What's Up With You Guys?

No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn

2011-11-15T15:09:00.005-06:00

I have been so negligent to this blog since Zach's first month. We've had a whole lot of changes and things are pretty busy and in flux. Zach is an awesome baby. He's so smiley and happy. His giggle just melts my heart. He has the most squeezable cheeks and most smiley eyes ever. He truly has brought so much joy into our family.

But the kid won't sleep. Like ever. We're up every 2 hours with him almost every night. His naps are few and far between and usually only last 30-40 minutes. Basically, I'm just exhausted. Totally and thoroughly exhausted. Honestly, I've never been this wiped out in my entire life.

I've never been a big fan of change, either. But, these past few months have been one change after another in the Schirel family and we're all figuring out how to adjust. Here's a little rundown of what's gone down:

June/July 2011...Zach born. Joy! Love having a new baby. Running on hormones and adrenaline to maintain some energy despite the sleepless nights. Feeling guilty for not having as much time with Zoe, but so happy to see how much she loves her baby brother already. And then the end of summer and early fall rolls around and all of sudden the Schirel world is rocked...

About 1 month after Zach's birth, our nanny decided to move back to Poland. Talk about the worst timing ever. Zoe loved Basia and so did I. She was like another grandma to Zoe. I figured having another baby wouldn't be so tough as long as we had Basia around, as well. Well, that didn't quite work out. Basia's last day was Labor Day. Tears. Lots of 'em. For all of us.

On top the huge void left in Zoe's world with Basia gone, she started a 3-day-week preschool in early September. The school is great and Zoe seemed to be doing really well at first. But now, she's been struggling with some kind of delayed separation anxiety . So that's been really hard on all of us. She's gotten really quiet and withdrawn at school, which is totally unlike her. But, hopefully it's just another phase in this emotional toddler world.

We found a new nanny pretty quickly. But after two weeks, I realized she didn't mesh well with us. Not with Zoe. Not with me. And not with Zach. So we've actually been nanny-less since mid- September, which has made working challenging to say the least. I've cut back considerably on the assignments I am taking on. And somehow I am managing to write during short nap times, nights, weekends and at the gym when I drop the kids off at the gym's kids' club. Before having Zach, I hadn't planned on suddenly becoming a full-time stay-at-home-mom. I love that I have been able to work part time and be home with the kids part time. I really love working. I love writing. I love using my brain in ways that extend beyond motherhood. And yes, I like making my own money too. So, on top of major sleep deprivation, this has been the hardest thing to cope with for me so far. But, once Zoe gets more comfortable at school and we can get Zach sleeping a little better (and able to take a bottle...which he still can't seem to figure out), we'll get back on the nanny search. I'm guessing it'll be by the beginning of the new year.

And finally, one very exciting change has been that Jody got a new job! While Chase had been good to him for about 5 years, he was itching for a new challenge. He's now at the Acquity Group and really enjoying it. He still has a sweet 10-15 minute commute, so I am once again thankful that we decided to wait a little longer before moving out to the burbs.

So yes, life's been challenging lately. But it's also been wonderful. Every day, I am so thankful for this awesome family and for good friends and family who have really helped us out. We're planning to do some sleep training with Zach the minute he turns 5 months, so I am hopeful that some reasonable amount of sleep and structure are right around the corner. Oh lord, I hope they are anyway!

I'll try to get more posts up here. Although it sounds like we've been couped up inside as sleep-deprived zombies, we've actually managed to have plenty of fun this fall...and I've got dozens of photos to prove it! So stay tuned...

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2011-08-07T17:30:00.003-05:00

Although Zach was born with a relatively full head of dark hair, he's lost most of it quite quickly. Check it out: the top photo was taken at about 2 weeks, and the bottom pic was taken at 5 weeks. That's a whole lot of hair loss in just a few weeks! The strangest thing is that he lost most of the hair in front first, leaving just some peach fuzz up top. But he still has a little patch in back. It's like a very extreme mullet, I suppose. Regardless, I think our little bald peanut is cute as can be with or without hair. And, hey, this may just be a sneak peek at Zach's middle-aged 'do since my dad has most likely passed on the baldness gene!

Monkey Business

2011-08-02T15:46:00.003-05:00

Although having a newborn around has changed the pace of our household, Zoe hasn't slowed down a bit. She continues to wow us every day with some newfound talent, skill, sentences, etc. She is becoming such a big girl...and such a daredevil! Her favorite thing to do at the park these days is to hang on the bars and the rings. Whether she's hanging one- or two-handed or hanging upside down, she is so thrilled to be mastering more and more monkey moves. Her fearlessness may scare the crap out of me every time we go to the park, but it is pretty cool seeing how naturally all of the climbing, hanging, jumping, running, etc. come to her.

One Month...Already?!

2011-07-29T14:51:00.006-05:00

Time really does fly when you're running on fumes, sleep deprived and falling in love with a new baby, doesn't it? Yup, Zach is already a month old! In some ways it feels like I was just pregnant yesterday, but in other ways it's hard to remember our (very predictable) family routine before Zach arrived.

We are all totally amazed and in love with Zach. I know many second-time parents wonder before #2 is born if they really will be able to love their second child as much as the first. It just doesn't seem possible. But then, boom, it totally is. Amazing.

Getting used to being a family of four has been an adventure. I'm not gonna lie, it's been hard. The lack of sleep, combined with dealing with a willful 2.5 yr old combined with a somewhat fussy newborn definitely takes its toll. But, we were kind of expecting that and it's exciting in its own way. I love that we are an expanding family and it's hard to explain but it just feels right. I know things will settle down in time. And I know how quickly these kiddos grow up, so I'm trying to enjoy all those awesome little things about having a newborn, like the endless cuddles, the middle of the night bonding time when nursing and the feeling of amazement at every new move and noise Zach makes.

I keep trying to remember things about Zoe's first month to compare, but I cannot for the life of me remember. So I am going to give some details here that I'm sure will be more than anyone else needs/wants to know, but I'd like to have a record of it. So here's the latest on our favorite little man:

-Weight: 11 lbs, 4 oz (75th percentile)

-Height: 20.5 inches

-Eating: He's been an awesome eater since he was born and caught on to breastfeeding right away. He has about 8 feedings a day with his last at around 10 p.m. During the day he goes about 2-3 hrs between feedings and lately he's been going 4-6 hrs between feedings at night. He's a totally noisy nurser and is sometimes a bit fussy after eating, but the boy does like his milk. We haven't given him a bottle yet, but we're going to try to introduce that in the next week or so.

-Sleeping: He's been a decent sleeper so far. The biggest issue we're having is after his last feeding of the night he is often fussy and we have to swaddle him and then walk around/bounce him for almost an hour before putting him into his bassinet. It definitely wears on us because we are so ready to just go to sleep by the end of the day. But, once he gets down, he's out for a while. He is also a noisy sleeper--lots of snoring and grunting.

-Wearing: As he continues packing on the pounds, Zach's outgrown most of his newborn stuff and is fitting nicely into 3 month gear.

-Likes: Being held, eating, bouncing up and down, tummy time, waving his arms around, kicking his legs, the Baby Bjorn, looking at his sister, looking at the wall next to his changing table (there's nothing really to look at but he sits there staring at that wall in particular for longer than most places), sleeping on his tummy (supervised, of course), sleeping over our shoulders, the double stroller

-Dislikes: The car and the car seat (just like his sister he is a total car screamer--no fun), sleeping on his back unswaddled, baths, getting his diaper changed (he's getting calmer on this, but still plenty of crying involved)

-So-So on: He will sit in his swing and his bouncy chair for a little while, but neither one has been a total favorite yet. Nope, Mommy and Daddy's arms are still the top place for him to chill.

-Looking forward: He hasn't started any real smiling yet but he has just recently started locking eyes with us and noticing a bit more around him. As our pediatrician said the first month is all about the baby being grumpy and gassy...and Zach fits that description. He's still pretty fussy during his waking time, but he is getting a little better and it should begin to subside in the next couple weeks.

Welcome to the World Zach!

2011-07-07T17:28:00.004-05:00

It's a boy! Welcome to the newest Schirel: Zachary Samuel! Born on June 29, 2011 at 2.25 p.m., and weighing in at 8lbs, 4oz. and 20.5 inches. He's pretty awesome already!

I ended up getting induced at 39 weeks and 5 days. My doctor was worried about him shifting positions again and about him getting too big, so I was okay with being induced. It was a little surreal going to bed the night before, knowing that I was going to have a baby the next day. Needless to say, Jody and I hardly got any sleep that night...or since for that matter!

All went smoothly with the labor. It was a 9 hour labor, with about 25 minutes of pushing. Really, the first four hours were basically just sitting around waiting for things to progress, so we were playing on Facebook, watching TV and just hanging out for a while. Once my contractions really started coming, things moved really quickly. I was worried that being induced would be a much longer and worse labor, but it was pretty much the same intensity as my labor and delivery with Zoe.

We've been home almost 10 days now and things are going pretty well. We're all trying to adjust to being a family of four. It's hectic and I'm pretty sure our house will never be clean again. Zoe has been having an okay time. She's been sweet as can be to Zach, but she has had her fair share of tantrums and breakdowns. Although we were expecting it, it is still hard to see her struggling, especially with these raging post-partum hormones. Honestly, just trying to make sure Zoe is okay and giving her enough attention and time has been the hardest thing for me. Every day is getting a little easier and once we get into more of a routine, I'm sure things will work themselves out.

Zach has been a really good boy for us. He's way bigger than Zoe was, and he caught on to breastfeeding right away. So that has been a huge relief. He's a good eater and as good a sleeper as any newborn. At first he was going just about 2 hours between feedings at night, which was rough. But in the past few days he's been going 3-4 hours between feedings at night, which has given Jody and I more sleep than we imagined. Of course, we're still totally sleep deprived and will be for a while, but, hey, a 3-hour stretch is better than nothing. The best part about being a secondtime parent is knowing how quickly babies change and knowing that we will get into a routine and we will eventually sleep again. It just may not be for another six months!!

