Joan of Arcadia

Steven and I just finished watching the last of Joan of Arcadia, a DVD series of a show that was on a couple of years ago on CBS. We have been watching it for maybe six months, a few episodes at a time, on recommendation by our friend, Sarah Ashley.
This series was a constant companion for us, one that inspired us, challenged us to think about our faith, and often made us cry. It is about a high-school girl named Joan, to whom God appears in the form of regular people on the street. He/she gives her certain assignments (which she often thinks are ridiculous), and shows her how her actions affect others, at times in dramatic ways. She is supposedly a modern day Joan of Arc, and yet is so much like any one of us.
I would recommend JoA (as fans lovingly call the show) to anyone, whether you believe in God or not. It is well-done and thought provoking, funny, and poignant. CBS took it off the air after the second season, due to "lack of interest." It might be that the show pushed too many of the wrong (right) buttons. You can find it on Netflix if you are interested.
We will miss you Joan!!!

The Shape of a Mother

I took some pictures yesterday of my 26-week pregnant belly and began to feel self-conscious about my body and how it looks. I feel huge right now and have so long to go! Yet, I have gained less than I did with Ben's pregnancy at this point. Its just vanity that I am self-conscious and I need to get over it. I normally actually like being pregnant and generally feel good about my body when I am pregnant. I am thankful to be carrying a baby at all, so I hope I don't come across as selfish and vain. I probably do.
A friend today sent me a link to a site called "The Shape of a Mother" which is a beautiful site about how women REALLY look during pregnancy and postpartum (as opposed to how media/magazines, etc make us think we should look). It is beautiful. There is some nudity on the site, so it is not for everyone. It helps me (and reminds me as I see women that look like this every week in my practice) and reminds me that we are all beautiful in our own way, created in the image of God. He sees us as lovely no matter what we look like on the outside. And we all have some beauty to offer, even if we don't look like Reese Witherspoon or Gweneth Paltrow...and really they probably don't look like we think they look anyway.
If you're brave enough to look at the site, here is the link .

SICK

Ben and I are emerging today from two days of fever, snot, and horrible coughs. Today I feel about50% better, which is a HUGE improvement from how I felt yesterday. The hardest part of being sick when you have a child(ren), is that you cannot get the care that you need. Steven has been great, and I don't even want him to use his precious vacation to stay home and take care of us. I used to look forward to being sick, in a way, it is a forced way to really slow down, catch up on sleep, movies, reading, etc. With both Ben and I sick, though, not only was I not being cared for (while Steven is at work), but I have to care for a very needy someone else. The worst part for me was having body aches and having my little person crawling all over me. How do people do this? I called a girlfriend and asked for advice...basically there is no advice. You just have to get through it. I am so thankful that today both of our fevers broke and I can actually function. Life looks much less bleak today. Gotta run after my very busy boy (who turned 21 months yesterday!).

Ben and his women

Here are a few of Ben's favorite friends: Anna in the pack-n-play, playing with Ellen at the zoo, and a visitor in the bath: Francis.

Spring is (was) here! (NOT)

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We had the wonderful privelege of having a spring "teaser" for the past few days. It is one of the wonderful things (and hard things) about living in the midwest. Just when you think you can't take another day of cold, grey, blisteringly cold weather....you get a day or two that inspires hope in us all. We had 60-70 degree weather for the past few days which allowed us to play at the park, take walks, see all the neighbors we haven't really seen in 6 months, and feel ALIVE! It was wonderful. Last night felt like May, so we seized the opportunity, grilled pork tenderloin, and ate outside! It was lovely. We all know it won't last, but we sure enjoyed the hope of what is to come...much like faith. We are inpsired by the knowledge and hope of what we cannot see, but will one day see face-to-face. Thank you, God, for that reminder! It is hard to go back to 30 degree weather and possibly snow this weekend, but the reminder will sustain us until spring really comes.

