Thursday, my parents flew from Boston to Chicago. On different airlines, arriving at very different times. My mom stayed with us Thursday night, while my dad stayed in a hotel. Weird, given they’re still married, still live together and are still on speaking terms. My dad stayed in Chicago less than 24 hours for a conference, while my mom spread out her stay until Sunday to see all her grand-babies.

Friday evening, Sweets, Gavin and I grabbed dinner with a high school bestie, also visiting from Boston. Funny enough, our parents live across the street from each other. And my parents adore her. But, since they see her in Boston, there was no dire need to see her in Chicago. Trust me, though, my parents are likable people.  =)

Saturday, my mom joined us at Gavin’s soccer class. This was also the first time Sweets got to participate in class. Like last week, Gavin refused to complete one of the first activities, thereby exhausting Sweets (who did it for him). Other than that, it was a fun class and Sweets is glad we signed up. Once again, Gavin was exhausted by the end (so were we!).

We went to REI to go shopping without spending money (where’s the fun in that?!). We’re shopping for bike trailers, so we can go cycling with Gavin this summer. Gavin was immediately drawn to the bike helmets (no surprise, since he plays with Sweets’ at home all the time) and kid bikes (too bad his feet can’t reach the pedals). Did you know you can easily drop a grand on bike carriers? We’ve picked a model we like (hint: it doesn’t cost $1,000) and we’re waiting to buy it until next weekend when our 20% off coupon activates.

That afternoon, while Gavin was napping, Sweets and I decided to catch a quick nap. Assuming, Sweets would nap like he normally does (less than 30 minutes), I didn’t set an alarm. Bad move. Gavin woke us up over 2 hours after we fell asleep and, more importantly, 10 minutes before family and friends were supposed to begin arriving at our place for dinner.

Good thing they’re not a super prompt bunch. We managed to shower and clean up before anyone arrived. After dinner, we left Gavin and his cousins with a sitter, while the adults went to see a great rendition of Rent (so says the girl who doesn’t really like musicals)!

Sunday, Gavin slept until 9am (score!), allowing plenty of time for Sweets and me to clean the kitchen from our house full of guests the previous night. We met my mom, nieces and their mamas at my aunt’s house for brunch. It was a downright beautiful day, so we spent a bunch of time outside blowing bubbles, playing hide-n-seek and exploring the greenery. It was a fun chance to take out my camera for some official May photos.

After brunch, my mom came with us to Gavin’s music class, where he was essentially a non-participant until the teacher pulled out blocks for building (while singing London Bridge) and Gavin was the first kid to knock down the tower.

Our last stop of the day was Sweets’ parents house. We had a mid-afternoon cookout with them and lots more playing and exploring outside. I sort of checked out here and hung out inside by myself. I was utterly exhausted from coordinating and participating in all the weekend events. From there, we dropped off my mom at the airport, returned to the city and tried to get ready for the week ahead.

And that’s all she said. I leave you with a link (because I’m also posting today on Lisa’s Expandng blog) and a piece of Gavin from Monday morning, when I realized his new (to us) track suit fits well enough to wear to daycare.

But, that’s ok. Because, he’s the kind of kid who gets over things easily and moves on. Bath time is especially fun.

The early bird gets the worm. If the saying is true, then our family has an endless supply of worms, because we got an early start to both days this weekend. Saturday, we met Sweets’ folks for breakfast before we all got a sneak peak at the new children’s hospital they’re about to open downtown (Sweets’ current hospital is moving locations to a brand new building).

The hospital is really amazing. One of the things that stood out to me is how much they considered patients and their families during the design process. Private rooms are the norm. They have teamed up with local organizations to illustrate themes throughout the hospital, such as the underwater mural (thanks to the local aquarium) on a wall in the CT scanner room. There are train scenes, farm scenes, outer space scenes, zoo scenes and more built into the hallways, nursing centers and waiting areas of the hospital. They say if a child can focus on something that’s soothing, they’ll need less anesthesia and recovery times are shorter. There is part of a floor devoted to families, including a kitchen and eating area, large lounge, TV that will be hooked up to cable as well as games, business center and a meeting space for support groups.

There are amazing open spaces throughout the hospital, too. There is one lobby space on the 11th floor (I think) with floor to ceiling windows, a bamboo garden, amazing colored walls, benches made out of wood and lots of light. Gavin could’ve spent hours exploring this space. I was honored to be a part of the hospital’s extended family and to be allowed to take a look at the new space before it opens to the public in June. As we took the tour, I kept saying, “This space is really amazing; may this be the last time I ever have to see it!” At least I know, though, if Gavin does ever have to go to the hospital, he will receive top care.

