is almost over. The budget is actually working (there was definitely a fear that we would not be able to make ends meet with two chillins'). So we are penniless but happy. And not so penniless either. We are gradually paying off the credit cards, so things are good. Now if only the car would last a year more... (at least) and Noa is helping with that as he absolutely hates riding in the car or in a carseat - hard to tell. We are grateful that we live in a city that has such good public transportation. If we lived in GR, this would be hell. Ian is really excited about his upcoming birthday. I'm not so excited about mine... 41... why does time have to pass for me to grow wiser and more content? I guess the good news is that I am a little bit more wise than last year and just a wee bit more content.

Noa's first little point of a tooth receded as his gums swelled up and teeth started moving some more. So where I think the speck of a tooth first appeared on the left side, his first tooth will be on the right. He is definitely teething now and I can see the whole ridge of the right tooth just below the surface. I think it'll be out in the air in a week or two. The boys go to the doctor on the 21st - Ian for his 3 year, Noa for his 4 month. Ian will get a H1N1 shot as well as a seasonal flu shot and I will get a H1N1 for Noa. We have kept up a minimal bit of nursing just so I can (hopefully) pass antibodies to him.

Getting Bigger!

IMG_2867, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Stek.

Noa's First Tooth

Can you believe it! Noa has spouted a tooth. He was all upset on Saturday and then when I was piling him into the car to go pick up daddy, I saw this white dot on his gums. I went to brush it off, thinking it was a bit of curdled milk or something, and it was poky and sharp. A TOOTH! He's only three and half months! I checked in the books and he isn't supposed to be getting teeth for a couple of months. I can't believe how fast it is happening this time around. He is almost rolling over too. Wasn't he just born a few weeks ago??

Ian's Birthday Wish List

Aaron asked Ian what he would like for his birthday yesterday and the answer was:
A black dog, a green dragon, a red star and a rain cloud

Thinking that this was some strange random response from our very imaginative and creative son, he asked the question again last night and the answer was:
a black dog, a green dragon, a red star and a rain cloud

So there you are. That's the birthday list. Any ideas??

Thanksgiving Day

Ok. I'm taking a poll. Thanksgiving will be held at our apartment in Chicago this year. I would like to know who will be attending and what your preferred day is for the big meal. We are flexible and there has been a request for Thursday. For those of you who are traveling... does this work? Jim and Margaret - are you guys coming this year? If so, you may get the biggest vote since you have the farthest to travel. Ian has expressed an interest in going to the big parade, so if anyone is interested in that, we may be sending one parent and one child into the madness. The good news is that my office is only one block away from State Street, so bathrooms are available. For those of you who aren't aware, Chicago has a big T-Day parade comparable to the NY Macy's Parade on the morning of Thanksgiving. We love cooking and it has been great having everyone for the past couple of years, so T-Day in Chicago may become a yearly tradition.

Christmas will also be in Chicago this year for us, because Noa screams every time we put him in a car seat. So if anyone would like to join us, you are more than welcome.

Just an Update

Life here is busy as you might expect. During each sucsessive phase of my life I keep thinking that I am busy and that I don't have any free time so things couldn't possibly get any more hectic and then I start working full time, or we have another baby or or... you get the idea. I think the statement is true every time, it's just what I have time for keeps getting pared down. So that I really find out what is important in my life and everything else just has to get set aside or disgarded. And sometimes I get distracted and need to remind myself what is important to me. Like it isn't having a clean house when we have visitors, it's making sure Ian gets the mommy time he needs. And many more examples along this line. That's my bit of philosophy for this post. Now for the details...

Both Ian and Noa were at the doctor on two sucessive days, both for lumps that were found on various parts of their little bods. Both lumps turned out to be just little lumps on the path to adulthood (bad pun intended). When Noa visited the doc we found out he weighs a very healthy 15lbs 9.5ozs at this three month milestone. He now laughs (a beautiful deep chuckle), holds his head up and is just starting to get up on his elbows when laying on his belly. He will scoot around at night and sometimes when we have put him to sleep facing one direction we will get him in the morning and he will be facing the exact opposite end of the crib.