Rehab project #353

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We (Steven mostly) began working on our basement tear down last week. The ceiling is now down to the beams, which just, uh, exposes all of the mess which the previous owners have left to us: plumbing and electrical nightmares galore. We should have known better than to go looking :) Hopefully all of the improvements we make will not only improve our quality of living, but also improve the value of our home. We will begin the plumbing work soon and the electrical will hopefully soon follow. We will then install new lights in the ceiling, a dishwasher upstairs, new drywall on the ceiling, and eventually carpet. I am already having pregnant-mom panic about this project extending closer and closer to the birth of this baby....I thought we swore last time to never do this again during pregnancy. There's nothing like a little motivation to make it happen, yes?

My little snuggler in my snoogle

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Steven gave me a "Snoogle" for our anniversary which is basically a combination of an oversized boppy and a body pillow. It is a great pillow for pregnancy as it curves around your body providing all over support. Ben likes it just as much as me, climbing on our bed and snuggling it around himself, giggling. I think I captured a bit of his delight in this photo :) He also likes to put the boppy around himself and proudly say "MILK!"

Our little hoarder

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Lately Ben has been into putting objects down his shirt and giggling. The other day, I had him in his crib playing so that I could shower. When I retrieved him a few minutes later, I didn't notice anything amiss. He began walking around and I heard a strangle rattling. Hmmm. He kept repeating the word "blocks!" Finally, I realized that his onesie pajama legs were filled with many objects (look closely in this photo). I was shocked when I pulled out 6 or 7 wooden blocks, two toy trains, and two small plastic toy bowls. Wow. Good thing he hasn't shoplifted (yet!).

our actual anniversary

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We celebrated our anniversary again by going to dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant in the city called Fonda del Mar. It is amazing food, and is owned by the husband of one of my co-workers. We are getting spoiled with all this eating out!!!

Ben loves Nana-Papa!

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Benjamin had a great time visiting Nana and Papa in Michigan while we were enjoying our anniversary trip. Lets just say that Nana and Papa had a great time, too! The first thing Ben said when reuinted with us, was Nana-Papa :) He didn't miss us a bit! He did very well staying with them, even with sleep!
Since the trip, he has been heard frequently saying "Nana-Papa, fun!"
He got his haircut with Dad's barber while he was there and is becoming gradually less traumatized by the process. His favorite thing of all was having undivided attention and play.
Thank you, so much, Mom and Dad, for watching him! It means the world to us!!!

Our 3rd Anniversary

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Last weekend we went to Michigan in celebration of 3 years of marriage! We both can't believe its only been 3 years as so much has happened: pregnancy, buying/rehabbing a house/moving, second pregnancy, job changes...its seems like its been at least 5 years!

We had a great time getting away and did a lot of relaxing. My parents met us where we were staying to pick up Benjamin and take him home with them. This was our first time away from Benjamin, two nights seemed like an eternity! I was tearful when we said goodbye, and although we missed him, we really enjoyed the time away. It was so good! Saturday we shopped uninterrupted at the outlet mall, something neither of us would have guessed we would do. It was nice to be able to wander around, not worry about nap time or fussy babies, and look at anything and everything. We enjoyed perusing many great sales. In the evening we went out for a nice dinner at a nearby restaurant. We also spent a lot of time watching our favorite series, Joan of Arcadia. It was great to be able to stay up late and not worry about being awakened early in the morning. (although both of us are used to getting up early and weren't able to sleep in).

The weather was pretty poor, so we were worried about getting home. Fortunately the roads weren't too bad. Remembering back to 3 years ago, we had amazing weather, 60 degrees and sunny, no snow! What a miracle!

This will most likely be our last opportunity to do something like this before the baby comes...we enjoyed every minute!

