Eve of the Eve

We celebrated the eve of the eve last night with great friends ... my sis is in town, along with Scotty, Ade, and of course Uncle John and hubby.

We finally checked out ROOF at the Wit Hotel, pretty awesome. I can see how in the summer time it would be totally jammed.

So fun to get out and enjoy a night on the town. Tonight is much more low key with dinner at the house.

Happy New Year to all! Hope you have a great, safe night.

Thomas!

I can't recall if I've mentioned our great affection for Thomas the Train here...even if so, it's worth another post.

Ben LOVES Thomas. Loves.

He spent the last month carrying around the product catalogue picking out his favorite characters. He makes hubby read to him every. single. night from a 500 page Thomas story book. He sleeps with his trains. He has stickers. Motorized engines. A train conductor hat and whistle. And countless books.

So for Christmas my parents bought him the ultimate gift - a train table.

When I tell you he hasn't moved more than 3 feet from it, outside of naps, since it was revealed Sunday, I am not exaggerating. Round and round he goes. And the trains go. And he laughs, and cheers. He brings his other toys over to see how they co-exist within Sodor Island (not well for most of them, it's hard to drive a giant fire truck on the little rails).

Today he started singing the Thomas song. Over and over and over and over. And I confess, I find myself singing it fairly frequently as well. It's a catchy little jingle.

More pictures of the train table to follow...

Our Little Family

So family pictures are pretty hard to come by as you might imagine, with Ben running a hundred miles an hour at all times. But here are a couple we were able to snap in record time this weekend.

Apologies to Stella who was outside during the 90 seconds that this photo shoot took place.

Christmas Eve pictures

Finally, a few pictures from Christmas Eve and our Sandusky family members...it was such fun to see everyone and of course everyone made Juliet and Ben feel welcome and adored.

Juliet wore the most adorable of all Christmas outfits, from her aunt Brenda, complete with tutu. It was hands down a winner. I only wish we had a few more occasions to wear it while it still fits. We may pull it out on NYE just for fun.

Ben sporting his new Patagonia. He got one last year and wore it straight through this fall. This one is sure to be another hit.

Baba and her cute sisters, Barb and Brenda, and aunt Tracy too.

Enjoy!

Juliet as Jesus

(technical difficulties are keeping these updates from posting sooner. I'm not sure I have them worked out so if these photos look terrible, apologies)

Sister Deb scored Juliet a starring role in the Christmas mass at Gesu last weekend (while not actually a sister, she is the closest thing many of us will ever know to a saint). The priest was looking for a baby to use during his homily to talk about the birth of Christ.

We of course jumped at the chance - how often is one asked to play Jesus after all? Its quite an honor.

And Jules showed off her angelic demeanor to all those in the church that morning. From the moment the priest picked her up, to the time she was returned, not a peep. She rested quietly on his shoulder, catching a little nap.

Somehow Ben too was angelic, thanks to a 6-man support team. It was the very best way to start Christmas day.

Thanks Deb!

Shaker Christmas

Again, not in order, but a few great pictures from our Shaker Christmas...

Christmas '10

Wow.

The holidays were amazing. Totally amazing.

We knew they'd be fun this year b/c Ben has been circling the tree at home looking at presents and gets the whole idea a bit more this year, but it was a thousand times better than we could have even imagined.

And to see him with all the family - really makes me wish we lived closer.

From the moment we crossed into OH, it's been a non-stop Ben show and he's loved every minute of it. From his babas to his aunts and uncles, to his cousins, he's had the best time ever.

And the presents, people were far too generous. We have the LC packed to the ceiling with trucks, trains and books.

Pictures will be coming through somewhat in pieces as various cameras and computers were used throughout the weekend.

This picture is Ben and Juliet with cousins Kelly, Jennifer and Jack.

Hope your holiday's were full of family and fun!

Minnie Mouse

The kids and I hit my work holiday party last week to introduce Juliet to the crew and load Ben full of sugar and attention :)

We stopped by my office and Ben immediately ran over to a Minnie Mouse stuffed animal I had on my shelf (have done some work for them in the past). He picked her up and pretty much hasn't let go of her since.