Ian is maybe halfway down the path to potty trained. We mostly have the number one part licked, it's the other part that still poses a problem. And we haven't gone in a foreign potty yet. He's willing as long as he has his potty seat but I am not sure I am willing to carry this with us. Is this a strange new humility of parenting that I have yet to experience? Do I really have to carry around a potty seat for a few months until he is willing to use one without? Please feel free to give advice on this one.

We have decided that Ian's birthday party will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24th. If you read this blog and know where we live, you are welcome to attend. Invitations will be forthcoming.

That's about all there is to tell. We will keep you posted.

Ian Uses The Potty!!

I am excited to tell you that Ian has finally peed in the potty! Woo Hoo!!

(no pictures will be forthcoming)

This is Awesome.

Big Smiles!

IMG_2806, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Stek.

I finally caught one of those elusive little smiles on camera. Enjoy!

Kick it!

Going Strait to Hell!

Two Months!

Noa is two months old as of yesterday. The time goes fast! He came back from the doctor with an 'A'. He is 13lbs 12ozs, 22 1/2 inches long and has a 39cm head circumference. He is one solid baby! His rankings are: 90% for weight, 50% for height and 25-50% for head. Ian however is in the 10th percentile for fashion. He is becoming quite independent and sometimes wants to pick out his own clothes - with funny and charming results! We think that Noa suffers from reflux which fits with the stomach sleeping, not liking the car seat and the frequent spitting up and discomfort after eating. Now that we know this we can keep him upright after feedings and it seems to help - except at bedtime when he is just fussy. But the good news is that once he decides to settle down to sleep he is out - for the night. Last night he slept from 10 to almost 5am! Which is why I am up early blogging - hardly worth going back to sleep for only a half hour.

Moratorium on Road Trips!

The Steks of Chicago hereby notify all family that we will not be undertaking anymore road trips until Noa has decided that a car seat will not kill him. The return trip on Sunday took us approximately six hours due to repeated stops to try to find out why our youngest son was crying. Our particularly favorite moment was when Ian could not stand to hear Noa crying, or that his Momma had her finger in Noa's mouth, so he proceeded to solve the problem by drowning out Noa's cries with his own. And I am on record that traveling to Chicago turned around with your finger in a babies mouth, switching positions as your arm grows numb from the car seat edge cutting off all circulation, is not recommended for comfort or chiropractic health.

Come this holiday season, anyone who would like to see us or our children, can come to Chicago. We will be more than happy to see you but we will NOT be driving anywhere. Trains will be considered IF Noa does not have to be in a car seat.

Ian's birthday party will be the weekend of the 17th - in Chicago. Thanksgiving dinner will be served the weekend of November 28th - in Chicago. Christmas - ditto. Humpf!

:-) Gift Ideas for the Boys!

I love this website. Very cute clothes if you are feeling the urge...

www.punkbabyclothes.net

Growing Fast

It seems like time is passing faster with Noa than it did with Ian. I was looking at him this weekend - really looking at him and it just amazes me. He smiled at me for the first time this weekend! And he has just started holding his head up. He gets right up on his elbows and looks around - still a little wobbly but that head is up. Won't be too long before both of them are dating and wanted to borrow the car!

The Boys at Play

The Boys at Play, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Stek.

Ian loves his little brother... when Noa is willing to act as a road!

Things are good in the Stek house. We survived my first week back at work! I was pretty sure I would make it but I was a little concerned for Aaron. Contrary to the opinion of many, I am fully aware that as the stay at home parent, he has the harder job.

We are all adjusting to a life as four and getting back to a routine (??). I realized as I wrote that, that probably for the next year, nothing will be routine in our lives :-)

Ian continues to amaze me with his verbal skills and the charming mistakes. Lately he is calling his bicycle helmet, his "Melman". I think helmet just sounds a lot like the giraffe character in his favorite movie, "Madagascar". I think it's hilarious. Yesterday he was painting with Daddy-O and wrote a recognizable letters A, O and P all while saying out loud what he was drawing. Is this part of the normal two year old development milestones or am I right in saying my child is brilliant!