20 Months!!!

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Yesterday Benjamin turned 20 months which now sounds a whole lot closer to 2. Geesh. Time sure flies. I know that is such a cliche and to those reading, they are probably rolling their eyes. Cliche or not, its really true.
I do these entries at each month milestone more for me than for you, the readers. I have been terrible about journalling myself these past two years, so this has been my journal of sorts (although I'm a lot less frank online than I would be in my personal journal). It helps me, especially when looking back, to remember what Ben was doing at different stages. So please bear with me, hopefully I do not bore you all to death (at least not the grandparents!)....
To celebrate Ben's "birthday" we took the El downtown and met Steven for lunch. Ben loved riding the "choo-choo," taking in all the sights of the city, and seeing Daddy in the middle of the day. We ate up high overlooking a construction site...Ben was climbing up on the windowsill next to our table to watch. He feel asleep on the way home on the El (how can anyone sleep through all that racket!) and had a great time. We need to do this kind of thing more often!
As Benjamin grows, parenting is increasingly more fun as he continues to interact with us at a much higher level. He understands so much and can usually communicate what he needs to us. He's a very curious soul, loves to figure out how things work, loves PLUGS and cords (ugh), climbs everything, says more words than we can count, loves for us to read to him, loves to "help" us cook, loves music and requests certain songs (especially Justin Roberts "Here, Kitty, Kitty"), loves to be playful and mischievious (likes to squirt us with his bath toys-HA!), likes to play "This Little Piggie", loves babies, loves his unbelievably big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, and loves his Apple Juice (which are almost the first words out of his mouth every morning).
His personality is a delight. He is kind, gentle, shy, curious, inquisitive, loving, and strong-willed. He loves to give hugs and kisses (when in the right mood), and is very attached to both of us.
We are truly enjoying this respite of sleep before another season of sleep deprivation begins. God has been so good to us in this area. He is sleeping through the night (with rare exceptions), and lately has been sleeping until 7am!!!! WOW! I think all those bad nights have made this season all that much sweeter. He naps once a day, which has been great as now we have a bigger window during the day for activities. His naps have been usually at least 1.5 hours, sometimes as long as 3 hours, which is a great break for me!
Although his will is beginning to show more and more, and discipline is becoming more regular, all the delights of having him in our life make it absolutely worth it. In this messed up world, his little life brings us hope and joy I don't know I would have otherwise. He remains the love of our lives. Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!

The Choo-Choo

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

This was our second or third trip to the Choo-Choo with Ben, a great diner that brings you your food via train. Ben is just now at the age where he can appreciate it. He was fascinated by the train, the birthday song, and his choo-choo hat. The meal was topped off with cupcakes (!) and a train whistle. We went with Kirsten and Luke, which was great as we don't get to see them very often. Both boys were a little overwhelmed by the noise, as the music was loud and its a small joint. Definitely a place to return to....
My boy is so serious in this picture!

Happy Valentines Day

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We started the day with heart-shaped pancakes and finished with a special dinner for my sweeties, crystal glasses and all (for Steven and I). They both loved it!!! We had a romantic evening of watching "United 93", which we did not specifically choose for Valentines day, but it came from Netflix. You're never really in the mood to watch this kind of movie, so we just went for it. We had the disclaimer that we could turn it off at any point if it got gory or too disturbing. Although the content was disturbing (how could it not be?), it was very tastefully done. Although not a documentary, it felt much like one, presenting the facts without a lot of hype or excessive violence or gore. It made me realize just how much confusion occurred on that day, understandably. It was an unbelievable act. Thankfully, although I have had many nightmares about 9/11, this movie caused me to think without terrifying me. No nightmares yet, thank God!

Big Snow!

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Last week we had several days of several inches of snow, with a max of about 8-10inches. This is unusual for us, especially at this time of year! We enjoyed what we could of it, except for getting a little cabin fever :( I think this week it is supposed to warm up (to a balmy 30 degrees!), we might even see rain and warmer temps. I'm really ready for spring, being able to walk places and go to the park!!!

What we did during the Bears game

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We were probably the only Chicagoans not watching the SuperBowl. Instead, we went to IKEA during game time, as it is probably the ONLY time I would ever venture to IKEA on a weekend (which is usually only slightly better than getting a root canal). We went to return some things and purchase some items for our back porch. It was a great trip and Ben really liked the kiddie area. He also found a stuffed rat on whose he tail he promptly began chewing. UGH. Steven kept assuring me that Rats are no more unclean than any other animal. Sorry. I just can't stomach it. I kept telling Ben "yucky." On the way home, traffic was unusually light. The only time I've ever seen it like that was at 4am on the way home from delivering a baby. Poor Bears. Too bad we don't really care, but it would have been fun for them to win.