She is the perfect size for him to carry around. She loves to jump into the mountain of pillows in the basement, just like Ben. She loves to sleep in his crib with him. And apparently she also loves to sit in the highchair and watch Ben's favorite train show.

It's pretty cute. He's never really gotten attached to anything in his life, has no special blanket or binkie, so it's fun to see him hold tightly on to Minnie...

Sleeping Baby

Just a picture of sweet Juliet napping on her play gym in her Christmas PJs....

Winter Crafts

We have been on the hunt for new activities as we're all trapped in the house this winter. The gingerbread house project was such a success we moved on to sugar cookies. Perhaps you can tell from the picture, it was very well received. Ben loved decorating cookies and especially enjoyed the frosting. He bounced off the walls for an hour afterwards, but it was totally worth it.

Paula thought of the snowman and built an awesome one in the backyard yesterday. No thanks to Ben who was really put out by the snow on his gloves...his OCD continues to be funny, assuming he can eventually grow out of it (and to love the snow).

We're big into building pillow mountains for jumping too...

Any other in-door projects you can think of that we haven't tried?

For Adoption

Ok, I know I've already written this post too, but hear me out.

We moved Bisco (our troubled cat) down to the annex. She is an alley cat through and through and ultimately just couldn't live peacefully with Stella and our other cat. Paula is afraid of her, as is the cleaning lady.

So when we bought the apartment down the street to serve as hubby's office and our guest quarters since the kids have squeezed everyone out, we moved her down there too.

I hung out there this week with Juliet for a couple hours and Bisco was awesome. So nice and friendly. The poor thing doesn't see many people in her new digs. But she was the old kitty we used to know and love. Super affectionate and happy. She was purring and begging for a spot on my lap.

I posted an ad on Craig's list this week to see if we can't find a good home for her, but I felt it was worth mentioning again here since she really does seem a lot happier. I would recommend a single-pet home for her but if you know of anyone looking for some company, I think she really would make an awesome addition to any home.

Sweet Juliet

My dear baby only woke up for one feeding last night. That makes her mom very, very happy. Oh glorious sleep, how I've missed you.

And then she upped the ante by taking a five ounce bottle today without a fuss.

Two major milestones we've been anxiously awaiting in one day.

In other news, she also graduated to size 2 diapers today and barely fits into any of her 0-3 month clothes anymore.

It goes by so fast, doesn't it?

Happy Birthday Aunt Carrie!

Happy Birthday to my dear sis...who celebrates her big day today.

More beautiful on the inside than the out, she is not only the best friend and sister a gal could ask for, she is the very best aunt around.

Can't wait to celebrate with you in the coming weeks :)

XO!

The Other Love of My Life - Pilates

I have said it before but I feel the need to repeat this post. I love pilates.

Like 'you complete me' love pilates.

It's spiritual for me. It just feels so good.

I started going periodically again during pregnancy but really got back into it once I was cleared to work out. In part it is because I'm a terrible stretcher (as in I never stretch) and given all the running I do, that sucks.

So pilates forces me to elongate. Pull out my legs and rehab them a bit from the running.

But there are also so many important things you practice in class that should be carried out and practiced all day long. Your posture, your breathing, engaging your core.

And when I remember, and do it, ahhh I can feel a difference immediately.

Not to mention, the teachers at the studio I go to (Frog Temple in Bucktown) are awesome. They understand the body, especially a post baby body, and help me focus on my core and all the stuff that is currently out of whack.

I've been going a couple times a week and have decided to treat myself to a few private lessons (with Randi who rocks, especially if you've had a kid b/c she just did too and totally gets it) and hope to continue to make time for it once I go back to work b/c every time I go it sets my whole day off better.

Kids Update

Simply put, the kids are awesome. The house is really noisy and cluttered, we're averaging 2-3 loads of laundry a day, and hubby and I have two hours of quite a day once everyone is down, but we wouldn't change a thing.

These pictures admittedly aren't great, but I know I need to get an update posted so this is what we've got.