Noa continues to grow at an amazing rate. He has now outgrown at 6 weeks what I have pictures of Ian wearing at 2 months. But I have to say the reason he outgrew a couple sleepers was because his feet didn't fit the booties anymore! Unlike Ian, who's feet are so long, Noa's don't fit because they are too wide. That he gets from me!

The little guy is suffering from a bit of a cold and is having a hard time eating because of a stuffy nose which makes him pretty cranky. So today we are taking it easy, because none of us slept well last night, Ian included. It's hard when one wakes up the other. Luckily there are two kids and two parents. I can't imagine what it would be like to be married to a chauvinist or to have 3 children. The other day we saw a couple who had a toddler and triplet infants!! I felt for them. Yikes!

Ian is helping me make peanut butter cookies today and him and Aaron are at the grocery. Noa was sleeping up to now. Gotta go!

Noa's Stats

Hi all. Thanks for a lovely party on the 4th. We had a relatively uneventful ride home after running around GR in search of strawberries. The jam is now made, the shortcake and pie consumed in delight and the rest of the berries frozen for the winter months. We even got to take home some of the first cherries of the year and Ian loves those. He is looking forward to learning how to spit pits like mom and dad. I told him dad would teach him next year.

We took Noa to the doctor on Tuesday for his one month check up and he tipped the scales at a hardy 11lbs! He also put an inch on his length - making it 22 inches total. All this growth is in the last two weeks!! The doctor is a little concerned that he is putting on weight a little fast but oh well, it's not like I'm force feeding him. He just doesn't know the growth potential of our children. Ian was 13.5lbs at 2 months and he started out smaller! So overall Noa is in the 98th percentile for weight, the 75th for length and 50th for head circumference.

Thanks again for a great visit and I will get all the pics posted soon. I can't believe I have to go back to work again on Monday. Argh...

Noa Comes Home

Good News!! Noa should be released today (that sounds like he's been in jail) if all goes well. I have been up since just after 4pm in anticipation. It's now 6am and I think I will wake up the rest of the house as soon as I take a shower. The doctor's do their rounds between 8 and 10 so by the time we get everyone up and dressed and Ian to school - I should be able to take my little munchkin home! I was so happy yesterday when they told us. They let me try to nurse him yesterday but it was unsuccessful. He isn't used to working at nursing now that he has been bottle fed for the last 4 days. Time and patience should solve the problem. It did with Ian when we first brought him home and things got out of wack. Then he wouldn't stop so hopefully things will work out as well for Noa. Yeah for little Noa. I can't wait to snuggle him all day long. He has been just laying in a light bed with not enough kisses for too many days. Aaron and I will make up for it!!

Noa Douglas Stek

Noa Douglas Stek was born at Prentice Hospital at 3:33am on June 5, 2009. He was born at 36 weeks - one week premature and four weeks early. In spite of this he weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 9ozs and measured 20 inches. My water broke on Wednesday afternoon and I was induced Thursday morning. The birth went well except that Noa was big and didn't appear to be making progress down my birth canal. Under threat of a c-section, he and I put in a mighty effort and he crowned as the doctor arrived to take me to the operating room. Unfortunately he then got stuck in my pelvic bone and things were a little scary (and a lot painful) for a couple of minutes. We were discharged from the hospital on Saturday afternoon with the stipulation that we call first thing Monday morning to get Noa into the pediatrician's office as his biliruben was elevated. When we went to the doctor, there was some concern with a contusion on his right testicle that they thought might be more than birth trauma so we were sent to the ER of Children's Memorial to have a ultrasound performed on it. That turned out to be ok but he was admitted with a very high biliruben level (jaundice). There was concern that this was more than normal infant jaundice because of the very high levels but everything seems to be working out ok. He is responding exceptionally well to treatment (that's my boy!) and we hope that he will be able to come back home on Friday or Saturday.