The Chicago Children’s Museum is in the same neighborhood as the new hospital, so after our tour, we headed over to the museum to let Gavin have some play time. We went to another children’s museum in the burbs earlier this year and I’ve got to say I think I liked that one better. The Chicago museum is very vertical (i.e., spread out on a number of floors) and doesn’t really flow very well from one room to the next. Gavin was pretty tired by the time we got there, so we spent an hour playing and then headed home.

We wish Gavin napped more on Saturday, but he just wasn’t having it. He slept for 30 minutes in the car, ate lunch and slept for maybe another 45 minutes at home. Thankfully, our Saturday night plans were on the early side with friends. We checked out a new restaurant in our hood and all gave it thumbs up.

Sunday was another early rising day. We were off to meet Gavin’s preemie twin and his family for the March for Babies. Our team raised almost $1,400 in a matter of weeks. Last year, our boys were only 6 months old when we did this walk, so they were happy to be in their strollers. This year? There came a time during the walk (a little more than halfway through) when the boys decided enough was enough. They wanted out of their strollers!

We took what we thought would be a short break to let the boys stretch their legs. That short break became a longer break of playing along the waterfront, which led to a funny conversation about being the last people in the walk (seriously, no one was behind us) and how we could just walk back to our friends’ place and call it a day.  And, ummm, that’s exactly what we did. During our walk back towards our friends’ place, we might have come across an entirely different walk and had to cross the finish line of that walk. So, technically we did finish, even if it was for a different race. ha!

We realized our boys had both fallen asleep (as you can see in our photo above – we reclined Gavin’s stroller seat, so he could sleep) and wanted to find a place to eat where we could let them sleep (rather than a place that requires us to fold up our strollers and/or puts them in a coat room). As we were making our way towards the restaurant, our friend was stopped by the local NBC news to comment about the impact the NATO meetings will have on his neighborhood. We were all snickering, because none of us wanted to be interviewed (if you look closely, you can see Sweets smirking as he walked as far away from the camera as possible without being rude). Our friend took one for the team.

Lunch was a blast. The restaurant is huge and was practically empty. We chose a corner where we could park our strollers next to our table. Gavin’s preemie twin was up the entire time, but Gavin’s two-hour stroller nap meant he slept through half the meal. Though, once he got up, he was read to play!

Because lunch was a leisurely affair, we spent a couple hours at the restaurant. While we were at lunch, we noticed helicopters flying overhead, police blocking off the street and a bunch of news crews (including the one who stopped us a few blocks away). It turns out the subway (which is above ground at this location) jumped the tracks. We were there to see the passengers escorted off the train and a huge crane begin to right the two subway cars that were off the track. It was quite the eventful morning!

After we parted ways with our friends, we went grocery shopping and went home. I made Lisa’s chicken, white bean, tomato and spinach dish for dinner (yummy – though I might alter the recipe a bit for the next time), read a bit after dinner (I am getting down to the wire to finish my April book – yikes!) and went to bed a very exhausted gal. Sweets and I both agreed that it was most definitely alright to be the early birds in order to have such a great weekend!

]]> http://somispeaks.com/2012/05/01/worms/feed/ 11 http://somispeaks.com/2012/04/17/gas/ http://somispeaks.com/2012/04/17/gas/#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:50:01 +0000 SoMi's Nilsa http://somispeaks.com/?p=5981 Our weekend started with gas. To be more specific, our weekend started with Major Gas. Not the kind of gas you put in a car. Nor the kind of gas you use to heat your home or to cook food. Nope, I’m talking about human gas. Yes, I’m going there.

When I picked up Gavin from daycare, there was an asterisk on his daily report … next to the asterisk was written “Major Gas.” I laughed and mentioned it to the teacher. I said, “So, I hear Gavin was toot toot tooting all day?” Her response was priceless: “Gavin wasn’t tooting all day. He had serious gas. Of the adult variety!” She was laughing as she said it, but I knew the underlying message was to cut out so much fiber in Gavin’s diet. hahaha.

Saturday was an insanely long day. We went to the suburbs and spent some time with Sweets’ parents. Then, his mom and I took off for a bridal shower in support of a family friend. Sweets picked me up early from the shower, because we had to race back to the city. We hosted good friends and my nieces and their mamas.