Ben is funnier than ever. I'm biased but I really think it's true. He still isn't saying a ton (hence postponing our Wednesday Words), but he understands everything. In English and Polish. This picture is Ben at his happiest - in dad's chair, with his ipad playing games, milk, and fire truck. He loves to sing songs, which basically just means singing his favorite words (baba, dada, mama, gigi, stella, water). We sing to stay awake when we're driving and he is really tired.

He loves, loves, loves his dad. They do bath and story time together at the end of every day and I love to listen to all the laughter upstairs. There is still no better sound than his little laugh, and no one makes him laugh like his dad.

Juliet, who has officially been nicknamed Gigi by Ben, continues to be an angel. She is just the sweetest. She smiles and smiles and smiles. She is increasingly more alert, likes her playmat, loves the Christmas tree, adores Ben, and seriously just smiles at anyone who gives her a second glance.

Our biggest challenges of late have been that she seems to be holding her ground on not taking a bottle. Good times, especially for poor Paula. We're also tackling sleep training, which means a lot of crying but I'm confident she'll have it mastered shortly. Her nursery is almost finished and looks SO cute. She'll start napping down there during the day, and probably make the move down after Christmas. Pictures will be posted when we're finished.

Ben is cutting FIVE teeth right now, which sucks for him. And he seems to have a perpetually runny nose. I guess that is just part of it once they start hitting classes and playdates but it's crappy. We literally had three days of a clean nose and yesterday the rosy cheeks reappeared and his nose is a mess again. Poor guy.

But overall, things are awesome. Christmas is going to be a blast. We've been talking a lot about Santa but have yet to meet the big suited character. I promise lots more pictures from the holidays. Lots of outfits to show off :)

Hope all is well with you and yours. The holiday cards have started arriving and they are so cute!

Alinea

While hubby and I are pretty good about getting ourselves out for a neighborhood burger and beer pretty frequently, we also like to treat ourselves to something spectacular every now and again.

Alinea has been on the list for some time, but between difficulty to get reservations, being pregnant for what seems like three straight years, and the need to find four free hours in order to do dinner, it has taken awhile to come to fruition. But, without further ado, we ate there last night...

20 courses, plus the wine pairing. It was amazing.

A few highlights included here, though my explanation of what they are will pale in comparison to our servers.

As Asian dish...the item on the left was a cracker of sorts, with a shrimp and some pickled vegetable wrapped around it. The sauce in the bowl was outstanding. On the right was a piece of sugar cane, beautifully adorned with flowers and herbs. To be chewed, sucked and then spilt out.

The white course I will butcher horribly so I'm reluctant to say anything at all other than that there were countless flavors and textures mixed beautifully here.

The Christmas trees arrived covered in what looked like snow. They sat at our table through numerous courses. Then, when all the snow had melted, the tree was removed and we were presented with a peppermint tasting shot. Adorable.

Finally, the dessert. Which was actually the final of three dessert courses, required it's own table cloth, approximately eight side dishes, a blow torch, a pitcher full of some sort of cream, and many other things I'm forgetting.

It was all dropped off and then we waited. And waited. And the table next to us was doing the same, attempted to touch something on their table and were scolded. Finally, with a smoking, freeze dried brick that was chopped table side with what looked like a mallet was some sort of blueberry cake. We were given spoons and dove right in.

Another dish I wish I had taken a picture of was a venison, tempura battered with oatmeal on a stick. Delicious. And they also had a version of one of my favorite dishes ever - the quail egg ravioli at Schwa - this was slightly different but coined "explosion in your mouth" was very similar in taste and experience.

Oh, and how could I forget the white truffle risotto? You can't even imagine...

It was an amazing experience and so very delicious. @GAchatz is as amazing as the critics say...get there!

Updates (or lack there of)

It is amazing, and admittedly a bit pathetic, how busy a person can be in spite of not working and having part time child care (and doing nothing notable to save the world).

Posts have been too infrequent. My apologies. I have a lot in store though, so stay tuned.

(And I know most of you just want more kid pics, but you're going to have to suffer through a few other misc posts as well)

We got the gang back together this weekend while celebrating KJ's birthday Saturday night.