Other things we've learned about Zach so far: he hates getting his diaper changed, like really really hates it; he loves being held at all times; he sleeps best when swaddled; and he totally konks out when being carried in the Baby Bjorn.

Even though it has been challenging, I love having a newborn in the house again. You forget how little they are and how totally new the world is to them. It's awesome seeing Zoe interact with her little brother, and knowing how special it will be for them to have each other to grow up with. Stay tuned for more adventures from our She-Z and He-Z.

Future Gymnast

2011-06-26T07:51:00.003-05:00

Zoe spent much of the winter and spring in a toddler gymnastics class and loved it. She "graduated" a few weeks ago, and I was able to snap some pics of her action. She was a total daredevil on all of the equipment and, of course, wanted to everything all by herself. Her favorite things were the rings and the uneven bars. She started out just hanging and swinging and then worked her way up to lifting her feet all the way up and flipping over (with help, which she actually accepted for the move). Her being so fearless totally freaked me out plenty of times, since this gym used real-sized equipment. Sure, there were mats everywhere but I was still constantly on alert to make sure she didn't land on her head. Although Zoe figured out all the physical skills pretty quickly, she definitely had some room for improvement in the listening to instruction department. She never listened to the teacher, Mr. Matthew. Any time he would have the class do a group exercise, she would go off and do her own thing. Whenever the teacher said hi to her or would ask her for a high-five she turned the other way and ran away from him. Then, when we'd get into the car she'd talk all about Mr. Matthew. Although it was frustrating during class, it was kind of hilarious how much she talked about Mr. Matthew outside of class. But, I'm thinking this is yet another reason I'd like to get Zoe into a pre-school sooner rather than later. It's all good for her to be independent, but at some point she's going to have to learn how to take direction from adults other than me and Jody. For now, though, she's just happy swinging on the bars like the little monkey she is.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T14:37:00.006-05:00

Happy belated Father's Day to all the great dads out there! I'm biased, but I happen to think I am surrounded by the best dads around. My dad has been a constant source of support, love and friendship to me. And Jody is everything a dad should be to a little girl; he is totally and completely in love with Zoe and makes her feel like the most special person in the world every single day.

We had a great Father's Day celebration yesterday. First, we headed up to the Highland Park pool, which is a pretty great place for kids. And Zoe loves swimming! She is so happy and cute in the water--kicking her legs like crazy and just floating around. Anytime we take her swimming, though, she constantly says "No help Zoe!" So, Jody got her a cute little Dora intertube that finally allowed her to feel like she was swimming all on her own. Miss Independent, I tell ya. Jody's dad met up with us at the pool and she loved showing off her swimming skills Grandpa J.

After the pool, we had a nice brunch with Jody's dad, and dessert at an adorable cupcake bakery in downtown Highland Park. Since I'm still on the gestational diabetes diet, I just admired the selection and planned for what I will eat next time we're there post-baby! Like her daddy, Zoe has a major sweet tooth, so she and Jody thoroughly enjoyed their mid-day treat.

Back at home, we had some low-key family time. We grilled out and hung out with our new neighbors who were all out enjoying the beautiful weather. Our new neighbors have been really nice so far, and there are a lot of kids in our complex. Zoe has taken a particular liking to the 8-year-old boy upstairs. She is totally his shadow and he's been so nice to her as she runs after him shouting his name. All and all, it was a lovely way to celebrate my and Zoe's favorite guy--Jody!!

Baby Flip Update

2011-06-20T11:54:00.004-05:00

Hooray! Maybe it was the Chinese medicine and Jody's mad stinky stick holding skills or maybe the baby just decided to give me a break, but he/she has moved in the right position. We went into the hospital on Friday and waited an hour before being told that the unit was "at capacity" and they had to bump the ECV to Monday. Rather than stress out the whole weekend and take another day off on Monday, Jody and I headed over to my doctor's office to see if they could just do a quick check on the baby's position.

Luckily, they squeezed me in and the doctor said the baby was all good. No need for the ECV! Although it was a long day spent in too many waiting rooms, it ended up being a really good day, hearing exactly the news we wanted to hear. Hopefully Baby Schirel Part 2 will stay put now. We are still doing the moxibustion sticks for a couple more days, on the orders of acupuncturist Kim. It seems to have worked, so I'm just going to go with it.

Flip to It

2011-06-14T16:50:00.009-05:00

37-1/2 week bump

When I hit 37 weeks last Friday, I was relieved because it meant the baby is now full term. Hooray, one less thing to worry about! But, just as one stress disappeared, another arose. I just found out the baby is in the oblique position, meaning its head is down-ish, but it is laying diagonally. Since you can't really deliver a sideways baby, my doctor wants to try ECV (Version) to manually flip the baby into the right position. The procedure sounds painful--the doctor basically pushes around on your belly to move the baby. And there are risks that it could distress the baby and/or send me into labor. Also, if it works, there's no guarantee our little one will stay put. As you can tell, I'm not loving the ECV option. But, at the same time, I'd like to avoid having a C-section, if possible. So I'm going to give it a shot.

First, though, I wanted to try out a few other options. I went to see my fabulous acupuncturist, Kim. She did some needlework and a Chinese medicine thing called moxibustion. Basically, she lit a stinky herb stick and held it by my pinky toes for about 20 minutes. Sounds pretty crazy, right. But, supposedly people have some success with it. And, hey, I'm up for anything to turn this kiddo the right way. Kim sent me home with a goody-bag of stinky sticks to do at home for four or five days. I've recruited Jody as my medicine man (a.k.a. stinky stick holder) and once again we're happy to have a balcony so our place doesn't reek of Chinese herbs.

Medicine Man Jody working some moxibustion magic

I go in for the ECV on Friday. I'm hoping the baby has righted itself by the time they do the ultrasound before the procedure. If not, fingers crossed for the Version to work and for the baby to love sitting on its head so much that he/she stays that way until delivery day.

Yet again, I've realized how right people are when they say every pregnancy is different. I didn't have any complications with Zoe, and yet I've hit plenty this time around. My mom said that #2 is just reminding me that I need to pay as much attention to him/her as I do to Zoe. Sounds like a good theory to me. I'm just hoping this baby is a little easier out of the belly. We'll find out soon enough...

Is it Pool Time Yet?

2011-06-14T15:53:00.004-05:00

As the temps slowly start creeping up, I know one little chica who is rearing to rock summer in style.

Hot Mama

2011-06-11T16:42:00.007-05:00

Even though we've only had about five days of true summer temps, I am still not a huge fan of being pregnant in the warmer weather. With Zoe, I spent my biggest-bump days bundled up in the midst of Chicago winter. This time around, not so much. While I don't think there's an actual good time of year to lug around a baby in your belly, here are some of my thoughts on spending the ninth month in the heat...

* Sundresses rock. Total comfort for the pregnant mama. The downsides: it's getting harder and harder to comfortably cross my legs; there's really no way to avoid the whole muumuu effect; and moving into a place with only stall showers makes the whole leg shaving thing a bit tricky, to say the least.

* Although people keep telling me I have a "pregnant glow," I'm pretty sure I'm just really shiny and sweaty.

* Flip-flops are way easier to put on than boots. No bending, no pulling, no zipping. Perfect. Of course, painting your toes so they look decent in said flip-flops is a whole other issue.

* Our A/C bill is going to be ridiculous. It is always hot in the house...well, at least to me. Jody may disagree on that though.

Grill Baby Grill!

2011-06-08T16:04:00.010-05:00

I haven't gotten around to posting a moving post onto the blog yet, mostly because I would prefer to forget the crazy-stressful weekend all together. Long story short, our move sucked. Our movers were awful. They were 8+ hours late and we were physically and emotionally spent by the end of it all. All I know is that I will never, ever move again when I'm 8 months pregnant. But we're all moved into our new place now and things are going really well here.

We moved to a 3-bedroom duplex down that is pretty much double the size of our old place. It's pretty awesome having so much more space since we had been so squeezed out of our old place. We have a huge playroom for Zoe's stuff and "adult space" to watch TV and hang out without being completely cluttered with toys. But, by far, our favorite feature of the new place is having some outdoor space. We have a nice little balcony and some green space out front for Zoe and Charlie to play.

One of the best parts of having a balcony is that we finally get to use our grill. We got the grill almost 8 years ago as a wedding present and it has been sitting in our storage unit--with the tags still on--since. When we moved in we busted it out right away and we've been using it constantly. Jody is such a happy and good grillmaster, too! We had a barbecue this weekend when Courtney was in town and Jody got to grill up a pretty good feast of brats, burgers and corn (see his proud photo above). Even though it's a small space, we've also been sitting out there to eat a lot of meals. Zoe loves it and actually doesn't put up a fuss to eat (kind of a rarity these days!). So, we even ate dinner out there yesterday despite the 95-degree temperature reading.

I'm surprised to say it, but our new place does feel like home to me. Being in the same neighborhood and staying in the city is a huge part of that. And that is really what we needed as we await Baby #2. So far, we are really happy with our decision to stay in the city a bit longer.

The End of an Era

2011-06-02T20:36:00.003-05:00

36 week bump

Less than one month to go before Baby 2's big arrival! Even though this has felt like a crazy-long pregnancy, I am still feeling totally overwhelmed realizing that he/she will be here so soon. I cannot wait to meet our newest family member and have a little baby back in the mix. But, at the same time, I am feeling so emotional thinking about the end of our family-of-three era. We have had the best time over the past two+ years with Zoe. Seriously, I feel so lucky to have such an awesome family and nothing makes me happier than the time we spend together. It's hard to imagine what life will be like with one more. I'm also feeling sad/guilty that I will not be able to give all of my time and energy just to Zoe anymore. I know it'll be great for her to have a litte brother or sister and I cannot wait to be a mom to two, but change is always a little scary.