Parenting Blunder #453

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

I hesitate to tell this story as it highlights one of the (many) mistakes I made as a parent. I let Ben jump on the bed. True confessions. He was having a great time throwing himself down on the pillows, shouting "Aaaahhhh, BOOM!" I kept spotting him on the edges to make sure he wasn't getting close to falling off. Even though I was standing right over him, I wasn't quick enough to stop him from throwing himself down, nose first, onto the edge of our footboard (which was covered with our comforter). He immediately started crying. Hard. I felt an immediate flood of guilt and shame. I should have never let him jump on the bed. Didn't I learn my lesson from "10 little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed?" His nose swelled up immediately and it took several minutes for him to stop crying. I called my friend Karen, who is the source of all medical advice for me. She is a nurse practitioner, her husband an Internist, who also worked in the ER for several years. They assured me that their kids jump on the bed and that I am not a terrible parent for doing so.They also assured me that his nose was unlikely to be broken, and as he wasn't bleeding, that I didn't need to take him in to the ER. Fortunately, a week later, all he has is a shiner which is slowly disappearing. Good thing I didn't take him in as they would have called DCFS for sure.

New Playroom

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We completed our back porch rehab, which is both a huge relief and huge improvement to our quality of life. We have now removed all the clutter/toys from our living room onto the back porch and it is now exclusively a playroom for Ben. We are so pleased with how it turned out! Please scroll down a few entries and see what our porch looked like before....WOW! What a huge improvement. Our space went from feeling like a dark cave to a bright, cheery, and FUN room! We're so excited and so is Ben! We both worked really hard on it, especially Steven. Excellent work, my love! For more photos of the room, click on this picture to view our Flickr site.

Weaned and 19 months!

As of about 2 weeks ago, Benjamin was weaned! It went much more smoothly than I had anticipated, and although it was a sad transition for me, life is good now. Since weaning, Ben has been sleeping better (almost completely through the night EVERY NIGHT) and later (6 am is a LOT friendlier than 4:30am!), eating well, and is very happy. Not to say that he wasn't doing some of those things before, but it has been a good change for all of us. I am happy to have a little bit of a break before the new baby comes. Although I miss the physical closeness with Ben, he is still very cuddly and sweet much of the time. It has been a transition, and a good one! Praise God!
Ben turned 19 months a week ago and continues to be so much fun. He's talking so much, putting a few words together, and is very bright (at least we think so!). He's got definite ideas about what he likes and wants, which is great (and hard sometimes!). We took him for his 18 month check up the other day and he weighed 26# and was 35" (just short of 3 feet!!!). He's doing great. He kisses my stomach when prompted and talks often about "baby." He has no idea what is coming :) We're having so much fun!

Rehab continues....

We're beginning to frantically complete some things on our house before this next baby arrives, beginning with our back porch. We previously used it as an office, but it became too much of a temptation for Ben to play with our office stuff and we also need more play space. Steven took down the panelling and is drywalling now. We will add carpet and paint soon. It will be a big improvement and we can really use the space! We also re-sided our back porch, fixed our leaky roof :(, and are planning to finish off our basement. It will be wonderful to complete this stuff, in the meantime its hard for me to live with the chaos and the mess. Steven is very talented at these type of projects, I feel so blessed to have such a great spouse! More "after" pictures to come late...

Great Friends

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Between Christmas and New Years, I got together with Paula (and Kate) and Athenia (and Coulter). We were in a childbirth class together and have gotten together periodically since. Its so amazing to see the kids growing up! They had fun playing together and we had a great lunch prepared by Athenia. Paula now lives in California, so it was a special treat to see her. She is expecting their second baby in a few weeks. It was great to see you all! I miss you! I love this photo of Ben and Kate...they kept closing the door to the bathroom, saying "BYE!" and giggling.

Happy New Year

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

This was the extent of our celebration on New Years Eve this year...we watched a movie (the Polar Express) and turned in at 10pm. We felt a bit lame, but knew that Ben would still wake up early, holiday or not...and we were tired! Pretty lame, huh?

