July 14, 2010

• My Kind of Town (aka Vacation Update, Part 2)

  As promised in my most recent entry, here's the update on the Chicago trip I took with Jack. I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to do this, because Jack and I haven't had much "fun time" alone since Derek's birth, and he's now old enough to start appreciating trips like this. He might not remember it (OK, so he won't remember), but he's capable of appreciating experiences, and I genuinely had a blast with him as we took excursions around the city. The trip was also a much-desired chance for me to catch up with some dear friends in Chicago, many of whom I haven't seen in three, four, or even six years!

  Jack and I left the cottage on Friday morning and drove for about eight hours, but only because we took a long lunch stop and also a gas/snack/potty stop. The driving was really pleasant -- I managed to pretty much miss rush hour traffic going into the city, and I really enjoyed talking with Jack along the way. He was very excited to stay with "Auntie Brinda and dog Toby."

  We got to Brinda's condo just in time for an early dinner. Jack took to Brinda right away.

  So happy!

  

  We went to a kid-friendly neighborhood restaurant, and Jack ate pretty independently while Brinda and I enjoyed some cocktails with our dinner. It's amazing how relaxing dining out with just one kid feels when you're used to dining out with two! Sure, we still had to interfere with statements like, "No, don't throw all the crayons on the floor" and "The fork is for eating, not for eye-stabbing," but it was really nice to be able to eat my own meal in relative peace, and to catch up with Brinda. Afterward, Jack settled in for bedtime without a hitch, which gave me and Brinda the chance to chat some more (and polish off a whole bottle of white wine ... oops!).

  Saturday morning, Brinda had some volunteer work and stuff to do around the house, so Jack and I went to a coffee shop to get breakfast, then played a little at the nice playground nearby.

  Jack stopped to pick this dandelion on Brinda's block

  

  We came back to the condo in time to meet my friend Meghan and her almost five-month-old baby, Charlie. We spent the morning and early afternoon at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

  Jack and I in front of the zoo; Jack makes a funny face at the kangaroo area

   

  This was the first time I went to a zoo with Jack without a stroller, and you know what, he did pretty well, despite all the walking we did. Heck, I was tired by the time we were done! Jack's favorite parts of the zoo trip were probably the giraffes ... and the pizza for lunch, LOL. I last saw Meghan when I was a bridesmaid in her June 2006 wedding, and now there we were, eating lunch at the zoo with our kids. Crazy! 

  After the zoo, we drove back to Brinda's. After a brief rest, Jack and I headed out on our own to go to Ghirardelli's near Michigan Avenue. Jack's had ice cream, of course, but he's never had a huge sundae like they have at Ghirardelli's, and plus I wanted him to ride the L. He was thrilled even to be waiting on the L platform, and he nearly toppled over with excitement on the actual train itself.

  When you're three, even public transportation is exciting!

   

  A cute story about the L: Every time the doors closed, Jack would imitate the recorded message and say, "Doors closing" in a deep voice, and whenever we left the train, he would wave bye to all the fellow passengers. Once time, the driver of one of the trains waved to Jack, and Jack had the reaction I would have if I ran into, say, Brad Pitt or something.

  Jack was beside himself at the "ice cream house," where I ordered a Domingo (hot fudge sundae with bananas, chopped almonds, whipped cream and a cherry on top) for us to share.

  Of course, I gave Jack the maraschino cherry; check out how Jack posed for the pic at Ghirardelli's!

  

  Afterward, we strolled Michigan Avenue for a while before heading back to Brinda's.

   

  Saturday night, I had arranged for a babysitter to come to Brinda's, so that I could go out to dinner with six of my friends. (One of my friends referred her sister-in-law's regular sitter to me.) I was a little apprehensive about how Jack would take to a new sitter in a strange environment, but he greeted Karolina (the sitter) at the door with a hug, then proceeded to show her all his trains. I asked him, "Are you sad that Mommy's going out?" And he replied, "No, Mommy, I be happy when you're gone. I'm going to play trains with Rolina." Um, OK then! Karolina reported that they played for a while after we left, then Jack cleaned up his trains and stated that he would like to go to bed. They went to the potty, she read him two books, and Jack went to sleep. What?! Maybe I should get a sitter every night! But, anyway, that put me at ease for my evening out. We went to Cafe BaBaReeba in Lincoln Park and enjoyed delicious tapas and sangria while catching up.