We all (my girlfriends and I) had boys, beginning a little over two years ago...from left to right (youngest to oldest) it's Ryan, Ben, Daniel and Gage.

They are all pretty hilarious little guys in their own ways. And under the title of 'misery loves company' I can't tell you how reassuring it is to hear their stories of tantrums, being hit in the face, screaming for no reason.

At least temporarily, it makes me less concerned that Ben is possessed. OK, maybe not possessed but he certainly has had his fair share of less than steller performances lately - always in public of course. And it's nice to know it happens to others and that there isn't an easy answer I'm missing to resolve things, though that would make it so much easier!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Brrr...

How can you complain? It is winter afterall. But the walls are already closing in and it's just the first week of December.

This weekend we made a ginger bread house. Something my mom, sis and I used to do years ago. Ben was actually surprisingly into it - that is it captured his attention for 5 whole minutes.

Take a look at our masterpiece!

We're starting a class tomorrow at MyGym. Me and the little guy. I'm looking forward to the time together and a little burning of his endless energy :)

Smiles

A few smiles captured by Baba while she was here this week...enjoy :)

First Snow!

We woke up to white everywhere this morning, our first real snow fall of the season.

Thanks to one of Chris' colleagues, who lives in MN and has a boy about two years older than Ben, we're geared up for the blizzard of the century (and/or ice fishing).

We piled on layer after layer and plopped the little guy in the backyard. He really wasn't sure what to make of it all. Stella was pouncing, Hubby making snow balls, I was trying to get him to taste it. And he mostly just looked at us all like we were idiots.

Hopefully he'll warm up to the idea b/c he looks really cute in his snow suit. And it really just boils down to wardrobe, doesn't it?

Sniffles, Smiles and Sleeps

Poor Juliet had bout of sniffles this week, likely from her big brother. It's pretty sad to see her all stuffed up and not sure why she can't breathe. And it made for two very long nights of crying...that was sad for everyone.

But in spite of not feeling great, she pulled off a day full of her first smiles yesterday which is priceless.

Amazing how far a little smile goes after six weeks of not much more than crying and sleeping.

She looks even more beautiful :)

And then last night she slept 6 hours. Probably b/c she was so tired from a couple tough days but it's proof she can do it, and hopefully just a glimpse of what's ahead for us.

I was given clean bill of health at my 6 week appointment today and am heading to the gym this afternoon.

Pretty unbeatable Friday and it's only noon!

Have a great weekend (smile pictures coming soon)

Success!

Everyone made the most of this eating holiday, including my sweet girl.

We are officially on the bottle!

To be introduced at 4-5 weeks, it took her longer to grasp the idea than I remember the first time around. But never the less, with a little persistence and patience (thank you hubby and mom), she's got it.

I fed her a bottle myself tonight, which they really don't recommend (b/c she can smell my milk up to 20 feet away??) and she sucked down 3 ounces without a second thought.

What does this mean?

Freedom, my friends. Freedom.

It means date nights with hubby, pilates classes and the gym once I'm cleared (six days and counting), quite simply the ability to leave the house for more than 2 hours at a time.

Aside from sleeping through the night, this is the single biggest milestone we're working towards in her young life.

To celebrate, hubby, sis, Gaston and I went out Sat night to a post-Thanksgiving pub crawl organized by some friends. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to be in a bar full of carefree people again. Sad but true, it's like a breath of fresh air...a glimpse of our old lives.

Not that we'd trade, don't get me wrong, but it's very nice to be able to visit again.

Great job little eater. I'm so proud of you.

Thanksgiving recaps

We sent the family off this afternoon after a long, wonderful visit. Not too restful for my parents I fear.

Ben loves his grandpa Ted, and didn't give him a moment alone once he walked through the front door. As you can see a bit here, they read every book in Ben's extensive library (at least five times each), along with playing trucks, cars and trains.

My mom took Juliet upon walking through the front door and didn't let go except to cook and do laundry.

They are the perfect guests!

Sis was allowed a little time with the kids and we squeezed in some shopping too.

Overall a great few days of family, eating and relaxing (and yet we're all exhausted).

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

A few pictures from their visit...