Adding to all of this is that I cannot get over how quickly Zoe seems to be growing up. I actually read an article recently that said that part of parenting is being able to deal with a sense of constant mourning over the past with your child...yet embracing and looking forward to what's to come. It sounds so depressing, but I suppose no one ever said being a parent was easy! Besides, it does kind of make sense to me. The age and stage that Zoe is at right now has definitely been my favorite so far. She is just so smart, verbal, loving and funny. All in all, a totally fun little buddy! I'm sure it will only get better. But, these darn pregnancy hormones are mostly just making me emotional about it all.

So for the next four weeks or so, I'm hoping to get in as much quality family time as possible and as much Mommy-Zoe time as we can. And before we know it we'll begin the family-of-four era.

Water Table Action

2011-06-01T10:30:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago, my mom got Zoe a pretty cool water table. Now that the weather is finally warming up, we were able to bring it out . Zoe loves water--swimming, puddles, washing her hands, you name it. So, naturally, the water table was an immediate hit. She spent just a little time splashing the water around in the actual water basin before figuring out that the real fun was throwing water all over the place--on herself, on me, on the sidewalk, on the grass, everywhere. We were both totally soaked, but she loved every minute of water table fun! Thanks, Mom!

New 'Do

2011-05-20T17:45:00.005-05:00

Lunch at Qdoba after the cut...still kind of serious

The next day her hair had a stylin' side swipe...too cute!

Well, we finally made the move to get Zoe her first haircut. I have been so reluctant because it has taken so long for her hair to grow. But, after suffering through way too many rainy, cold days inside, it was time to get out for a new adventure. Sure, heading to Snippets may not be the most exciting outing, but it was something.

Zoe handled her haircut in typical Zoe-style: super serious the whole time. She basically vegged out to the Dora video and let the stylist do her thing. Not a single tear shed. Not a single smile cracked. Of course, when we left, Zoe went into full-on chatty mode talking all about her hair cut. We Skyped with my parents later in the day and she couldn't wait to show them her new 'do.

I kind of love her with this new hairstyle. She looks a little older and her hair is not quite as crazy...well, except after naptime when it is all kinds of wild. It also brings out more of her curls, which is pretty much the only thing that she gets from me.

Mother's Day

2011-05-20T17:08:00.003-05:00

We had a great Mother's Day celebration a couple weeks ago. We all woke up bright and early to head to the Y-Me Race at Your Pace down in Grant Park. We've done this race/walk a couple of times, but this year we had our biggest group. Lisa, Mike, Bonnie and Roger all came down donning plenty of pink. Jody and Bonnie did the 5K run--and they both kicked butt. Bonnie got first place in her age group and Jody was #172 out of the entire crowd. Totally impressive! I was not running this year since I have not been running throughout the pregnancy. So I waddled along in the 3-mile walk with Zoe, Lisa, Mike and Roger. It was a gorgeous morning and a lovely way to kick off Mother's Day.

After the race/walk, we all headed back to our new place and had a fun breakfast. By noon, we were all pretty pooped. After the family left, Jody, Zoe and I had a fun, relaxing day at the park and a long nap. Totally fun way to spend Mother's Day!

No Cake for Me

2011-04-26T16:19:00.002-05:00

As I have been saying from the get-go, this pregnancy has been a lot different--and more difficult--than my first. And the difficulties continue...After scoring a few points too high on my regular 28-week glucose screening test, I had to take the 3-hour test. And last week, on my birthday no less, I found out I have gestational diabetes this time around. Of course, this news totally freaked me out. Diabetes has never been something I've worried about--I am a pretty healthy eater, I workout regularly and I don't have it in my family. The doctors say that it's a result of hormones being out of whack and that it's nothing that I did. But, I still can't help but feel like I've screwed up somehow.

I met with a specialist and a dietician yesterday and both of them made me feel a little better. While it is a serious condition and now puts me into that "high-risk" pregnancy group, the specialist said that my case is mild and that he was pretty confident we could get it under control by putting me on a special diet for the remainder of the pregnancy. Luckily, the doctors have all told me that in the majority of cases it goes away after I deliver the baby. So that's good news. The bad news: there are more risks to the baby--namely, having low blood sugar when he/she is born and being larger than a baby whose mom doesn't have gestational diabetes. Neither of these are certainties, but the risks are greater. I am trying to stay positive, but the hypochandriac in me is freaked. Having anxiety about how the baby is doing is a standard part of pregnancy for me, and this now adds another layer to it.

But, I am following this diet to the tee and hoping that it helps regulate things. That means no more chocolate and ice cream for me (so cruel to do to a pregnant lady!). That also meant no birthday cake on my birthday last week. I told Jody we could celebrate my birthday in October on my half birthday because too much of my actual birthday was spent being bummed out about the news.

Bump It

2011-04-18T22:07:00.002-05:00

29 weeks!

Achoo...and Then Some

2011-04-04T16:32:00.004-05:00

Sick Z getting some much-needed couch cuddle time with Daddy

So-long March 2011, we certainly won't miss you around the Schirel house! March was a rocky one for us thanks to an awful cold that none of us could shake. Zoe was sick for almost three weeks with a stuffy head, a nasty cough and more snot than you can imagine. Sorry for the visual! I quickly caught the cold from her, since I am a germ magnet in my pregnant state. I swear, if someone even glances at me as they sniffle, I catch whatever they've got going on. I think I have been cold-free for maybe 3 weeks of this entire pregnancy. Zoe and I were both pretty miserable girls for a couple weeks since neither of us could take any of the good heavy-duty cold meds. And, although Jody managed to avoid the bug for a while, he unfortunately caught it in the last week. He was pretty congested and miserable too, but by taking some meds he was able to function a little better than us. The only nice thing about being sick was that when Zoe gets sick, she's extra cuddly, which is always a plus. Since our little monkey girl is always on move, she's not much of a snuggler these days. So at least we got our cuddle fix during these long days/nights.

Oh yeah, and amid all this sickness, we were apartment hunting. We decided to rent for a year in large part because we wanted minimal stress. But, rental searching was way more stressful than we imagined...and going to check out places all over the city after work and on weekends with a sick, cranky kid in tow was not ideal. But, alas, we found a place and we've all finally managed to knock out this cold. So bring on April, bring on spring and maybe, just maybe, we can remain sniffle-free for a little while.

And We Have a Home

2011-03-31T15:56:00.004-05:00

After way too much stress, we've decided to stay in the city for another year. We had been looking in the suburbs for a new home and really could not decide upon a town, a house or anything really. It was just too big of a decision that we did not want to make so quickly. Of course, the realization that Baby #2 is on his/her way in the next few months was enough to make Jody and I lose way too much sleep thinking about our future.

So, we've rented out our condo to a really nice couple, and we found a new place to rent in our same neighborhood that will give us more space. We're hoping that this will give us plenty of time to get used to our family of four and make a well-planned decision about a more permanent move. Personally, I am hoping that spending one more year in Chicago will be enough to make me a little more ready to move on. One of the biggest problems I had with our plan to move to the suburbs is that I didn't want to leave the city. Maybe it is the whole nesting thing, but I am just not ready. I love our life in the city. I love our friends here. I love our neighborhood and our neighbors. I love Jody's 10-minute commute to work. And I love the city itself. Yes, I know there are plenty of good things in the suburbs too--good schools, more space to live, a yard, neighborhood pools, new people (who must be nice, right?!). All of that sounds lovely, so we have that to look forward to. Just not quite yet.

We'll be moving out of here and into our new place May 1st, giving us about two months to get settled before Baby. Now it's time for to start sorting through and packing up 7 years of stuff that we've accumulated in this place and let the packing begin...

Two-rific!

2011-03-16T16:50:00.004-05:00

Sharing frosting with preggo mama
Chocolate birthday monster

So happy to have a crowd singing "Happy Birthday to Zoe"

Mmm Elmo cake (from Alliance Bakery on Division)

Well, I'm one month late on this one...but happy birthday to our sweet 2-year-old! Zoe pretty much celebrated her birthday for the two weeks surrounding her birthday in February. And just when I thought she had birthday out of her system, a couple days ago she made me put a candle in her blueberry muffin, turn off the lights and sing to her. What can I say? Our girl loves her some birthday.

The three of us celebrated her actual birthday with dinner out at Stanley's down the street. For some reason, she loves it there and is always on awesome restaurant behavior. We had cupcakes back at home and Z thoroughly enjoyed both the chocolate and vanilla. We had to sing to her and let her blow out the candles three times (the Happy Birthday song has long been a favorite for her). We had a little birthday party (decorated with a whole lot of Elmo) the following weekend and enjoyed some quality time with good friends and family. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate and made the day extra special.

I know everyone says it, but I can't believe how fast time goes. So far, I love Zoe at 2. Yes, she has her tantrums and no is definitely one of the most-used words these days. But, it is also so awesome to see her personality shining through and watching her learn so much every day. She is talking up a storm and has even started to tell us about her day, which is just the cutest thing. She's making little buddies at the park, in classes and even at the gym kid's club. She's actually pretty great with other kids--a little shy at first, but really sweet and is pretty good with the whole sharing thing and waiting her turn. It sounds kind of weird to say, but I can't think of another way to put it...she's just a real kid these days. And we just love every moment of it.

At her 2 year doctor's appointment all looked good. She's 24 lbs, 5 oz and 33.5 inches--25% percentile all around. Next on the horizon, potty training and transitioning to a big-girl bed. Who knows when we'll tackle either of these things. But, it's coming up soon. Any insight/advice from you experienced parents on how to handle a ton of change--potty, bed, big-sister, moving--is more than welcome!

Snow Days

2011-02-24T20:52:00.006-06:00

I've always been okay with Chicago winters. I definitely don't love them, but I also know it's just part of the package of living in Chicago. The spring and summer in this awesome city make braving the winters worth it. I mean, that's what we all tell ourselves, right? Well, this year is a different story. I am so over winter. And yet again this change of heart comes courtesy of motherhood.

Oh my goodness, how much does it suck not to be able to just go to the park every day? Luckily, I've found quite a few decent indoor activities to keep us busy, but it still isn't the same as spending the day outside. Lately, however, with all the snow and crazy cold weather, I've had to get creative inside the house too. Zoe got a great activity table for Chanukah, so we've done plenty of painting, coloring and Play Doh-ing. But, that can only last so long--and art projects simply don't wear out our little energy ball quite enough. So, we've now moved on to forts and tunnels and quite a lot of jumping on the bed/couch. Good times, for sure!