  Here I am with Kerri-Simone and Amanda, and then a group pic of everyone who was there

   

  

  I really do miss my Chicago friends! It's so nice to have good friends with whom you have a long history -- these girls knew me before I was married, before I was a mom, and it's wonderful not to have to explain myself or to provide context. Despite the fact that many years have passed since our college (or early career) days, it still feels like just yesterday when we were all in the same place.

  Sunday was a big day for me and Jack. In the morning, we took a train and a bus to meet Kerri-Simone and her daughter, Remi, at Navy Pier. We rode the Ferris wheel, the carousel (well, Jack and I did; Remi's still too little to ride that one) and then Kerri-Simone treated us to the Children's Museum and some lunch.

  Jack's happiness at being on the bus; Jack across from the Navy Pier entrance; Jack posing with the giant Kraft mac and cheese noodle; Jack with the Chicago skyline behind him. Notice his grin! Such a little model.

   

   

  Jack and I on the Ferris wheel; Kerri-Simone and beautiful Remi; on the carousel

   

   

  Here are some pictures from the Children's Museum, which was SO cool.

   

   

   

  It was an awesome morning/early afternoon. Kerri-Simone and I met on my first day of work. She had been there for a few weeks (and had come in with prior experience), so she was at once my go-to work buddy/mentor and also a fellow new employee. We quickly became good friends, and she's definitely one of the best things to come out of my consulting career. We used to go out to coffee and lunch (and sometimes happy hour) and dish about our relationship issues, and dream about our future families. I think our younger selves would have been thrilled to see that we would one day have a playdate together.

  After Navy Pier, Kerri-Simone drove us to the Field Museum. Jack's very into dinosaurs, and he had been waiting all weekend to go to the "big museum." The Field Museum, of course, is home to the famous Sue, the most complete T. Rex skeleton found to date. She's right in the entry of the museum. As soon as Jack saw her, he shouted, "DINOSAUR! Look, Mommy, T. Rex!" and started roaring. He also tried to scale the railing around Sue to try to get in closer.

  That's Jack, climbing on the railing; outside the Field Museum

    

  We bought our tickets, then took a closer look at Sue. We then headed upstairs to see the dinosaur hall, and we walked through a new exhibit about evolution and mass extinctions on Earth. You know, I'm ashamed to say that Jack took more of an interest in the museum than I did. He wanted to stop and watch most of the videos, and he wanted me to explain a lot of what was written on the cards. He also asked a lot of follow-up questions that I actually had difficulty answering. (If only Jack would ask about celebrity trivia! Then I could help!) I'm going to have to start Googling on my phone for answers. After the exhibit, we visited the "Sue Store," where I told Jack he could pick out one item. He picked a stuffed brachiosaurus. He was going to go for the T. Rex, but then he saw the brachiosaurus and declared that he wanted the "happy dinosaur" as a "bedtime friend," so we got that one. Of course he wanted the big version that's about half his size, but a promise is a promise. We then went to the special 3-D "Waking T. Rex" movie. Jack wore his glasses the whole film (it was about 25 minutes). He got a little scared at the scene in which the T. Rex was eating the "rhino dinosaur" (aka triceratops), but it was really gory and bloody. Afterward, we walked around the museum some more, then got some ice cream and headed home. Jack was a trooper -- it was a long walk from the museum to the L station (made worse by the fact that, a quarter of the way there, Jack declared he had to poop, so we had to head all the way back to the museum!), but we made it back to Brinda's, and then out for a Thai restaurant for a farewell dinner with Brinda and Karen. Jack had some of my glass noodles with vegetables and squid, and he was very entertained by the awesome book that Karen got him.

  We left early Monday morning, before Brinda had to go to work, and enjoyed a pleasant drive back up to the cottage. As I type, Jack is sleeping with his baby bear in one arm, and Brachio (that's short for brachiosaurus) in the other arm. The dinosaur's long neck is curved around Jack's face. It's so cute. I'm not sure when my first baby turned into such a fun little guy, but sometime while I was busy being pregnant and caring for a newborn, Jack's become a big boy. This trip was good for us -- instead of spending 90% of my time telling him what he couldn't do, we spent the bulk of the time doing fun things together. It was great. Johnny and I are going to try to each take one kid for an "alone weekend" (or day) each year.

  Thanks for reading!

  • 11:22 pm
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