Scene: 6AM wake-up. Without an alarm. Long walk with SoMi. Trek to the gym with Sweets and our neighbors. Birthday brunch for our neighbor at another neighborhood favorite. It  was my first time there. Bread pudding. Spicy bean cakes. Fruity pancakes and French toast. Coffee and OJ.

Scene: Two bloggers-turned-friends and me. Izzes. Guacamole. Salsa. Chips. Tomatoes. Carrots. Hummus. Recaps of BlogHer (theirs). Recaps of registries (mine). Heirloom tomatoes. Goat cheese. Fresh peach vinaigrette. Homemade pizzas. Sliced potatoes. Goat cheese. Mozzarella. Leeks. Bacon. Rosemary. Discussions of sperm banks. And $55 million court settlements. (Unrelated to one another.) Ice cream. Homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Homemade caramel. Full. Happy.

Scene: Buy Buy Baby. Strollers. City Select versus UPPABaby Vista. Car seats. Chicco versus Graco. Play-yards. Graco versus Graco on steroids. Pillow crib bumper with risks of SIDS versus mesh crib bumper with risk of bruised heads. Registry officially started. Nursery furniture officially purchased. Still so much more to do.

Scene: Lunch with Sweets’ parents. Trip to park with the dogs. SoMi dashing in and out of water. Stories of Maine and Cape Cod (ours). Recaps with photos of volunteering in Roatan (theirs). Conversations of childbirth in America.

Scene: Nilsa passing out on Sunday night. It was one helluva a long and busy weekend. I wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s hard to believe our vacation is over. Because we were having such fun, we decided to extend our vacation by a day. The good news? We had an extra day on Cape Cod. The bad news? It made for a 19-hour day in the car on Saturday and a Sunday spent unpacking and organizing, which means no time for a proper vacation recap. So, instead, you get this … part one.

We left Chicago in July, which seems like ages ago. Our departure was delayed slightly when Sweets couldn’t find some key parts to our bike rack. If we didn’t find those parts, then (a) the bikes wouldn’t be properly attached to the rack (problem!) and (b) the bikes wouldn’t be locked to the rack. An hour and too many cuss words later, the parts were located and we were able to finally hit the road.

The trip itself was mostly uneventful. There was the Amish sighting at dusk … a buggy pulled by a horse … racing through the night … only shadows apparent to us as they crossed the road over the highway … it was very eerie, in a headless horseman kind of way. Later that night (well after midnight) raging storms had us slowing down to 40 mph on the highway. Groundhog day ensued when not one, not two, but three FedEx double-long trucks raced past us in the time span of 5 minutes. We were more than thankful to pull into our destination for the night.

Day two was event-free, well, mostly. Did I mention the Check Engine light came on in Sweets’ truck? At night? In rural Maine? Dude, totally not cool. We spent the rest of the trip listening to the truck. Trying to dissect what it could be. Nothing. Well, I mean, the truck kept running, thankfully. We made it to our destination without further issue.

We only had one full day in Maine, but it was a chance for Sweets to finally see where my aunt and uncle live. On a lake. With a dock. Across the way from a camp where my cousin spent many summers as a kid and where my uncle helps to run the place. In a quiet, rural town. I knew Sweets would fall in love and he did. We are already looking forward to spending more time there in 2011.

On our way out of Maine, we drove to New Hampshire. To another lake. In another quiet, rural town. Where Sweets used to spend summers during his own childhood. His grandparents had a small home there (which is no longer standing). But, we were able to drive through town. And drive down the dirt road to see the site where the house used to stand. It was a treat for me to get to see an area I’ve heard so much about. And bittersweet for Sweets … a good trip down memory lane, though some disappointment in seeing all that has changed.

A quick stop in my hometown, where we met up with one of my childhood friends and her parents. Oh, and this gal pal of mine (whom I’ve met a number of times before!) and her ManFriend were also able to join us for dinner. It was such a fun and lively evening. Lots of laughter. Though, not nearly enough time to catch up with any of the players involved.