Grandpa Stek left us this week. He died of cancer on June 6, 2009. He will be missed. I sure wish he could have met Noa. We love you Grandpa.

Weather Bitch

Hello - it's June now! Why is it still so damn cold? So maybe this is a little relative. I mean it isn't 5 degrees below or anything but it is only in the 40's this morning and only supposed to get up to mid 50's. I don't normally participate in weather bitchin' being that I've been in the midwest most of my life and have learned to roll with and be grateful for what cha get, but really now! One of the things I just love is spring time in the midwest and it seems like I got cheated out of that this year. Nothing but rain and chill. ARGH! Bring on the sun!!

Fun in Chicago

The last two weekends have found us spending the morning at the zoo. Ian just loves it and what's better than that. The first weekend we went courtesy of my friend Pat who has a membership. Yesterday we bought our own membership. Can't beat it for summer entertainment and it pays for itself in two trips! Ian sleeps like a rock and talks about it all week long. We let him get a plastic elephant yesterday and he hasn't let go of it yet. He took it to sleep with him last night and when I checked on him this morning he was still clutching it. I figure if I let him pick out an animal at each visit he can have his own zoo to play with at home too. They don't cost much and if we buy it on the way out, it distracts him from the fact that we are indeed leaving the zoo.

The top picture is of our latest art. Aaron and I love the work of an artist around town in GR. His name is Reb and you may have seen some of his murals decorating construction barriers around and about. When we were visiting a couple of weekends ago we took the opportunity to visit his gallery with Mary. We had this big long white wall in our living room that gave the whole room a cavernous feel. It definitely needed big color. The courage cow looks great there and the room finally feels like a living room and not a warehouse. Yes, our apartment is big!

It took awhile for me to feel 'at home' here but now that I have most of the art on the walls and curtains up, etc. Things are feeling good. Still need to finish that nursery but we have clothes, diapers and last night we bought a car seat and the changing table and crib are set up. So if we have the baby today we would be ok. I'm just enjoying fluffing the nest and feel this need to have everything in the apartment done before baby arrives. Which is a little unrealistic - so instead of worrying about it - we go to the zoo! Gets all of us out of the house.

LEED AP

Yeah! May is over! Well not physically but my life in May is over. This has been an incredibly busy and stressful month cumulating with me having to take the LEED AP exam this morning. I passed! Barely... but pass/fail is all that matters. To do it, I had to take a couple of days off - one day and night (yes, all night) to study and one to recover. Now all I have to do is nest. That feels good.

Wash clothes and diapers, buy a car seat, pack a bag, all the fun stuff. And most important I can start taking better care of myself and the baby that is growing inside of me. Who will probably come out addicted to adrenaline, stress and anxiety. Just like his dear ol' mom. Ah well. I do ok.

YEE-HAW!

Still Here, Still Pregnant

Hi all! May has been a hectic ride. We have been busy non-stop and I am only blogging now out of procrastination. Life is good but I am looking forward to seeing the backside of Thursday, after which we don't have any plans except that whole giving birth thang. Things are going well with me and the baby. I have been promised that this labor will not be 6 days and that they will have me through it in under 20 hours. That would be refreshing! Baby X will certainly not be hanging out till his due date. He is an impatient sort like his mom. I have been having contractions for several months now and most recently they have become a bit serious. At my check up on Thursday I had the midwife take a look at things and she tells me that I am already starting to dialate! She says it is just the beginning stages and that there is very little chance that the baby will be premature and at this stage, even if I went into labor it wouldn't be stopped. So I'm not worried, but I am considered full term in just three weeks so you might want to move up your plans by a couple of weeks. We aren't going all the way to July! And we better get that nursery set up!

Rain Rain Go Away...

I can't believe it is supposed to T-Storm all during the day tomorrow. Yuk. It did this last time we moved too. Oh well, what are you gonna do? I'm so glad the day is almost upon us. That means the back side of this move is close. I have a friend who has been so good at keeping me putting one foot in front of the other and running me around on errands since her car isn't broken down. That's been a big help since we won't get our jeep back from the shop until maybe as late as Friday. She's putting us up for the night too as we are officially homeless for one night. Thank goodness for friends! Thanks Pat!