Bubble Trouble

2011-02-24T20:42:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago, Jody was in New York all week for work, so Zoe and I had plenty of quality girls time. She was really missing her dadd, so I tried making everything a little more fun for her. At bathtime, I decided to give Z her very first bubble bath. I mean, what girl doesn't like a good bubble bath, right? Well, the first night she totally loved it. Playing with the bubbles, squealing and trying to pop them all. Night two, the bubbles were not quite as exciting, but she still liked blowing on them. By night three, she was over it. She kept saying, "No more bubbles," and she even tried jumping out the bath a couple times. So that was that. No more bubbles for Z. Maybe we'll try again in a couple months. At least I was able to snap a few shots of she of her initial reactions to the bubbles on the first night.

More Than Halfway There

2011-02-22T16:40:00.004-06:00

Okay, time needs to slow down just a little bit. We had the 20-week ultrasound/appointment a couple weeks ago, and it really hit me that we're having another. I mean, I was so sick with this pregnancy until about 17-18 weeks, so it's not like I haven't noticed having a baby in the belly. But the reality of adding another little girl or guy to our family just hit me. I'm so eager to meet the newest Schirel and so happy to be having another, but I am also freaking out a little just thinking about all the change coming our way.

Anyway, all looked good on the ultrasound. We stuck with our original plan not to find out the gender. I had been thinking boy, but in the past week or two I started getting a girl feeling. We'll find out soon enough! I am finally feeling better, which has been a huge relief. It's so tough to be down for the count when you're trying to be a good mom, work and somehow manage to rest enough to function.

I will post the 20-week ultrasound pic when I get a chance to scan it in. And maybe I'll get a belly picture up here before I get even bigger.

New Year, Big News

2011-01-02T17:23:00.005-06:00

Our soon-to-be-expanding family of 4

Happy New Year friends and family! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Here's to a happy, healthy 2011.

2011 is going to be a wild year for us, that's for sure. The big news is that Baby Schirel #2 is due July 1st! We're thrilled to be adding another little one to our family, and we know Zoe is going to be a great big sister. This pregnancy has already been completely different than it was with Zoe. With her, I was just totally tired during the 1st trimester. But this time around, I have been so sick, with morning sickness lasting all day long. Add to that, chasing around a fully charged toddler, and it's been a rough few months. Needless to say, we've been doing a lot more kiddie TV shows and videos than we've ever done before. I wish I could say that I'm feeling better now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, but, honestly, I'm still feeling pretty crappy. Hopefully, things will start to turn around in the next couple weeks. I'm guessing that this one is a boy, only because it's so different. We shall see.

On that note, I'm pretty sure we aren't going to find out the sex of the baby again. We really liked the whole surprise factor with Zoe.

Next big thing is that we're starting to shop around for a suburb to call home. We have run out of space in our condo and we actually need to start thinking about schools and all that good stuff. We're sad to be leaving the city and it's a pretty daunting task trying to figure out a good fit for us. At the same time, we're looking forward to the next chapter. We had an extremely depressing meeting with our realtor, who told us that home prices were down to 2001 prices. So now we're thinking about renting out our condo for several years. We knew the market was in bad shape, but we had no idea how big of a hit we would take. Like I said, totally depressing.

If anyone has any tips or advice on suburbs and home searching, please let us know. The goal is to make a move by spring, so there is a little time to adjust before #2 turns our lives upside down yet again!

Better Late Than Never

2010-12-01T14:57:00.007-06:00

So tonight is the first night of Hanukah, and I still haven't even posted Halloween pictures. Yes, I have totally been neglecting this blog. Here's my attempt to catch up...

Zoe was a little ladybug for Halloween. Cute as can be. She had plenty of opportunities to rock the costume with a neighborhood pumpkin patch and petting zoo, a party hosted by a playgroup pal and trick-or-treating on Alta Vista. Zoe got pretty into trick-or-treating this year. She caught on to the concept of going up to people's doors and holding out her little bucket. But, she still has some things to learn. She tried going into a few people's homes and took handfuls of candy instead of just one piece per house. Oh, and those pesky wrappers got her every time. She definitely attempted to eat several pieces of candy wrappers and all. Regardless, she had a blast and Jody and I enjoyed raiding her candy bucket. Kit Kats, Smarties and Snickers, oh my!

Love Bug

2010-11-09T08:43:00.002-06:00

Last week Zoe started saying "I love you" and it is truly the sweetest thing ever. At first she was just repeating us when we said it, but now she's started saying it on her own. Every night when we're finished with story time Zoe turns around in my lap, gives me a big hug and says I love you. When Jody leaves for work every morning, he gets a sweet little I love you from Z. It is so freakin' adorable and it just totally melts your heart. The best part of her I love yous is the happy little grin she has when she says it, like she actually knows what it means.

I Heart Fall

2010-10-29T16:55:00.005-05:00

October is definitely one of my favorite months, and this year October rocked. The weather has been amazing and we've taken full advantage of these crisp fall days. A few weekends back, we headed to Caldwell Woods, a forest preserve on the Northside in Edgebrook. I can't believe we've never been to this park. It's amazing that there is this huge, gorgeous forest preserve in the city. I just figured we'd have to go to the 'burbs for this kind of thing. But Jody remembered playing a volleyball tournament at Caldwell Woods a few years back, so we decided to check it out.

We only made it through a fraction of the park because it is super big. (Apparently, it stretches way far up north, beyond the city.) With all the leaves changing colors it was so pretty and the temperature was just right. There was plenty of activity, but it wasn't super crowded, so it really was the perfect day to chill and enjoy the great outdoors as a family. Although Zoe enjoyed herself and had a blast feeding the ducks in the river, it was really Charlie's day. He loved walking through the woods, charging after plenty of forest critters and sniffing up a storm. I swear he was panting so hard with excitement. Too cute. Unfortunately, with the weather turning a little more winter-like, I don't think we'll be hitting up Caldwell Woods again any time soon, but we will be back.

Carnies and Carousels

2010-10-20T16:46:00.009-05:00

She may look all serious here, but she was loving the carousel horsies.

A couple weekends ago, we decided to check out the carnival that the neighborhood high school was hosting in our park. Now, I grew up in towns that had some pretty cool carnivals. When I was really little, I was all about Corn Fest in DeKalb. When we moved to Naperville, the Last Fling was always a great way to end the summer. So, I kind of had high hopes for this Fall Carnival. Sadly, this was no Corn Fest...and certainly no Last Fling. It was actually a pretty sketchy carnival with the most rinky dink rides ever. There is no way I would have stepped foot on any of those rusty, creaky twirly whirly rides. Despite the seriously shady vibe and the, um, eccentric carnies, Zoe had fun at her first carnival. She loved the carousel, won 2 excellent bouncy balls at the duck pond and got a taste of her very first elephant ear. Good stuff.

Mmmm, elephant ears!

Sweet Rides

2010-10-20T16:37:00.003-05:00

After one too many stroller meltdowns, it was time to make some adjustments. First came the wagon. Zoes loves her some Radio Flyer. At first she sat in her wagon seat like a total angel, but that didn't last long (of course). Now anytime she's in the wagon she's flopping all around in it--switching sides, buckling and unbuckling her stuffed animals and even putting the seats down so she can lay down. Next up: the pushy car. Another hit for Miss Zoe. Not as much flopping freedom in the car, but still a pretty sweet ride.

Poker Face

2010-09-27T15:28:00.002-05:00

Lady Gaga has been one of Zoe's favorites since she was a newborn. Nothing could calm her down quite like a little "Poker Face" during those first few sleepless months. Well, it's been a year and a half and Zoe still goes gaga for Gaga. We had a little dance party the other day when "Poker Face" came on the radio and Zoe just kept on busting a move long after Gaga was done. I posted the Poker Face dance on Facebook, but here's another video of her dancing to what I wrongfully thought was Eminem. (It was, in fact, B.O.B. in case you care.)

19 Months

2010-09-17T15:21:00.009-05:00

I can't believe our little girl is already a year and a half. Every day Zoe is becoming less and less of a baby and more and more of a toddler.

At her 18 month appointment, she was 23 lbs and 31 inches. So she's still in the 25th percentile for weight and 25-50% for height. Basically, pretty much how she's been for a while now.

Zoe is still a total joy. These days she's also become quite the drama queen, as well. She may be little, but this chica has one big personality. A lot of people have told me that girls start getting into their terrible 2s a little earlier than 2, and I can see that already starting with our sweet little Z. She is just so willful sometimes. There is so much she wants to do--and so much that she can do physically--but then we're always stopping her. I mean, what mean parents we are to not let her ride in her wagon standing up, right?

Aside from the drama, Zoe continues to fill us with so much love. She is so much fun to be around. She is super sweet and totally gleeful. There really isn't anyone else in the world I would rather be with. Our favorite game to play with her is Huggy Ball before her nightly bath. As we fill her bath, Jody and I sit on opposite ends of the room or hallway and she runs back and forth between us and diving into us to give us huge hugs. Honestly, it is the best thing in the world.

Huggy ball in action

As I mentioned in the last post, she's a total chatterbox these days and registering everything we say. It's pretty awesome to talk to her and know that she's understanding a lot of what we're saying. She's still a little shy in new settings, but she loves going new places and meeting new people, especially other kids. Once she's comfortable and gets a feel for her surroundings she's good to go.

I could go on and on about every little thing that amazes us every day, but this post is already long enough. I just really can't get over how much Zoe changes and grows every day. And I can't wait to see what's next.

Chatter

2010-09-16T14:15:00.008-05:00

Oh my goodness, we have a little chatterbox on our hands. In the past month or so, Zoe has been talking up a storm. It's crazy...and awesome. Every day is something new. She's repeating everything and actually remembering it. So much fun. The other day, however, I was changing her sheets and I told her she had clean sheets. Now anytime she sees her crib she points at it and says "sheet"...except it doesn't quite sound like "sheet," if you know what I mean.