Christmas Photos

Boy, I am way behind these days. Here are a few photos of Christmas. Notice the car my mom got for Christmas, something she has wanted for a long time! It was fun to see her surprise and delight!

Things that remind me of God

Tonight we had the privelege to attend the LaSalle Bank Do-It-Yourself Messiah, a free concert donated by the bank as its' Christmas gift to Chicago. It is a two-night series of Handel's Messiah, sung by audience members at the Lyric Opera house in downtown Chicago. Not only is the venue stunning, the music is inspiring and moving. They have a full orchestra, professional singers leading each vocal part (and singing the solos), and the audience seats themselves according to the part they sing (we were non-comformists and just sat together). I attended this event several years ago when Steven and I were dating and loved it. Its the kind of thing that gives me goosebumps in my jaw just near my ear...
Handel's Messiah is hands-down my favorite piece of classical music. Handel wrote it in the 1700's in a mere 25 days. I was reminded again of the impressive and technically challenging nature of this piece, not only for the orchestra, but the singers. I was lost multiple times during this evening. As a former violin player, the music is almost impossible to play successfully! Tonight I was reminded at the beauty and truth of the lyrics as well. As we sang the Hallelujah chorus with 3,000 others, I got tears in my eyes as I received a glimpse of who God is in the music. It was breathtaking. "Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Hallelujah!" and then a soprano aria "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall see God...Since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet." I could go on and on about the beauty and truth of the words...but I must retire to bed. It has encouraged my soul and renewed my hope in the goodness of God.
These are other things remind me of God: the miracle and mystery of human birth, the splendor of mountains, encouraging words from a friend spoken at just the right time in just the right way, O Holy Night sung at a candlelight service...for now I must stop at this.

Our News

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

This is our new baby who is now inside my uterus! I'm now 13 weeks and am just starting come out of the fog of sleep deprivation, frequent gagging, and generally feeling gross. We are thrilled to be pregnant again, and scared of what life will be like with 2 children! Its already insane, and we know it will be even more insane and great all at the same time. We feel overwhelmed at this opportunity to have another baby, especially since so many we know have struggled (or are struggling) with infertility or pregnancy loss. This time I have been much more guarded and aware of the possibility of loss. I am thankful for every day I have to be pregnant, despite the fatigue and other challenging symptoms. Our due date is July 1st, a few weeks after Ben's second birthday. When I first found out our news, I felt a wave of happiness as well as fear, given our difficult birth last time. I have come to terms with it, and pray that this experience will be different, and better, as it most likely will. We will be returning to the practice where I worked and with whom Ben was born. I love this picture of the baby as it looks like he or she is waving! Hello, little one, we love you!

18 Months

Ben turned 18 months today. I know I've said this before, but this is definitely my favorite age. In the last few weeks, Benjamin is becoming more of himself, I guess. He is the greatest delight of my (our) life. His personality continues to emerge and it is just so much fun. In the last week, the floodgates to his language have been opened. It has been really amazing. He literally went from 5 or so words to many words in one week! He continues to sign a lot, too, but uses the words also. I will write out all that I remember (only so that in going back, I will remember). This blog has served as my journal, since I don't really keep much of a journal anymore. His words this week are:

• On
• Off
• Mama (mommy)
  
• Daddy (daddy)
• Nana
  
• Papa
• Hot
• Hat
• Puppy
• Spoon
• Egg
• Eye
• Arm
• Baby
• Door
• Bath
• Duck (more like Guck)
• Book
• Yellow
• Fish (shoosh)
• Night-night
• Ice
  

He is becoming so interactive, playful, mischievious and remains gentle, kind, and sweet. I know that soon he will become more willfull and begin to figure out the boundaries of who he is versus what the world holds. I know this will be challenging, too. I'm thankful for all the great stuff that balances it all out.
For those of you who know that we've struggled with sleep, we really think we may have reached a breakthrough. For the past several days, we can lay him down (AWAKE), tell him to go night-night, and he goes to sleep. This may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but for us it is monumental. We used to spend 20 minutes to 1 hour soothing him to sleep, now its minimal. I hesitate to even write it for fear that it won't continue...even if it is a positive trend, I am encouraged. Thanks be to God, literally, for this amazing gift. We're thrilled!
I feel so blessed to be a parent. It is a great gift. Despite the challenges that at times threaten to break me (mostly with sleep deprivation, so far!), it is the greatest thing ever. I love this boy insanely. I think he's absolutely the best. I hope someday he knows how I (we) feel about him. Happy 18 month birthday, my precious, lovely son.