Life On The Move

Things are a little hectic in the Stek household this month. We are getting ready for the big move this Thursday and Friday, the jeep has broken down (sob) and Ian and I are both struggling. Ian has been misbehaving since the first box came out. We are both (Aaron and I) trying to be understanding of the fear and insecurity the move is causing in him but at the same time trying to keep his behavior in line. It's exhausting. Nothing is accomplished without a tantrum or maybe I should say nothing that involves a change. It seems that he is trying to balance the insecurity of the move by not allowing any other change to happen in his life. This includes taking on or off of any article of clothing, changing of diapers, going outside or inside, not being able to take the jeep, not being able to take the wagon, etc. You probably have the picture.

I'm just struggling for the obvious reason of being a bit prego. Which makes me unable to do some of the things I want to do - like packing and cleaning. Oh, I do a bit, but I am having to let Aaron do the majority of the work. Which involves me letting go of control and letting others help me and all sorts of other things that this very independent lady doesn't like to do. So sometimes I get a little cranky which combined with Ian (see first paragraph) isn't always a good scene. We are managing though, and it will all be over soon. I can't wait to have a dishwasher!

So how big of building would you need to feed a family of five?

Easter

Ian, Baby X and the rest of us had a great time at Easter. Mary, Whitney, Joe, Ashton, Josh and Ashlea all came down for the weekend and it was a big ol' party! The Easter Bunny brought Ian a big red wagon! He has been inseparable from it since.

Brooklyn seed bombers on NPR

This is from All Things Considered on April 15th.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103129515&ps=bb2&sc=emaf

A green thumbed guerrilla

On Guerrilla Gardening: The Why, What, and How of Cultivating Neglected Public Space by Richard Reynolds

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really dug this book. I have been a guerrilla gardener off and on now for several years, mostly planting giant sunflowers. To clarify, a guerrilla gardener gardens on neglected public land without permission. Discovering this book was like finding the handbook, and network, I always wished I had. Richard Reynolds takes it farther than I had previously imagined, enlisting troops to go on large digs (roadside embankments, traffic circles, vacant lots, etc.) in an attempt to beautify the urban landscape for the betterment of all. Points of interest include seed bombs and bulb mining. He also goes into the history of it (with recorded history as far back as the Diggers in 1649)and shares the knowledge he has gleaned from other troops in the field across the globe. Check it out at

my link text


View all my reviews.

About that car seat...

It came to my attention that I may want to amend that short list after conversations that Aaron and I have recently had. We don't see why we should (or anyone else should) spend money on a bucket type car seat. The one Ian currently uses is a convertible and can be used in a backward facing position. So we will buy a another car seat for Ian, one that can be converted to a booster and then use the one that Ian currently uses for Baby X. Just makes more sense (cents?).

We are also thinking seriously about Aaron staying home with kids (Mr. Mom!) after the little one is born. There is certainly no body I trust more and financially it is just about a wash. And definitely is if you take into account that he wants to continue to work one day a week on the weekend. Homemade bread here I come!!

Baby X Stuff

I was asked to put together a list of things that Baby X needs. This is a short list because we have most of the 'gear' but some things we had borrowed from friends and have since return and they have been passed along to others. So... what we need:

Graco Snug Ride Car Seat
Glider (this one we will take care of)
Summer weight sling - XL/Right Handed in Celery
Bottles that are BPA free - some to fit Medela breast pump and some reg. 4&8 oz

That's all I can think of right now... please no blankets! I have more than I will ever need, so ladies, put your knitting needles away. :-)

Moving Again

As much as we wanted to find a place we could stay in for a few years and we thought that Oak Park was it... alas here we are, another year, another move. It's just when we first looked at an empty apartment, the place looked so big. Now that we've been in it a year and we are facing fitting another little body in here, we see that it's not big enough. We found a place in the city that should fit us all for a couple of years. It was listed as 1800 sf and I think that it's close to that. It's a three bedroom, separate dining room, gorgeous kitchen and huge living room kinda place. We will actually be paying a little less a month - same rent, heat included. We have storage in the basement as well as in the garage. It comes with a parking space in the garage but street parking doesn't look to be a problem for our visitors. You can see the house below. It's the brick on the left.