Another trip in the car and we finally made it to Cape Cod. Engine light still glowing. Parents’ house aglow in the midnight darkness. Funny enough, we were not the last to arrive that night. Two girlfriends from Chicago also drove to Cape Cod. And rolled in about an hour after us. Once we were all situated, the rest of our vacation could begin…

To be continued…

One thing I’ve noticed lately is a slight change in SoMi’s behavior. I like to think she has an animalistic sense of smell and knows things are changing in me and is therefore more protective of me … but, the reality is, I really don’t know why things have changed.

A few weeks ago when I was taking her on a walk, I saw a man and a small dog approaching. I hadn’t seen them before. And since so many people show fear and discomfort when they see SoMi, I’ve started making her sit to show she’s not a mean dog. That day, as SoMi was patiently sitting and the man/small dog combo passed, he said, Wow, she’s such a well-behaved dog. And just as he finished saying it, SoMi got up and ran right at the small dog, scaring and scarring (mentally, not physically) the man/dog combo. His response, I take that back.

I was mortified. I immediately made SoMi sit down. Then I made her lie down. Then I made her put her head down on the ground. (For those not in the know, making a dog put their head on the ground like that is forcing them into a submissive state; in other words, it’s showing them who is boss. It’s humiliating for a lot of dogs, but is a way to hopefully correct bad behavior.) It seemed to work, because she immediately calmed down.

A couple weekends ago, SoMi and I were out for another long walk. I saw a woman approaching, who I could tell was freaked out. Her whole body went tense. She pulled her dog onto a very short leash. And her otherwise relaxed state turned into a set of awkward robotic movements to push past us. In my mind, I was thinking FREAK, because SoMi hadn’t even noticed them and was calmly smelling the grass. But, I made SoMi sit anyway. And as this woman was passing, again, SoMi jumped up, made a huge arc around the back of them and actually growled at this other dog.

I was mortified by her behavior. Again, I made her go through the sit, lie down, head down routine. And then I proclaimed SoMi was on probation. She needs to be reeled in, because this behavior is totally unacceptable. From that moment forward, every time we saw another dog, I made her sit. And I held onto a short leash. And I wouldn’t let her break from sitting like that until other owner/dog combos had safely passed. I can only hope this behavior is short-lived and with some immediate corrections, she’ll be back to her friendly, less protective self.

Ironically, off-leash, SoMi is great. Super friendly. Sweet. Playful. And that hasn’t changed since my change in status.

She had a great time at the groomer the other week. And the next day, she was having a great time at the leash-free park. Until she got a little too close to the pond. And the dog who is afraid of water took one step too many and fell into the pond. The momentary look of fear on her face? Priceless. Watching her splash/paddle to turn herself around and get back onshore? Priceless. It was all too good for even a Mastercard commercial, because who can put a price on a sight like that?!

And then, the next day, the dog who normally is unaffected by smells, decided to roll around in something in the grass. I like to think I stopped her in time. But, seriously? I just had her groomed two days before.

So much for taking her out East looking all cute and clean and dapper. Well, at least her nails are still clipped. Sigh.

To give you an understanding of traffic in Chicago, let me recap my Friday night plans. I work in the suburbs north of the city and was meeting some friends in the suburbs west of the city. Total drive distance, according to Google Maps was 30 miles. Total drive time (under normal travel conditions), according to Google Maps, was 50 minutes. I left my office at 4PM (maybe even a few minutes before) and rolled into my friend’s house at 5:45. One hour, 45 minutes. Traffic was insane. And this is not an uncommon commute time. Sigh.

But, it was worth it. I got together with some of the girls Sweets grew up with (something I haven’t ever done without Sweets). Got to share giggles over keeping pregnancies quiet (found out one of them is due in February). Got to ooooh and ahhh over planned trips to Mexico. And had a generally enjoyable evening catching up with two women I usually only see at family gatherings.

Saturday, I was up and out of the house early to drop SoMi off to get groomed. Mind you, this is a point of contention between Sweets and me, since he doesn’t feel she ever needs to be groomed, since she is short-haired. But, she was getting scruffy around her neck and butt and tail and we needed to have her nails clipped anyway, so I deemed this appointment necessary. (Let it be noted, this is the first time she’s been groomed in over two years, so it’s not exactly like I obsess over her looks). And I fell in love with the place where she got groomed. What I loved the most? Dogs seemed happy there. They were quarantined behind a half wall, but allowed to roam free (instead of being locked up in kennels). There wasn’t any barking and the dogs that were being groomed looked relaxed. Big plusses in my book.

