It's A Date!

Aunt Jackie came to visit this past weekend and Alex loved showing her all of his favorite games! They even got to go on a "date" to the movies and saw the movie Up. I think Alex was good until one slightly scary jungle scene and then asked to leave, so they did. Saturday, Brad, Alex, and Jackie ventured into the city to the Lincoln Park Zoo (always free) and had a blast. The weather along the water is always cooler and they had an absolutely beautiful day for it!

Abby and I did a little shopping and then that evening we broke out the Slip 'N Slide Alex received for his birthday. Someone definitely needs to inform Brad that he's no longer 5 years old! He is still sore several days later! I tried it a few times and then bowed out gracefully as I couldn't quite get the necessary form :) Sunday morning Brad and I were able to squeeze in some tennis too, something we haven't made time for in probably two years! Thanks for coming to visit Jackie!

P.S.--I do not know what is going on with the photos on the blog. I uploaded them and now it won't let me organize them in the order I'd like. Sorry for the disjointedness.

Happy Father's Day!

Brad deserves a #1 Dad tee, and he'd probably wear it with pride! He is so attentive to these kids and his shadow completely idolizes him. Alex loves to do whatever Daddy is doing, or better yet, Daddy loves to do whatever Alex is doing :) Abby just lights up when he gets home and she loves smiling at him. Brad never complains about giving Alex a bath each night and when Abby won't settle down for anyone else, Brad can always calm her. Happy Father's Day #1 Dad!

Movin' On Up!

All this playing is making me sleepy!

Curly Q

Since last week, Abby has decided she likes trying to sit up to play with her toys. Alex is thrilled that we are getting out all his old baby toys, and Duracell is happy too :) I swear each toy takes at least three AA's!! She's also started to get a little bit of a curl on top of her head, however this is the ONLY place that hair is coming in on her head. She has been spending 30-40 minutes in the nursery at the gym a few days a week and seems to do well with that. She usually just plays in her stroller with whatever little toy I send with her. It is just so funny to see our little, tiny peanut of a baby turned into this strong, upright, playful little girl!

That's Not the Aquarium...

The Field Museum, Chicago, IL.

This was our intended target for Wednesday, Shedd Aquarium, but the line stretched down the front and around the side of the building. Navigating anything this crowded with a stroller is not any fun, nor were we ready to stand in line for 2 hours just to get inside!

"Sue", the T-Rex.

Alex practicing harvesting corn off the stalk. The kids all loved this task and then played with those little plastic ears of corn for what seemed like an eternity.

This morning we started out on our way to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. They are having free admission this week so, for whatever reason, I thought this would be a great time to go. Apparently, every other family in Chicago had the same idea this morning, resulting in 2+ hour wait-times to enter the building! Luckily, the Field Museum shares a parking lot with the aquarium and Alex was willing to give this "dinosaur museum" a try.

What a great day! Both kids were on excellent behavior and the crowds here were minimal. It is a fabulous museum and Alex had so much fun exploring all the exhibits. We were there 3 1/2 hours and I'm sure only saw a fraction of what was available.

The Field Museum is home to "Sue," the world's largest, most complete T.Rex.

Roll Over Video

Finally uploaded video from last Saturday, June 7, when Abby rolled back to front. Here you go :)

Little People Musical

Last Friday there was a Fisher-Price Little People musical show at the Brookfield Zoo. I decided to take both kids on my own in an attempt at learning the zoo with 2. I think I'd give this trip a B+, only because of the intensely large crowd that day and general inability to navigate stroller and Alex without incident. Alex had lots of fun watching Eddie, Michael, and Sonia Lee dance and sing on stage. He also loved seeing the dolphins, giraffes, and kangaroos on his way to the ice cream cart! I have never seen the zoo that crowded and we skipped a lot of buildings due to crowds and sleeping baby in the stroller :)

And The Litttle One Said, "Roll Over, Roll Over"

She did it! As if on cue, Abby rolled over last night. Now there is no stopping her! Anytime that we have put her on her back today, she rolled right to her tummy :) Then she gets stuck there and fusses. I'll be interested to see what happens tonight in her crib! I did manage to capture this on video today so I'll be sure to post it soon.

The Lazy Days of Summer (almost)

June has brought temps in the high 60s, low 70s. As long as we see the sun most days, we are content. Alex has been playing lots with the other kids on the street in the afternoons. He and Josh enjoyed some of the first popsicles of the season the other day. We've also discovered that the garage is a great place for playdough adventures!

Abby does not want to miss out on any of the fun. Here she is in her exersaucer next to Josh's new brother Jake, in the shade of the garage. She's also happy to hang out in the grass under Alex's old beach tent.

5 Months Old

Smile Abby!

Abby in a wrestling match with Big Bird, it was so cute, partially because Big Bird is almost as long as she is!

Abby visiting her old stomping grounds, Rush-Copley Medical Center.

Today Abby turns 5 months old. It seemed only fitting that to celebrate, we should go back to where we welcomed her into this world! This morning, after swim lessons, we drove up to Rush Copley Medical Center where I had to drop something off anyway. I made sure to take a photo of Abby in front of the maternity ward. I should have done this with Alex when we went back to visit Houston this past March, but I forgot.

Abby's been working very hard on rolling over. I'm not sure what the hold up is, but I guess every kid moves at their own pace. I have seen her roll from tummy to back once, and Sherri's seen her do this once, but that's about it. She can roll either way with a little help getting onto her side, but doesn't seem to want to do it on her own yet. She's definitely built a little different than Alex, especially at this age.

I still see a little white spot on her top gum and she'll chew on anything that gets near her mouth. She's started on baby food and loves to spit it all out, with force. I'm going to start wearing an apron when I feed her. She likes to pull out her pacifier and chew on it, but does use it for its intended purpose from time to time.

Abby still wears a size 1 shoe and her hair is still falling out. I think her hair in the back falls out as fast as it comes in! She enjoys naps in her swing, or her crib, but both are only 30-40 min in duration. She's getting better about sleeping through the night and has pretty much eliminated any middle of the night feedings. This is disappointing only because I love watching World News Now with Jeremy Hubbard and Vinita Nair at 3am CT, seriously.

Abby loves to laugh at her brother and Alex ADORES Abby. He is so sweet to her and cannot wait for her to be old enough to run around with him. Lately he's been reading books in his room aloud (not really "reading" but summarizing) and Abby will just sit in there contently and listen to him talk. I'm so glad he has a live-in playmate now!!