View Larger Map

We have the first floor so that'll be good for hauling baby, toddler and groceries. And the trip to the laundry in the basement won't be so long. I am happy to report it has a dishwasher too!

All this is great but when we went looking for daycare we hit a snag. We've signed the lease so there is no going back but today we will be interviewing for a daycare center. Apparently a lot of places around there don't take infants or if they do, it is significantly more $$ than we are currently paying. We have options, so I'm sure things will work out.

On a not so sunny note. My work is hurting. I still have a job and they reassure me that unless things get significantly worse, I will continue to have a job. But (and there is always a but) it looks like OT will no longer be paid, meals when we stay late will no longer be reimbursed, and they are asking people to volunteer to work shorter weeks. My question in all this is will these things come back when the economy comes back? There is no word yet that bonuses have been canceled which surprises me... we'll see. They are scheduled for April/May. Right now NOAM (North America) is breaking even, which is a precarious place and they want to bring down overhead without laying off in our office. Especially since there is so few of us, we aren't really viable with less people. Everyone keep your fingers crossed that Chicago gets the Olympic bid!

Back to moving... we have to be out of our place on Thursday the 30th of April and can't get into the new place until May 1. Aaron and friends will be packing on Thursday while I go to work and stay out of the way. Ian will go to daycare. We will come home, get some food and clean the apartment in the evening. The plan is then to stay at a hotel for the night. Friday night we will camp in the new place and I think Sat morning we will unpack the truck. This is in the hope that more people are available on the weekends.

So this is the official call out for those friends that are loyal to our continuing moves and diligently come out every year with little or no complaining. We love you and hope that you will put up with one more move. If you are available at anytime on Thursday (4/30) please stop by for whatever time you can spare. If you available Sat (5/2) morning at around 10am, we will have coffee and bagels. Or if you want to come by on Friday, that works too! We will start unpacking and work our way through it until the deed is done.

On another note... I am going to try to embed an interactive calendar in this blog. We are already getting a lot of requests for visiting and this will be a very busy summer for us. The impending move and birth are the biggest of our summer events. I think that two weeks prior and two weeks after the baby is born will be off limits. Also we would like to limit visits to every other weekend, just in the name of sanity. If you would like to visit, check the calendar and then give us a call!! We do love seeing everyone and summer in Chicago is awesome!

Ian to Have Baby Brother!

Baby X is really Baby Y. The ultrasound looked good. All the parts that are supposed to be there are there and working as expected plus one extra part. So Ian will be have a baby brother. Mom and Dad are tickled. We have all the boy stuff and none of us are crazy about the color pink!

Give it a listen

Life and Work

We are still alive and well! Just busy. I am now at the head of the cheese department at Fox & Obel and it is starting to look like a real cheese counter again. The shelves are filling up and the customers seem to be returning. The past two weekends have been quite steady. We received some heavenly La Tur today as well as tasty Tomme de la Grand Mere and L'Etivaz de Alpage. It is so good to see a fresh variety of tasty cheeses. Now we just need to get caught up on the signage.

Ian is Amazing. He brings joy to every moment of our lives. He is learning new words and new phrases every day. We are blessed.

Love to all, especially Granfolks and Fairy Godfolks!

Happy New Year!

I didn't make a resolution to blog more... I am just working on accepting that I can't possibly do it all. So forgive me my humanity and please understand that like many others, I am a working Mom and have very limited free time... so my photos aren't downloaded from the camera, the blog isn't up to date, laundry isn't done, but the boy is dressed, fed and kissed (a lot).

So my resolution is to call good enough, good enough and stop making excuses for myself or thinking less of myself for not having it all "together".