While SoMi was being groomed, I headed over to see the baby’s mamas and my niece. When I arrived, they asked her who was coming over to visit. Zora said, “Aunt Nilsa.” Score. I’m finally being acknowledged. And boy am I being acknowledged. Girlfriend hammed it up for the camera when I asked her to smile, but eventually came around to giving me more age-appropriate smiles. I’m finally making inroads with that girl!

After a long walk with Sweets and SoMi on Saturday afternoon, we had a decision to make. The weather was hot and steamy on Saturday and we were supposed to meet friends at a street festival. But, I just wasn’t feeling the weather and Sweets wasn’t feeling the street festival. So, we bailed in favor of going to the movies with our neighbors. We saw Inception, which I thought it was OK. Definitely a movie that has you thinking the entire 2+ hours (not relaxing at all). And all I could focus on is how much Leonardo DiCaprio has aged. Boyfriend is the same age as me and he used to look so young. I guess we’ve all aged over the years. Sigh.

Sunday, I got up early to take SoMi on another long walk. When we got home, I was called to rescue Sweets, who got a flat while out on a long bike ride. That afternoon, we went to Sweets’ folks’ house to celebrate a birthday (and, of course, take the dogs to the leash free park for a long walk). And Sunday night, Sweets and I had rooftop tickets to see the Cardinals play the Cubs.

Nowhere in my weekend did I do one ounce of packing. Or preparing. Or even really thinking about our upcoming roadtrip. And yet, I left the weekend feeling packed, in a very different kind of way.

How did you spend your weekend?

As adults, though, we’ve actually grown to like each other quite a bit. We may still live very different lives (me, pseudo 9-5, while his days go well into the night)  … and he may be difficult to track down as a result … but, when we do finally cross paths, we actually get along. We’ve grown to appreciate each other, even in our differences.

That’s why I was sort of excited to have him visit this past week. It’s so rare that we just get to visit with each other, as we often coordinate with our parents (let it be noted, whose company we also enjoy). But, this past week? It was my brother, his boyfriend and their dog. Camping out in our guest bedroom. Doing their own thing by day and catching up with us by night. And it’s not like we let the evening hours go to waste.

• We brought the dogs to one of the local beaches that allows the beasts to be off-leash and let the dogs run like wild.
• We met up with one of the baby’s mamas to see a show opening at her theater (Chicago friends, go see This Train, starring and about local radio favorite Tony Fitzpatrick and his story about not quite fitting in – it only runs through August 1!).
• We hung in one night while my brother made turkey chili (and I made garlic bread, so no juice would go to waste!).
• We went with my brother, his partner and the baby’s mamas to see The Kids Are All Right (thumbs up!), which was hilarious given the company in which we saw the movie and the movie’s topic: it’s about a gay couple whose teenage children decide they want to meet their biological father.
• We met up with Sweets’ folks, my brother, his boyfriend and the baby’s mamas to see an opening at the other baby mama’s theater — Queertopia, which was about stories of queer youth (another recommended show that’s only running through next weekend).
• We went with Sweets’ parents, my brother and his boyfriend to one of our favorite burger joints (the boyfriend said he had a taste for a burger, so I knew exactly where we had to take him!).
• And we even managed to host brunch at our place – so all the above people, plus some favorite friends and family had one last chance to see my brother, his boyfriend and the dog, before they leave.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t exhausted. I’m lucky if I do one or two things in a week, let alone a week of non-stop fun. It was most definitely exhausting. But, getting to see my brother for that much time? Fight-free time? Time where he picked up after himself and actually was a big help around the house? Yeah, I’ll take a little exhaustion for that kind of week. It was truly special and so very rare (because, my brother and his main squeeze never have the same breaks from work, so travel for them usually consists of only a day or two at a time)!

And the amazing thing about this past week? I get a replay next month. My brother and his boyfriend will be coming back to Chicago. For a whole week. Again! Only this time, the terms will be a little different. Yeah, it’ll be a whole week. And yeah, they’ll likely be staying with us. But, their visit is in anticipation of baby #2. That’s right. There’s another baby entering our family fold, months before I’m due! Lots of babies this year. Plenty of celebrations. And, I’ll take each and every one!

What were you up to this weekend? Any highlights you’d like to share?