Thanksgiving (better late than never!)

Here are our thanksgiving photos: Gramma reading to Ben before bed, our two new neices, Sara and Megan, and us in New Hampshire (you'll see this again in our Christmas letter). We had a wonderful time being with family, catching up on rest, and eating well. We love all of you so much and will miss seeing you at Christmas.

i promise to be back soon

I've been sorely lacking in my blogging these days...I can't seem to find any time to do it!!! I have so much to update: Thanksgiving, tidbits about Ben, the wonder of a winter storm today, musings on being a mother, etc. I will have to defer all blogging until after next week. I am busily preparing for an Open House I am having for my Creative Memories business next weekend. I will be back in the saddle soon, I promise.

Something I didn't know would be annoying until I had a child

Today I visited T. J. Maxx (my favorite store) with Benjamin. We were on borrowed time as it was time for his nap and he doesn't generally do very well shopping (Steven has trained him well :). He doesn't like being strapped into the cart and doesn't want to be held, naturally, he just wants to run around (which isn't appropriate in a store that contains many collectibles and fragile items). Thankfully, he did really well! It helped that I had a baggie full of animal crackers....anyway, my point.
Upon arriving at the store, I noticed that he was a bit wet and needed a new diaper. We traipsed to the very back of the store, trying to manage the cart while holding him. I happened to have a cart with a funky wheel, which I have a knack for finding. As I struggled towards the back of the store, I made my way through two heavy steel doors into the bathroom, trying to locate the diaper changing caddy. I notice a sign for it on the last stall (of 10 stalls), the handicapped stall. All the other stalls were empty, but this one was occupied. I immediately think, great, someone is being selfish using this stall when they could use any of the other stalls...Then, I caught myself, trying to be less judgmental, thinking, maybe this person is elderly or incapacitated in some way. So, I wait a couple minutes with my squirmy boy, and....out walks an able-bodied 20-something girl. ARRRGGGH. She says, "Oh, I'm sorry, were you waiting for this one???" This is the second or third time this has happened to me since having Ben. Its a struggle not to be annoyed.
However, I need to be compassionate. I used to be that girl, thinking, nobody is around, the spacious bathroom would be nice. But now that I am on the flip side, I am much more conscious of using handicapped stalls in the future. If you're reading this, be conscious of those who might be needing the bigger stall for legitimate reasons...like a disability or a dirty diaper. Thanks!

Chapstick Season

I really like living in a climate where the seasons change. I don't think I could live somewhere more temperate where it is warm at Christmas. I especially love spring and fall. However, winter in Chicago seems like months of cold, dreary, grey weather. I love snow and wish we got more of it....I think if it is going to be cold, at least there should be SNOW. Along with this season, my skin changes from oily to dry. No matter how much lotion or sensitive skin products I use, I can't seem to get enough moisture. The same is true for my lips. We have strategically placed chapstick in almost every room of the house, which helps somewhat. Thankfully, when spring and summer return, my skin returns to itself again. I'm bracing myself for at least four months of constantly applying chapstick. Phew.

Funky Fotos

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We hung out with Kim the other night and got some Indian food together at Khyber Pass, a yummy local restaurant. Afterwards, we played around with her iBook computer. It has this really fun feature called photo booth, which has many special effects which can change and distort photos. Check out the others by clicking on this photo and going to Flickr. Enjoy! (i'm so thankful we don't really look this way!!!!)

Highlights from Halloween

Here are some highlights from Halloween: The pumpkin we carved (so much fun!), Ben and our neighbor Anna (neither photo is great, but you get an idea of their costumes), and Sally's kids George and Francis (Francis is Little Red Riding Hood and George is the Wolf dressed in Grandmother's clothing--HA! Aren't they cute?!?)