It's pretty cool how quickly her language skills are advancing. She's talking in 2-3 word sentences and can finally communicate with us better than ever before. Of course, she still grunts, cries and whines when she's really frustrated and agitated, but at least some of the time she can actually use a few words. I know everyone says this all the time, but these kiddos sure do grow up quickly.

Sadly, she hasn't quite mastered saying Charlie yet. When we say Charlie she knows who we're talking about, but I think the "Ch" sound is tough for her. She does, however, constantly talk about Olive (Charlie's doggy BFF across the hall). Zoe adores Olive and loves watching Charlie and Olive play. Now, whenever Zoe wants to see Olive, she starts banging on our door saying "See Olive! See Olive!" I've said it before and I'll say it again, Zoe thinks she is part puppy. I'm just relieved she's talking instead of barking.

Wedding Season: The Hires

2010-08-25T17:48:00.011-05:00

A few weeks ago, we headed to the Maryland coast to celebrate Andrew and Melissa's wedding, bay-side. This marked mine and Jody's first getaway together without Zoe. Needless to say, we were pretty excited...and a little nervous to leave our girl. It helped that we knew she'd be in great hands with Jody's mom staying with her for one day/night and then my parents coming in from Michigan for the rest of the weekend. She had a blast with her grandparents and she was a great girl for them all.

Now, onto the weekend. We flew into Baltimore on Thursday morning and stayed at Lisa and Avi's place on Thursday night. It was so awesome seeing them all. Jody and I got there before Lis and Avi were home from work, so we got a chance to babysit and play with Edin and Adam. So. Much. Fun. The kids adored Jody. He was the ultimate play pal. He taught them all about underdogs on the swings, gave them Gatorade and did plenty of chasing, jumping and upside jiggling. Edin even asked me, "Can we keep him?" So sweet.

On Friday, we headed to St. Matthews, a cute waterfront town along the Chesapeake Bay. Friday night was the rehersal dinner at the Crab Shack. That night there was a high tide in the bay, which meant the rehersal dinner was a bit, well...wet. The water came up above our ankles. So we ditched our shoes, the guys wore shorts and we all enjoyed splashing around as we enjoyed fresh crab and fried chicken. On Saturday, Jody played golf with a bunch of the guys, while I tooled around town with Steve, Jeremy and Karen before the wedding Saturday night. The ceremony was right on the water and so beautiful. Melissa was a gorgeous bride and they were both so happy. The reception after the service was a blast. The dancefloor was insane and Jody got to learn some sweet new bouncing dance moves with The Europeans. The alligator/"Taking Care of Business" dance that some of you may remember from our wedding actually originated in Hire's family. So, of course, that was a real crowd pleaser. We had so much fun all weekend celebrating with great friends. Congrats Hires!

Wedding Season: The Walshes

2010-08-18T15:37:00.005-05:00

The happy couple bustin' a move

We've had a fun couple of months of celebrating weddings. First up was on "my side" with Katie and Michael's Chicago wedding back in July. Katie was one of mine and Courtney's first friends that we made our freshman year at IU and we remained great friends our entire time there and beyond. Katie and I lived together when we moved to Chicago and spent that first year out of school trying to figure out real world. Now, 10 years later, it was awesome to see her getting married and starting a new life with a great guy. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Walsh!

The wedding itself was fun. Katie looked beautiful and both the bride and the groom had huge grins plastered across their faces the entire day. The reception was in the Saint Ignatius cafeteria. And the word "cafeteria" is a total injustice. It was such a cool space, with a ton of windows and a gorgeous courtyard/garden.

Courtney and Jeremy stayed with us for the weekend, which is always the biggest treat! Last time Courtney was in town, she won over Zoe with her iPhone. This visit, she busted out the big guns with the iPad, and Zoe was all hers! Of course, I know it's more than just Court's sweet technology that Zoe loves, but it sure does help break the ice.

Our senior year 801 roomies (sans Katharine).

Butter Baby

2010-08-06T15:49:00.004-05:00

Zoe may be a mini Jody clone, but on the inside she has plenty of me in her. Last night she proved that she doesn't share some of Jody's strange food aversions when we headed out to Stanley's for dinner. Zoe has been kind of hit or miss at restaurants lately, so we were thrilled that she was behaving herself and having fun. I credit her happiness to butter. Yup, butter. (Butter happens to be in Jody's top three most hated foods along with chocolate and all things white and creamy.) When Zoe saw the butter packets on the table she went to town. She actually took a handful of my coleslaw, dunked it in a butter packet and ate it. Jody's worst nightmare. Here she is dunking her french fries in the butter and, of course, offering some to Daddy--who was literally cringing at the sight of all that butter.

Swim Fans

2010-08-05T10:18:00.011-05:00

A couple weekends ago we headed out to the 'burbs for a day with the Kleinfelders. It turned out to be a gorgeous day despite some major thunderstorms in the morning. Zoe and Mason did some bonding in the baby pool. Zoe was her usual cautious self in the water, but eventually she warmed up to it...well, as long as the sprinkler wasn't going at the same time.

Charlie also joined in the fun, running around, swimming in the lake and enjoying some serious doggy time with Favor. Even though Favor plays it super cool with him, I think she likes having a fellow four-legger around. Zoe got a little freaked out watching Charlie swim in the lake. I'm guessing that seeing just his head bobbing around in the water was a little scary for her. But every time he came out of the water and shook off, she calmed right down. Very sweet how protective she is of Charlie these days. We had a great time, as always. Thanks to Bonnie and Roger for being such awesome hosts!

Teething Much?

2010-07-21T15:44:00.003-05:00

For the past couple weeks Zoe has been in teething hell. She has about four teeth coming in at once right now. She's been dealing with it all reasonably well, although meal times have not been the most fun. She's also chewing on pretty much anything she can get her hands on. We need to always have some sort of chewy toy/food/etc. ready. I learned that lesson today when we were on our Charlie walk and Zoe decided her shoe looked like a tasty thing to gnaw on. So gross.

New Scootitude

2010-07-20T12:22:00.003-05:00

After getting sick of his Rocketa scooter dying at the end of every summer, Jody decided it was time for an upgrade. Enter the Honda Metropolitan. A much nicer, more reliable and all around cooler scoot than his starter scoot. I, of course, still refuse to ride it. But I am tempted because this new one is a pretty sweet ride. Jody's been enjoying scooting to work, the beach and all around town this summer. He's still working on building a scooter gang, so let him know if you want in.

Better Late than Never

2010-07-07T15:41:00.007-05:00

For some reason or another Jody and I felt like we didn't really need to do the whole child-proofing thing. Maybe we were just lazy. Or maybe we just had too much faith in our little girl. Probably lazy. Zoe's been on the move for a while now, but she is not quick enough or quiet enough to really get into any major trouble. Well, wait, I should put that in past tense. She was not quick enough. She is now. A couple weeks ago, I finally had enough and told Jody we had to get some child locks. Stat. (He came home from work that night with enough locks to childproof 8 condos!)

Every time I turned around, Zoe was playing in the pantry, in the pots and pats, under the sink, everywhere. She didn't get into anything dangerous, but she sure enjoyed making a mess of everything. The thing is, I felt really bad putting locks on all the cabinets. She loved playing in the cabinets, and she loved her pantry diving most. Find Puffins, open box, dump all over floor and, finally, enjoy a snack of crushed Puffins on the kitchen floor with Charlie. Good times.

So far she has been handling the new locks quite well. A little frustration and confusion at first, but now she mostly just steers clear of her former fun zone. And I am a lot happier not to be stocking and restocking the pantry 20 times a day. Below is video I took for Jody when he was at work, so he could see her first reaction to the anti-Zoe cabinets. So sad.

Just Cute

2010-07-05T22:06:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great July 4th weekend! This is one of my favorite shots from our fun-filled weekend. More updates to come...

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:30:00.002-05:00

Zoe and I are both so lucky to have such awesome dads! Happy Father's Day to Jody and my dad! xoxo

Toga, Toga, Toga!

2010-06-19T15:01:00.004-05:00

Zoe just turned 16 months last week, and I'm pretty sure this is my favorite age yet. She's running, sqealing, climbing, dancing, chatting and even understanding a lot of what we're saying. It's pretty awesome. Of course, it can all get pretty exhausting and challenging. But worth it. So worth it.

With all these changes, I think we are supposed to start referring to her as a toddler nowadays, rather than a baby. (At least that what the folks at Babycenter.com tell me in my weekly "what your toddler is doing now" emails.) So after reading a comparison of life with a toddler to going to a frat party, I realized that yes, we officially have a toddler on our hands. We went to plenty of frat parties back in the day, and I gotta say this list rings pretty true. (I don't want to take credit for this list so please note that this has been copied and pasted from http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/2010/06/10-reasons-having-toddler-is-like-being.html)

10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.

9. There's always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in the corner.

8. It's best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.

7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone's going to start banging on the door.

6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.

5. You've got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.

4. There's definitely going to be a fight.

3. You're not sure whether anything you're doing is right, you just hope it won't get you arrested.

2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.

1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

A Hockey City

2010-06-14T14:28:00.005-05:00

We've got spirit, yes we do! (And yes, we are in the bathroom mirror)

Taken from my phone as the Hawks headed downtown for the parade!

Even the lions at the Art Institute were decked out in hockey helmets for the Stanley Cup finals

Congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks, winners of the 2010 Stanley Cup! It's not too often that hockey takes over the city in the middle of June. But, last week, Chicago went hockey crazy. After waiting 49 years, the Stanley Cup finally came home to Chicago.

Now, I'm not going to pretend that I am a lifelong Hawks fan. As most of you know, I'm not much of a sports fan, period. But during these playoffs, I watched more hockey than I have in my entire life. And it was fun. The games were exciting and the players had plenty of personality both on and off the ice. Of course, it's pretty doubtful that I would have watched any of the games if Jody hadn't been so into the Hawks this year. He loved it all. So, thanks to Jody for getting me hooked too.