Five kids all under the age of five were racing around our house with an energy I’m not sure I could ever replicate. There was banging and screaming and crying (only a little) and lots and lots of taking turns. There were marching bands and chauffeured wagon rides. And, somewhere in there, the adults tried to chitty chat and eat and have a good time. (BTW, this photo was taken at the end of the night as meltdowns were imminent – I don’t know how one of the nieces’ mamas wrangled the kids to cooperate for this shot!)

Everyone left by 7:30 and I was asleep with Gavin by 8:30. Sweets woke me up at 10, when I brushed my teeth and promptly went back to bed. I was exhausted!

We tried to balance out a lazier Sunday with our chaotic Saturday. We had plans to hang around the house Sunday morning, until Gavin decided he wanted to play with the dirt of my potted plants. Totally not acceptable … unless we rounded up the troops and headed out to the yard, where I could do some much-needed weeding and Sweets could introduce rollie-pollies and milipedes to Gavin. We also made it to Gavin’s music class, which is always fun. After class, Gavin and Sweets napped while I went to the gym (where I got my butt whipped by a new workout routine) and went grocery shopping. After Gavin’s post-nap meal, we spent a little more time outside (at Gavin’s request). Sweets took off for a soccer game; Gavin and I had dinner together; and, I let Gavin watch a few Rodrigo y Gabriela videos before starting his bedtime routine.

Gavin is teething (again!), so my sleep at night has been very much interrupted. I started off the week tired. But, even when he’s sleeping well, that seems to be the norm. Our weekends are full … full of activity, full of loved ones, full of fun. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Friday night was my FRIDATE! Of course, midway through the day, my girlfriend texted to ask if I would hate her if we did coffee instead of drinks? Of course I was fine with coffee. We talked about our boys (who are a month apart in age), their milestones, their tantrums (oh boy have the tantrums have started!), their words and their utter cuteness. We talked little boy haircuts, little and big boy soccer, and mama career goals and dreams. Next thing we know, we’re being kicked out. Damn straight, we closed the place down … at 11:15. <<cough, cough>>

Saturday was a day for errands. Saturday night, we went to the home of some of Sweets’ friends to watch the Ohio State-Kansas game. Sweets’ friend, his wife, his brother, all their kids and his in-laws were decked out in Ohio State colors and gear. I’m not kidding. It was evident which team we’d be cheering for (even though Sweets had Kansas picked in his brackets). We had a great night and we’re pretty bummed this will be the last gathering with this group for a while; Sweets’ friend and his family are getting ready to move away from Chicago.

Best adult moment of the night: The brother and sister-in-law had just arrived (we’d already been there for a half hour or so). The SIL very clearly says, I’m so glad North Carolina isn’t in the Final Four. (For those who are not aware, I went to UNC and pretty much grew up cheering for the Tar Heels, thanks to my father, who also attended school in Chapel Hill!) I grin and say, Did she just say “SO GLAD”???? Then Sweets or I (I can’t even remember) mentions that I went to college at UNC. The brother hilariously says, Open mouth, insert foot. And we all get a good laugh. Turns out she was just mad that the team she picked to win it all (Duke) was embarrassed in the first round. Mwahahah.

Runner-up moment: Learning about Woot and House Party. Every so often, Woot.com offers the Woot Box … it’s $3 plus $5 shipping. And you are mailed a box with some sort of electronic in it (when you sign up, you don’t know what’s in the box). Could be something on the small side (our friends told us about getting 8 MP3 players, of which 6 worked) or could be something very very big (our friends told us of others who have gotten two, large sized, flat-screen TVs delivered to their homes). It’s an electronics game of roulette! And when you sign up for House Party, they offer you “themed” parties based on your interests. For example, our friends hosted a party related to some kids toy brand. They were sent four different (pretty darn cool) toys and a shit-ton of coupons. They hosted a party with their own friends and family, let their guests (in this case, mamas and tots) test out the new toys and handed out coupons to participants at the end. Did I mention they got to keep the toys for themselves?? But, it’s not just kids gear – they have options for Clothing, Housewares, Automotive, Liquor, etc. Our friends have signed up to host a few parties – most of them were pretty good and only a few were busts. Damn, you can get some goods on the cheap and even for free!

Second runner-up moment: Slutty brownies. Thanks, Jessica Simpson!

Best children moments of the night:

(1) Gavin prancing around in a satin, pink sash. At one point, he stopped and touched his head/hair. In a very timely manner, I said, Is my hair alright??? The mother-in-law found that one hilarious.