Grandma and Grandpa

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Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

We had such a wonderful visit from Steven's parents last week Thursday through Sunday. It was so good to have them here!!! They babysat Benjamin on Thursday, which was great! Friday we all had the day off and went to music class and out to lunch. Saturday Grandma and I took Ben to "Boo at the Zoo" where he dressed up in his costume and got to see the animals. His favorite part of the zoo was chasing the geese and sitting on a bench with Grandma. It went by too fast, we're glad we get to see everyone again at Thanksgiving! Thanks for coming out, Grandma and Grandpa, we love you!!!

to BEE or not to BEE

I have been a terrible blogger. I promise to get back on track soon...we're in the haze of sleep deprivation and just started trying a new sleep method as suggested by the Baby Whisperer. We had a great visit from Steven's parents this past weekend (as well as a brief visit from my parents), which I will post on later.

The matter at hand is more pressing....Halloween. We have two hand-me-down costumes from the Guldes. I was all set on Ben being a bumblebee for Halloween, but the costume is a little small on him. Another option is a Big Bird costume, which I assumed would be too big as it looked all fluffy and huge in the bag. Today I tried it on him just for fun and couldn't stop giggling. I think my decision is made up, but if any of you have an opinion, let me know which costume you think is the cutest :)

sick

I'm struggling. Steven is out of town on a church men's retreat for a little over 24 hours. I am SO glad that he got to do this...he rarely gets the chance to get away, especially with other guys. It is so good for him! On the other hand, this has been one of the hardest 24 hours I've ever had...not just because Steven is gone, but Ben is sick and NOT SLEEPING. (I'm typing this with one finger as my son clings to me and nurses).
It all began Thursday night when I walked in the door at 12:30am from my crazy job. As I walked in the door, Ben began screaming. I went in to nurse him and he fell back asleep, for about 1/2 hour. Steven and I alternated going to him and comforting him all night until 4:30am when he came into bed with us (out of our desperation). He seemed fine all day Friday, but wasn't napping well. We were with several other children throughout the day.
Last night, alone, I put him down early to bed at about 6:30pm thinking surely he would sleep well since he was so tired. I also gave him pain relievers as I thought he might be teething. I started a painting project in our basement in attempts to spruce it for my Creative Memories events which I hold regularly. At about 9:15pm, Ben began crying and waking up. This continued all night long, just like the night before, when I finally brought him into bed with me again at around 4:30am. This time, he seemed warm. When we got up for the day at 6:15am his fever was 102.5. He has no other symptoms. I knew his symptoms were consistent with having a virus, but took him into the doctor to be checked for sure. So far, he has no symptoms (no runny nose or ear infection), so we're just treating his discomfort. He's clingy and pretty miserable, the Motrin is only minimally working. He's already had a warm bath, which didn't really help either......
I'm such a zombie...during Ben's two short naps today, I slept a total of 1hour and 15 minutes combined. After two nights of 3-4 hours of fragmented sleep (and a crazy day on Thursday at work), this is barely surviving. WHAT IS WITH THE SLEEP???? DON'T MOST PEOPlE SLEEP MORE WHEN THEY'RE SICK???? I can see why they use sleep deprivation to torture prisoners, it is tough! I am reminded again at how blessed I am to have such a wonderful and caring husband...and I have the utmost respect for single parents. I'm not sure how they do it without going insane.

More zoo photos

Zoo with Jennifer
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Are you sick of seeing us at the zoo? We've been going pretty often as it is close by and a GREAT diversion, especially the family play zoo which has great activities for Ben's age. His favorite things there are watching the turtle eat his lunch, watering the flowers with a squirt bottle, and looking at the fish in the fish tank. Saturday we tried out the carosel for the first time, Ben wasn't a big fan. We ended up sitting on the bench on the carosel...the animals moving up and down were a little much for him.

The ChooChoo

Choo Choo with Ellen (1)
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

The ChooChoo is a great, retro diner in Des Plaines, IL. It is always swarming with kids, especially for birthdays. The most exciting thing about it is that they deliver your food by model train. Ben has just started recognizing ChooChoos, knows the sign for it, and often says the word. We went with Karen, Miriam, and Ellen to celebrate Ellen's birthday. Karen and I had a great time eating our burger and fries, the kids loved it, too! Ben was wide-eyed with wonder the whole time. Definitely a place to return to...