More than anything, I love how Chicagoans come together and celebrate during these kinds of sports victories. I even loved how the city celebrated when the White Sox won the World Series a few years back, even though I've never been a Sox fan. The city actually seemed even more alive this time around with the Hawks victory, and our neighborhood was especially rockin. On Friday, I got a close look at of the players and the Cup when I was coming home from the gym and watched the parade pass through our 'hood as it made its way to Michigan Ave. Very cool.

With news outlets reporting that there were more than 2 million people downtown for the parade and rally, I couldn't help but wonder what the city would be like if/when the Cubs win the World Series. Can you even imagine?

Organic vs. Non-Organic

2010-06-05T10:47:00.003-05:00

I know that it's better to buy organic, but I also know that buying all organic produce can really rack up the grocery bill. So I was excited when I saw an article on CNN the other day that detailed which fruits and veggies you should always buy organic and the ones that aren't as affected by pesticides so you don't necessarily need to buy them organic. So, for any of you grocery shoppers out there who struggle with this like I do, here's the list:

Dirty Dozen (these are the foods you should always buy organic)
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell pepperes
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce

The Clean 15 (these are the foods that are okay to buy non-organic)
Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapple
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes

We've Got a Climber

2010-06-05T10:35:00.004-05:00

I can't say I'm surprised by Zoe's newfound interest in climbing. I mean, I've seen the pictures of Jody climbing doorframes as a kid and I have heard the tale of him climbing to the top of the refrigerator as a wee tot time and time again. So I suppose it was inevitable. Up is Z's favorite word, and she's quite the proud little girl when she figures out how to get "up"all on her own. Her stroller is a particularly enticing climbing toy. Here is a step-by-step look at her climbing success.

Go Cubs!

2010-05-20T10:03:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Zoe took her first trip to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs vs. the Pirates. And she did great! We went with Heather, Jason and Ean and Jerry. It was Ean's first Cubs game too and he was pretty amazing as well. Just chilled out in Jason's Baby Bjorn almost the whole time. He even slept for a little while. Jody and I were totally impressed.

It was a sunny day. A bit chilly up in the stands, but with a little hot chocolate and hoodies, we were pretty good. The cousins seemed to enjoy the game. Zoe kept herself quite entertained--making friends with a little girl in front of us, trying to climb the chain link fence behind us, watching all the birds flying around eating all the concession crumbs and just squealing and pointing at all the action. I originally thought Zoe would last maybe 4 innings, but we ended up staying until the 8th. Of course, we had to take her on a couple walks around the stadium and Jody took her to the deck for a while to warm up. But all in all, it was a hit.

The most fun for me was getting her dressed up in her cute Cubs gear. Between her and Ean, we had to two cutest, most stylin' little ones in the stadium!

Oh yeah, and the Cubs finally won. So, I'm pretty sure Zoe and Ean are lucky charms.

Mother's Day Walk/Run

2010-05-10T10:40:00.006-05:00

Happy (belated) Mother's Day!! I hope all of you moms out there had a wonderful day with your families!

We had a great day yesterday, starting with the Network of Strength Walk to Empower walk/run. Jody and I did the 5K run, and Lisa and Mike took Zoe in the stroller on the walk. It was a cool, but beautiful morning--perfect running weather, for sure. Even though Jody hasn't really run much in the past few years, he was awesome. I run 3-4 times a week, and I'm pretty sure I was holding him back! But, since it was Mother's Day and all, Jody stuck with me and we had a fun run together. He did sprint the last .2 mile and beat me by about 30 seconds! We did a 9:50 mile, which I was still happy with it. I think our final time was 30:32.

Zoe had a great time on her walk with Lisa and Mike. Lots of people to wave to and dogs to say "Dog!" to. I was so impressed that she sat in her stroller the whole time without getting cranky, despite the early wake-up time. She even stayed in good spirits through our whole walk back to our place from Grant Park. It was such a great crowd, so she loved just taking it all in.

It was such a fun way to start off Mother's Day and such a good cause. Pretty much everyone I know has been affected in some way by breast cancer, whether personally or through friends and family. Seeing such a energized crowd--and being part of it all--was a really powerful experience. Both Jody's grandma (Lisa's mom) and Mike's mom had breast cancer, so doing this race was especially personal for our little group.

Like Father, Like Daughter

2010-04-26T16:53:00.006-05:00

I spend so much time planning out healthy and balanced meals for Zoe, and she's a pretty good eater (knock on wood). Lately, though, she's discovered after-work snacking with Jody. He's introduced her to all sorts of snackycakes and whenever she sees him munching away, she's right next to him with her arm stretched out saying "more."

The other day Jody texted me that he was bringing home a big surprise for Zoe after work. A few minutes later, in walked Jody with two huge buckets of cheeseballs. Jody's theory was that once he polished off the cheeseballs, Zoe could play with the empty buckets and attached shovels at the sandbox in the park.

Little did he know the cheeseballs themselves would be Zoe's true big treat. As soon as she saw Jody eating the cheeseballs she wanted some too. That's when Zoe officially became a snack-monster, just like Dad. Oh my goodness, she *loved* those cheeseballs! Couldn't get them away from her. With orange dust all over her fingers and mouth, the girl was quite a sight--and quite happy.

New Tricks

2010-04-18T15:25:00.004-05:00

One of the most fun parts of parenthood is watching how much Zoe changes every day. It's pretty amazing. She is such a curious and active little girl, too, and she gets so proud of herself when she masters something new. So as a way to keep a record for ourselves (since I've been so bad on keeping a baby book of milestones) and to share with all of you, here's a breakdown of some of Z's new tricks:

* Moonwalking and Twirling: It all started with Zoe figuring out how to walk backward. She gets a sneeky little grin and starts shuffling backward. Then her little "moonwalk" builds into a twirl. Now she just twirls until she gets dizzy and plops down. We have no idea how she decided to start walking backward or twirling, but it just happened one day and she loves it.

* Words: Zoe has started getting really chatty in the past month or so. She's branched out beyond "baby" and "ball" and has moved on to "mama," "uh oh," "mo'" (translation: more), "no mo'" (translation: no more), "toe," "dog," and "up." One day Gracie told me that Zoe said "monkey" and I didn't believe it until later that evening when she totally said "monkey" to me too. Haven't heard it since, though, and Jody doesn't really believe me or Gracie.

* Second gear: She's gone from being a confident walker to a speedy power walker. We're pretty sure running is just around the corner.

* Where's your...?: When asked, Zoe can point out her belly button, toes and nose (usually). She also points to Mommy's nose and Daddy's nose (usually).

Our 1st Seder

2010-04-08T16:20:00.004-05:00

Passover has come and gone, but I am just now getting a chance to post about our very first seder. Well, our very first that we had at our place anyway. This year we decided to host a small seder with Jody's dad and Jason, Heather and Ean.

The biggest challenge for the seder was finding a seder plate. We put off this task until the last minute, which didn't help matters. We went all over the city looking for a place that sold seder plates. I had seen some seder plates at Target.com, so I figured they could have them in the actual store too. Nope. When I asked a Target lady if they had Passover stuff, she thought I was talking about funeral stuff. (Which of course made me wonder for a minute what kind of "stuff for a funeral" they have at Target.) Finally, we found a cute seder plate at Art Effect in Lincoln Park. This is one of my favorite boutiques for gift-buying and I was excited that they sell Jewish holiday things (i.e. seder plates, menorahs, etc).

The seder went really well. Since our kitchen table is too small (and usually covered in clutter), we had to improvise. So we set up the "table" on our oversized kitchen island and that seemed to work. We all pitched in to make a complete meal. We provided the matzah, charoset, macaroons and salad; Jerry brought brisket, wine and the haggadahs; and Jason and Heather made matzah ball soup. All very tasty! This was my first time making charoset and I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Zoe enjoyed a matzah ball of her own and ate the entire thing! Go Z! All in all, the kiddos did a pretty good job through the seder. Zoe got a little antsy in her high chair, but we kept the reading portion of the seder shorter than usual (and we kept her busy with Cheerios in the slower parts). It was really fun to host our own seder. Now that we have our own seder plate, hopefully we'll be hosting more in coming years. So instead of next year in Jerusalem I'm saying next year at an actual table!

Good Times

2010-03-30T15:30:00.006-05:00

After way too many months, we were long overdue for a visit with Courtney. Lucky for us, she decided to drive up to Chicago a couple weekends ago for some much-needed Courtney-Diana time! So much fun.

On Saturday, we met up with Stephanie and Katie for lunch at Crossroads. It was fun catching up with the two of them and getting the scoop on Katie's wedding plans. Then Court and I got our nails done at this place in my neighborhood that has the most intense massage pedicure chairs ever. The first time we went there a couple years back, we were dying as these chairs went totally crazy. The weirdest part was that no one else in the place seemed to think it was strange. Anyway, we decided to go back. The chairs were just as intense, but this time we were a bit more prepared!

That night, we headed out to dinner at Landmark with Connie and Nick and Beth and Jeff. We had a great time and more wine than I've had in a long time! It was so great to have the Naperville girls (+hubbies) together for the night.

Jody and I have been trying to do either a date night or a kids-free night out with friends at least once a month. It's a great way for us to just have some quality time together and with friends. Thanks to Grandpa J for taking care of Zoe again and letting us have a grown-up night out. And thanks to Courtney for coming in. Still working on getting her to move back here, but I think we'll need to convince Jeremy that the weather in Chicago isn't that bad.

Spring Has Sprung

2010-03-23T11:09:00.003-05:00

It's time to bust out the shades!

Yes, it snowed in Chicago this past weekend. Yes, that happened to be on the first official day of spring. But, I didn't forget about the week of gorgeous, almost 70-degree days we enjoyed just before the snow. So yes, spring is here if you ask me!

With spring means plenty of park time for Zoe. Last summer the park by our house was under construction, so this is our first time with Zoe at the new park and it's been great so far. She loves the baby swings, of course. As relative Park Mom newbie, I'm trying to figure out some of the baby swing etiquette.