Life Is Good...

Not much breaking news to report on our end...Juliet is doing great, sleeping longer between feedings at night which is about the only milestone new parents really care about (or me anyway). She is already breaking all the rules, more on that later, but I can't figure out if it's because she is a girl, or because she is #2. Probably a combination of both, plus that little VSD thing made me think she was more fragile, which isn't the case, but certainly has weighed into her already lenient parenting.

In fact, now that I think about it, the whole house has pretty much gone on vacation since late Oct. Ben is sleeping in until 8, playing with the ipad and watching TV at least once a day. He eats all of his fruits covered in some type of confection (strawberries = Reddiwip; banana = nutella; apples = peanut butter). And last week he asked for candy from his Halloween bucket after breakfast.

Crap, I really need to get back on the clock.

Well, at least everyone is happy for the most part.

Hubby and I actually went on a date Sat night and were reflecting about how much easier it is the second time. A lot of which is b/c Jules is so good and Ben was colicky, but I don't want to kill my hubby and he has yet to find me crying in the bathroom with any screaming children so we're leaps ahead of our previous situation.

In fact, while I walked out the front door the other day to walk the dog with both of them yelling at the top of their lungs and I barely heard it over the breeze...I guess we've all learned a lot over the last two years.

In all seriousness, we hit mass on Sunday for the second weekend in a row. I think the last time we pulled that off was a Lenten season years ago when it was just hubby and me. With Juliet on one shoulder, Ben reading a book next to me, and hubby at the end of the pew, I nearly choked up thinking about how very blessed we are. Suddenly we are a family and a happy, healthy one to boot. With all we've experienced around us, it's hard not to reflect and be so very thankful for that, no matter what the season.

A couple recent pics - Ben showing Gigi (what he calls her, Polish for 'baby' and it's really stuck around here) what's up with her playmat, a pic of him at Lincoln Park Zoo before she arrived that I love with the skyline in back, and a picture of Juliet wearing her Super S shirt.

Enjoy! (and Happy early Thanksgiving to you all!)

Just Another Saturday Morning...

As I was going to the bathroom this morning -- with Juliet on one shoulder, Ben at my knees putting trucks down my pants, and Stella whining outside the door to be taken for a walk -- I was reminded of the ad that ran years ago for Calgon ("Take Me Away").

The creative director really nailed that one, didn't he?

I haven't taken any bathes(who in the world has time for that ??), but I have thought numerous times in the last couple weeks how amazingly well those three little words capture so many emotions of trying to tackle something as simple as getting out the door to walk the dog, or even just to pee...

Grandparents!

Grandma Marsha and Grandpa Joe blew into the Windy City this week to meet the little lady and catch up with our star performer.

We had a great visit with them, filled with lots of delicious wine, food and dessert. Of course, Ben adored all the special attention and especially grandpa Joe.

A few of the best pics here...

Just two more of the sweetheart. Her first lady's brunch with grandma a couple weeks ago, and a picture Aunt Carrie captured last weekend...

Our Little Lady

Pictures have been few and far between of our little lady. I'm working on resolving that, but in the meantime had to share the latest gift that arrived this week.

To start, it was her first package from Neiman's. I think I can say with confidence that I didn't own anything from NM before I turned 30. And mini pink UGG boots? You can't be serious. And yet, here they are and I can't wait to get them on her tiny little feet.

Thanks to Mary for the extravagant gift. It is completely over the top and I adore them!

Little Lion

As promised a while back, we had a couple funny videos from Halloween. The other is actually significantly funnier but I'm nursing the baby in the background and I just can't bring myself to get over it and post (even though you can't see anything).

Sadly you are missing out on his new laugh, we'll work to get it on film again...

Big Boy Haircut

My little guy is growing up before my eyes. Last night we went to get a hair cut and hubby was meeting us there. We had to get started before he arrived so we tried the booster seat (Ben usually sits in one of our laps). Not only did he do fine, he kicked up a leg, requested a pretzel and watched CNN.

And he doesn't waste the opportunity to ham it up with Bridget, his official hair dresser whom he adores.

Hangin' in our PJs