Visiting Daddy at work

Visiting Daddy at work (15)
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Yesterday, after learning of coooollllldddd weather to come later this week (and possibly snow!), we decided to "Seize the Day" and head downtown to meet Steven for a final picnic in the park. Ben just barely fits in the baby backpack (which is much easier to maneuver on the El), so we trekked on down. Ben especially enjoyed the "Choo-Choo" which he can "say" and sign...he was wide eyed with wonder at the rattling, "Doors Closing" announcement, and even the homeless guy sitting behind us. Its a reminder to me to approach life with wide-eyed wonder and less judgement towards people.
It turned out to be a beautiful day, Ben enjoyed running around, chasing pigeons, and seeing Dadda in the middle of the day. I am going to miss this weather which is quickly retreating....
For more photos of our excursion, click on this photo to be redirected to Flickr.

Our special visitor from Australia

IMG_2284
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

The other night, Josie Rothwell, Kim's sister, came over for dinner along with Graham and Kim. It was wonderful to see her as she lives in Syndey, Australia! Josie is a wonderful woman, just like Kim! She also has a blog, which have added as a link, so check it out.
We had a good meal and all went out afterwards to the Hothouse, a local cultural center which featured Jazz and Swing dancing. "Yoko Noge and the Jazz Me Blues" played, they were fabulous! I used to hear Yoko and her band perform back in the day when I was really into swing dancing. It was really refreshing for us all go out together. I got to dance a bit with a friend that I knew years back. It was great to remember how life-giving it is to dance! Steven and I danced together, too, which was a blast. Kim, being a dance movement therapist, studies and teaches the power of movement and the joy it brings. It brought me a little bit of joy which I have forgotten in the daily grind. It was a little gift to me, a reminder to cultivate more of that in my life.

Akeelah and the Bee

We watched an excellent movie the other night called "Akeelah and the Bee" which is a new release (at least relatively new in our world as parents). It was a great movie, definitely a PG, and had a great story. For those who haven't seen it, we recommend it wholeheartedly. It made me think a lot of my Dad, who loves words. (Dad, the word Lagianappe was actually in the movie!). It was based on the documentary, Spellbound, which is now in our Netflix queue. This also about real children who are contestants in spelling bees. We look forward to watching this, too. To read more about it, click here . Enjoy!

Dad's quick visit

Dad's quick visit (2)
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

My Dad was in town for business last Thursday (yes, I know that was 4 days ago...) and stopped by for a very brief visit to see Ben. It was great to see you, Dad, especially given that you hate driving in Chicago!!! We love you!

Grape-a-holic

Aunt Kim and Cell Phone (3)
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Graham and Kim joined us for dinner last night. Ben's face lit up when he saw Kim, he really loves her!!! After dinner, Kim let him play with her cell phone (no wonder she's his favorite!) and she fed him grapes (his second favorite). I think he literally had 25-30 grapes over the course of dinner. Whatever works to get him to eat....

Helping Daddy

Helping Daddy (1)
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

Steven put up a nice gate at the bottom of our stairs the other day. Ben wanted to be right next to him while he was using his drill. It was so cute...he even tried putting the screws onto the drill and into the wall. It definitely slowed Steven down, but I don't think he minded a bit....

Silly Hat

Bedtime routines
Originally uploaded by steveandamylou.

I have been very behind on blogging these days and I apologize. I essenitally have 3 part-time jobs and 1 full-time job (Ben), so I've been a little busy.

Life is good and Ben has been a lot of fun these days! He was giggling when we put his PJs on his head and wanted us to wear them, too! He has just learned how to "dance" which consists of shaking his head in his high chair. He is saying a few more words and continues to learn many new signs. He's also starting (?) to show his strong will....
Yesterday he learned how to climb up on a stepstool to watch me preparing dinner. I thought this could be much better than him holding onto my legs and fussing until he climbed up on the counter...Look out world!!!