There are about 4-6 baby swings at our park, and they are pretty popular. My question: if there are only 1-2 other babies in the swings, are you supposed to put your baby in the swing right next to the other babies or space it out so there is a swing in between them? I can't tell if it's like a public bathroom where you don't use the stall right next to someone else if all the other stalls are open. I just feel anti-social not having Zoe swing next to the other babies. But every now and then I'll get a strange look from an unfriendly Park Mommy.

Other than the swings, Zoe loves walking around the whole park and just exploring everything. All in all, it's been great getting outside finally and letting Zoe wear herself out. Of course, getting her back into the stroller to go home for nap time is a whole other story.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

2010-03-17T22:36:00.002-05:00

We've been totally MIA on the blog lately. I promise to catch up soon. In the meantime, here is a very green Happy St. Patrick's day family pic! Here's wishing everyone a little luck of the Irish today!

What I've Learned in 1 Year of Motherhood

2010-02-25T16:06:00.004-06:00

1. Wearing distressed jeans can be tricky. I keep thinking those white distress marks are spit up, yogurt or something other random nastiness.

2. Having a dog before a baby is great practice, but way easier. Charlie sleeps a solid 18+ hours a day without ever putting up a fuss. Good boy.

3. Even though you may lose all the baby weight, everything is still just a bit off.

4. Planning what and when to feed Zoe takes up a good chunk of my time and brain space.

5. There's a wipe for everything. Baby wipes, hand wipes, Clorox wipes, pacifier wipes, toy wipes. So. Many. Wipes.

6. I never thought 8 am would be considered sleeping in, but it is now.

7. I envy Zoe's bright, colorful wardrobe. When did I stop being able to pull off hot pink pants?

8. Making new mom friends can be kind of awkward and intimidating, but so worth it.

9. Just when you think your baby can't get any cuter, sweeter, smarter or funnier, she does.

10. There really is such a thing as love at first sight.

Pigtails. Finally.

2010-02-17T17:11:00.003-06:00

Okay, so it's not exactly as I pictured it. But, hey, these are pigtails, right? I've been telling Jody for so long that I can't wait for Zoe to have enough hair for pigtails. Well, today when I came home Gracie has figured out a way to get Zoe's 10 strands of hair into teeny tiny little pigtails. So much fun!

Happy 1st Birthday, Zoe!!

2010-02-15T20:35:00.003-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday to our sweet baby girl! And what a year it has been. I cannot even begin to explain how much joy and love Zoe has brought to us this past year. Zoe, we love you more than anything in the world. We are so lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful, funny and loving little girl!

Not Very Green But...

2010-02-09T15:01:00.005-06:00

One of the challenging parts about chasing after Zoe all day long is finding the time to make dinner. I typically work during Zoe's nap times, so I have to get creative when it comes to dinner-making. My latest solution has been letting Zoe play in the 'fridge. I know it's not very green, and I still have to watch her pretty closely to make sure she's not about to drop something on her foot. But, it keeps her totally entertained. Today, she kept herself quite busy playing in both the 'fridge and the pantry. Sure, there was food all over the floor by the end of it all, but it gave me plenty of time to get all the turkey chili ingredients chopped and browned before putting them in the crock pot. Now I'm just a little scared to open the can of sparkling water that Zoe dropped, rolled and chased all over the kitchen.

Puppy Girl

2010-01-28T11:30:00.004-06:00

Once Zoe started noticing Charlie early on, she started imitating him every now and then. When he barks, she squeals and grunts. When he runs to the door, she crawls super fast to the door. She even plays fetch--and is actually much better at it than Charlie! Lately, she has gotten really interested in what Charlie looks at out the window all day. So, now when he plops himself in his spot in front of the window every morning, Zoe quickly crawls on over, cozies up next to Charlie and stares out the window with him. It is total cuteness. Of course, if she starts chasing squirrels in the park this spring and scratching her ear with her foot, I may get a little worried.

And She's Off

2010-01-28T10:52:00.004-06:00

We have our very own drunken sailor plowing through the condo. Zoe's been taking many steps these days and is well on her way to walking. The funniest thing is that she always has to have something in her hands and/or mouth as she's walking. I don't know if these things keep her balanced or just happy, but whatever works for her is cool with me. Here's a quick look at a few steps.

Yum

2010-01-24T17:55:00.005-06:00

We didn't bring our camera along for the night, but here's a shot of Table 52

Last weekend we celebrated Jody's birthday by eating and drinking our way around the city. We started off with martinis at Il Mulino, a fancy schmancy restaurant in the old Biggs Mansion in the Gold Coast. We were the youngest people in there, but the bar area was quaint and cozy and the martinis were top notch. I don't think I'd had a martini in over two years, so that (combined with the bleu cheese olives) was a total treat.

Then we headed around the corner to Table 52 for dinner. Table 52 is co-owned by Oprah's personal chef Art Smith, who was also on Top Chef Masters, and we thought the meal lived up to the hype. I was worried that it was going to be a snooty place because the person on the phone for reservations had some serious attitude. But once we got there, the service was really friendly and accomodating. The restaurant itself was totally unpretentious too. Just lively and inviting. It is one of those restaurants where the tables are really close together for that sense of community, but far enough apart that you still feel like you have some privacy.

Now onto the meal. The food was awesome. Instead of the usual bread and olive oil welcome, Table 52 gives everyone made-to-order goat cheese biscuits and deviled eggs. The deviled eggs were just fine, but the biscuits were incredible. For our meals Jody got the short ribs (so good) and I got the pistachio crusted chicken (pretty good) and we shared a mac-and-cheese side (amazingly good).

Even though we were stuffed beyond belief after dinner, Jody still needed to blow out a birthday candle, so we headed to the Signature Room for dessert. Maybe it was the food coma or maybe it was the martinis and wine, but somehow we didn't notice that the city was blanketed in fog that night. When we got up to the 95th floor of the Hancock building, it looked like they had frosted over all the windows. Instead of staying up there in the clouds, we headed back to the West Loop and got Jody his birthday dessert and candle at Marche. Even though we only ate about a quarter of the dessert, it was still fun ending the night at our favorite place in the city.

It was a fantastic birthday celebration date night, and we were still full well into the next day!

Cheeseaholic

2010-01-19T21:55:00.004-06:00

I think our family is single-handedly supporting the cheese industry right now. True, Jody and I like us some cheese. But, Zoe takes it to a whole other level. She's obsessed.

I mean, she'll humor us with apples, carrots, bananas, chicken, chick peas, yogurt, and the like. But, when she catches a glimpse of cheese, forget about it. She starts grunting, reaching and shrieking until we plop some cubes of cheese in front of her...and we can't seem to put it down fast enough. She just starts shoving them in her mouth. It's ridiculous. I'm hoping that someday we'll find some other foods that get her as excited. For now, though, we've got one cheese-crazed chica.

Update: Okay, I take it back. We're not the only people supporting the cheese biz. The Browns may have to teach Zoe a thing or two about cheese. Well, as soon as she learns how to use a cheese cutter...or a plate for that matter.

Happy Birthday, Jody!

2010-01-16T10:54:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday, Jody! You are the best husband and dad that Zoe and I could ask for. Thanks for making every day fun and full of love. We love you!

Oh Chanukkah, Oh Chanukkah

2010-01-01T20:29:00.006-06:00

I have a lot of posting to catch up on. First up, Chanukkah. (Even after 31 years of celebrating it, I still struggle with the spelling. So bear with me for any spelling errors.)

We kicked off Chanukkah with a party at Heather's parents' place with Jason/Heather/Ean, Jody's dad and Heather's family. It was great to catch up with everyone, see how big Ean's getting and to see Jason and Heather in full Mommy and Daddy mode. Despite all her wonderful gifts, Zoe set her sights on Ean's pacifier. She's never taken one herself, but she is obsessed with stealing other babies' pacis. So, she took full advantage of Ean's lack of head control and inability to sit up and defend himself and nabbed his paci without a struggle.

We're not putting the dredels away just yet. We have a final Chanukkah party this weekend with Jody's mom and Mike. Hopefully Ean has spent the past month training and can hang on to his pacifier this time around.

Movie, Chinese Food, Family

2010-01-01T16:23:00.008-06:00

Although we typically spend Christmas in Chicago, at the movies and eating Chinese takeout, this year was a little different. Well, in terms of location anyway.

Since Josh didn't make it to Ann Arbor for Thanksgiving, he decided to try to recreate Thanksgiving by having everyone go to my parents' house over Christmas. Even though Lisa and her family couldn't make it in, we three decided at the last minute to head up to A2.

We spent Christmas pretty much as usual, at the movies with Chinese takeout--but this time with the added bonus of being with family. My mom stayed with Zoe while the rest of us saw Up in the Air. I really enjoyed it, but it was much more of a downer than I expected it to be. Regardless, you can't go wrong with a little Clooney on Christmas.

We also took Zoe to Ann Arbor's Hands-on Museum and she loved it! So many things to climb and chew on--sheer bliss for Z. It is an awesome museum. I so wish we had one in Chicago, especially in winter when going to the park is a non-option. I'm going to check out the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier, but I'm thinking that may be better for older kids. Also in Michigan, Zoe learned how to climb the stairs--good times. She basically just crawled over to the stairs and started climbing away. She was quite excited and just so cute, as usual--we just had to pay a little more attention to make sure she had some assistance on the way down.

It was a short trip, but a good one. Great to see Josh and my parents and to get in an extra Michigan visit before the end of the year.

Cheesy Lights and Fancy French Food

2009-12-18T15:25:00.003-06:00

Last week we had the Second Annual Cheesy Light Display & Fancy French Holiday Dinner Extravaganza with SACLDFFHD Chairman Steve and Jeremy, the H's and the Stierwalts. We started off at Lincoln Park Zoo for ZooLights. The zoo looked great--pretty lights with just the right amount of cheese. Jody had his trusty flask and, despite my germ concerns, the boys warmed up with some Woodford.