(2) There were five little kids total. Three boys, including Gavin, all around the same age. And two slightly older girls (older sisters of the other two boys). One of the boys pushed Gavin in the back. After stumbling and catching himself, Gavin turned around. The little boy smiled and waved. Other than that moment, the boys seemed to get along really well!

(3) For the first time, Gavin climbed from the floor onto the couch (which, later in the weekend, turned into him climbing on our own kitchen ottomans in order to climb up to the higher kitchen stools!).

(4) The older girls pretty much kept to themselves. They made a fort under the kitchen table (which was a bar table) and would spend periods of time hanging out there. Sometime towards the end of the night, Gavin joined them as one girl played teacher and read her class a (self-written) book.

(5) Gavin stayed up for the entire game (which did not end until after 10pm). We changed him into pajamas, because he typically falls asleep on the way home if we stay out until bedtime (or beyond). We got home around 10:45 and Gavin was wide-eyed with a huge smile. Little party boy!

Sunday was a mostly mellow day. We went to Gavin’s music class, where he proceeded to sit on my lap for the entire class (he just wasn’t into it this week – must have been his own version of a hangover). He wound up taking a late nap that day, which worked out perfectly. We hosted a condo association meeting at our place and Gavin slept through the entire meeting. That night, we made dinner for our neighbors who are still pretty new parents and enjoyed catching up with them.

Monday … it was a rough start for everyone. Sweets and I had the worst time falling asleep on Sunday night. Once I fell asleep, I slept pretty soundly, but 4½ hours wasn’t nearly enough. Sweets said he tossed and turned all night. And, due to his late nap, Gavin went to sleep later than normal … which means, he didn’t want to get up. He fought me tooth and nail. The only things that would make him happy were his pacifier and his monkey … until I presented to him a banana and a granola bar. And that’s when the pacifier and monkey became so yesterday.

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This week has been so weird. I’ve been incredibly tired for no good reason. I’m getting decent sleep at night. More importantly, that sleep has been uninterrupted, because Gavin has been a sleeping champ. But, I’m utterly exhausted during the days. Might have something to do with trying to give up caffeine. But, that’s not why I’m writing. The other night, I was so tired (at 6:30pm) that I couldn’t keep my eyes open. As Sweets did the dishes, I headed into the living room to watch Gavin play. I put my head down. And must have fallen asleep. Next thing I know, Gavin is rubbing a plastic bag across my forehead to wake me up. WTF?!

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Speaking of Gavin, he has entered a new stage with some pretty awesome meltdowns. They usually happen in the early evenings and I’m attributing them to his high level of exhaustion after a full day of activity. But, when they happen, NOTHING makes him happy. He doesn’t want to be held, yet he doesn’t want to be put down. He doesn’t want food, yet points to more food. He doesn’t want his pacifier (which is, like his favorite thing ever). As a friend whose son has been doing the same thing pointed out, his crying is different than the kind of cry we hear when something is legitimately wrong. I want to comfort him and yet, my tolerance for nonsense runs dry pretty quickly. The other night while Sweets was doing the dishes, Gavin started to melt down. I decided to take him to our (fenced-in) front yard. He immediately stopped crying and began to explore the yard. Shake the gate. Run around. And be the adorable kid we’re used to. I had to leave, but Sweets took over. Apparently, Gavin stayed out there about 45 minutes before he was ready to take a bath and go to bed. Me thinks these meltdowns are related to cabin fever. I can certainly relate!

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Tonight is girls night with a gal pal I met during birth class. Friday nights have become “our night” about once a month or so – I fondly refer to them as Fridates (actually, I just came up with that name – lame!). Typically, we meet at Starbucks and spend hours chatting over coffee and tea. We usually discuss all things related to our sons. It’s nice to pow wow about their developments, their highs, their lows, their being. We also talk about the work-parenting-life balance. And whatever fancies us, really. Tonight, we’re changing things up and going to a martini bar. I don’t even like martinis, but I’m kind of excited.

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Next weekend is a big weekend if you’re of the Judeo-Christian faith. There’s Good Friday and Passover and Easter, all squeezed into one little weekend. We have a Passover seder, Easter services and an Easter meal to attend. There was the possibility we’d be invited to a second seder, but those plans changed. It’ll be nice to see family over the course of the weekend. But, I’m going to put it out there that I’m kind of sad I won’t be in Milwaukee for the Cardinals-Brewers series. Yes, I’m serious.

What do you have in store for the weekend ahead?