We then headed over to Mon Ami Gabi in the Belden-Stafford for a yummy French dinner of steak frites for Jody and me. I hadn't had steak since Valentine's Day (a.k.a. the night I went into labor), so that was a treat--but really I just wanted the frites! The building's lobby and the restaurant were all decorated for Christmas, which added to the whole night. Mon Ami Gabi is such a cozy and lively spot--perfect for hanging out with a larger group. We've all had a pretty eventful 2009, with three new babies and all, so I think we needed a good night out to just catch up and celebrate. It was a really nice night with good food, good wine and great friends!

Hanukkah Hat

2009-12-17T11:00:00.004-06:00

Zoe's first Hanukkah started out in style with this rockin' new hat from Grandma. Now our little fashionista is a much happier and more stylish camper on our frigid Charlie walks every day!

Designer Duds on a Dime

2009-12-10T16:50:00.007-06:00

Ever since losing the baby weight I have been having a major jeans crisis. None of my jeans look right on me and they just hang all wrong. So I finally bit the bullet and splurged on a pair of designer jeans. I headed to the Joe's Jeans boutique in Bucktown and spent way too much time and money finding the perfect pair. I was thrilled to finally have jeans that actually looked good.

The next day, however, I had some buyer's remorse. I could not believe that I dropped almost $200 on one pair of jeans. It didn't seem right. So I spent the next two days during Zoe's naps doing some serious internet surfing to find my new jeans for less. And all that time suckage paid off.

Enter HauteLook--a web site perfect for your inner recessionista. The site has daily sales on designer clothes, shoes, handbags, fragrances, makeup, etc. And the sales are unbelievable, offering anywhere from 30%-70% off of the different items. The day I stumbled on the site, they were having a sale on Joe's Jeans, so I was able to get my new jeans for a fraction of the cost (just $76). The jeans arrived this week and I'm even happier with them than before. My only complaint with HauteLook is that your color options are a bit limited, so I couldn't choose my first choice for the wash. But whatever for $76 I'll wear the darker wash proudly.

If you're interested in checking out HauteLook, click on the link above for an invitation to join and start getting sweet deals on designer goodies.

Giving Thanks

2009-12-08T16:08:00.003-06:00

Cheerios and jammies party

We have so much to be thankful for, and even though we don't really need Thanksgiving to remind us of that, it is still my all-time favorite holiday. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it is usually the only time all year that my whole family is together. This year we all spent the longLabor Day weekend here in Chicago, so we were due to have two full family weekends for 2009. Unfortunately, Josh got really sick the day before Thanksgiving this year and didn't make it to Ann Arbor this year. It was so sad without him there and he was greatly missed. This is the first Thanksgiving that we haven't all been together in as long as I can remember.

Despite missing Josh, the long weekend up there was nice. I was a little nervous doing so much back-to-back travelling with Zoe. But, she was a champ. She loved being up there and surrounded by so many people. She was especially happy playing with Edin and Adam. She couldn't take her eyes off them--and seemed to want to do whatever they were doing. Watching the three of them together was awesome. It's so fun that they are all relatively close in age and will have lifelong play pals in each other. Edin and Adam were great with Zoe--so sweet and so funny!

Aside from the Turkey Trot and going to a movie one day (New Moon!), the weekend was pretty mellow--just the way I like it. Even though travelling with a baby is not the easiest thing in the world, my parents' house is still one of the only places that I truly relax.

Makaboo

2009-12-05T11:32:00.003-06:00

Adorable baby stuff alert! My sister's friend, Cindy, just launched an awesome personalized baby business called Makaboo. She has a storefront in St. Louis, and she just set up her e-commerce site this week. Check it out at http://www.makaboo.com/.

We loved the personalized gifts we got when Zoe was born. There's something so sweet about seeing your new baby's name creatively embroidered on a little burpie cloth or blankie. So when Ean was born, I was eager to get Jason and Heather something personalized. I got in touch with Cindy and she helped me pick out a beautiful (and uber-soft) blue blankie. After I chose the thread color and the adorable winking monkey logo, we were good to go. (Check out baby model Ean snuggling up to his cuddly Makaboo blankie.)

Makaboo also has burp cloths, hoodies, pillows, onsies, lovies and more. So next time you're looking for a cute baby gift with a personal touch, try Makaboo.

Turkey Trot

2009-12-03T15:41:00.003-06:00

This Thanksgiving my sister and I decided to do the Ann Arbor 5K Turkey Trot. Bonnie (Jody's aunt) told me that she was going to do a Turkey Trot in Palos this year and that inspired me to look into races in A2. I've never done a race before, so I figured a 5K would be a good way to start. Plus, doing it with my sister would be really fun.

The day before Thanksgiving I started getting a really bad sore throat and cough. But, Lisa convinced me to stay strong and promised that we'd just take it easy on the run. On race day, I felt a little better, and Lisa again assured me it was all good.

Anyway, long story short, my dear, sweet big sister totally ditched me. We had only gone like a half mile and she just slowly started creeping ahead of me. Didn't even warn me, just started running faster. She gave me a little smile and then, poof, she was gone. Who knew she was so competitive?! Anyway, I stopped being mad at her once I lost sight of her and enjoyed the race solo. I just wish I would have brought my iPod. There was an older woman dressed up as a turkey -- yellow tights with a brown leotard with feathers glued all over it -- running in front of me that kept me entertained and motivated. My whole goal was to beat the turkey lady, which I totally did.

I was pretty happy with my time: 29:28, a 9:29 mile pace. I placed 27th out of 67 in my age group. Even with her major betrayal, Lisa beat me by less than a minute. Her time: 28:41, a 9:14 mile pace. She placed 21st out of 67 in our age group. My own little victory? Next year, Lisa won't even be in my age group!

All in all, it was really fun to run in my first race, get the cute T-shirt and be able to eat a huge Thanksgiving dinner sans guilt. I think Lisa and I are going to make this an annual tradition. Next year, I'll just remember to bring my iPod.

Mazal Tov

2009-12-02T16:58:00.008-06:00

The man of the hourAdam rockin' the finest plastic fedora on the dance floor

Us

Edin looking way cool in her party dress

Mona on the chair (so ladylike, with her legs crossed the whole time)

My mom and her siblings in their signature Ellis pose

The Klatsky crew

We've been totally MIA on the blog lately, so I'm going to try to catch up a bit. These past couple weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind with plenty of travel and loads of family time.

A couple weekends ago we headed to D.C. for my cousin Paul's Bar Mitzvah. It was a great trip. Paul was fantastic! So poised up there and chanting his Torah and Haftorah portion like a pro. We were all quite impressed. Mazal Tov, Paul! We're so proud of you.

The weekend went by way too fast and was such a good time. We stayed with the Lisa and her fam and it was awesome for Zoe to get to know her cousins. And, we got to catch up with our cousins, too. My mom's sister and her family (my three other cousins) all came in from New York/New Jersey for the festivities, and it was great to catch up with the Klatsky crew. I hadn't seen my cousins in ages, and Jody and Avi had never even met them before. My cousin Mike and his wife Marie are expecting their first baby next summer, so it was fun talking baby/pregancy with them and giving them a slight taste of what they're in for. It was so nice to see everyone. Hopefully we won't wait so many years before getting together again!

How big is Zoe? So Big!

2009-11-16T15:26:00.003-06:00

This weekend marked Zoe's 9-month "birthday." It's crazy how fast these 9 months have flown by. I took her to the doctor today and she's looking good. She's not gaining weight as quickly as she had been, but hopefully once she starts eating more and more solids she'll be on track. Plus, I don't think anyone fully understands how much this little chica moves. The only time she is still is when she's sleeping and even then she's rolling all over the place. When the doc told me that Zoe would probably be standing and possibly taking a step or two by 1 year, I had to laugh and explain that Zoe is already standing on her own. When it comes those motor skills, Zoe is so obviously Jody's baby.

Additionally, I'm thinking it may be time to start weaning her. Originally I had just hoped to nurse her for just a few months, which then turned into 6 months and then I figured I could probably keep it up for a whole year. But it's becoming much more of a struggle as she gets more and more distracted. We'll see how the next three months go.

Anyway, in keeping with our every-three-month Zoe birthday celebrations, Jody and I celebrated with a night out with some of the Naperville crew on Saturday night. We grabbed some dinner downtown at Bijan's Bistro before heading over to the House of Blues to see a stand-up comedian named Aaron Karo. His show pretty much focused on his antics as a 30-year-old single dude and he was pretty entertaining. It was awesome to see the Naperville peeps and enjoy a night out. Jody and I headed home earlier than most to relieve his dad who was babysitting for us, but it was still a great night. Thankfully, Zoe must have known that Mom and Dad needed to sleep off some of the fun and she slept in until 8 am!

We spent Sunday evening with Nick and Connie. They cooked an amazing dinner for us that left us stuffed until this morning. It's so great having them back in Chicago! Nick is hard at work launching his sausage business and it's pretty impressive seeing how much he's done thus far. It sounds like 2010 is going to be really exciting for them with the business kicking into full gear. Very exciting for them. Zoe enjoyed chasing their cat Leo around the apartment and chewing on all their coasters/their coffee table/and their dining chairs. So many new things to put in her mouth, so little time.

Veteran's Day

2009-11-12T10:20:00.004-06:00

Photo by: Steve Carroll, Luncheon Chairman (not pictured)

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love bank holidays! It's one of the perks of Jody working for a bank and of me having a flexible work schedule. Yesterday, we had Gracie (the nanny) come and Jody and I got to enjoy a beautiful fall day out and about with each other.

I worked in the morning while Jody caught up on some much-needed downtime at home. Then we headed over to R.J. Grunts in Lincoln Park to meet up with the Hunts and Steve for a Veteran's Day Luncheon. Having friends who also work for banks is pretty great too! It was a really nice lunch--thanks to Steve for organizing! Lydia represented the baby faction quite well on her own since Andrew and the Stierwalts couldn't make it and Zoe was playing with the nanny.

After lunch, Jody and I ran some errands and went over to the North and Sheffield area to do some shopping. We were going to see a movie since it's been way too long since we've seen anything in the theater, but there was nothing worth seeing and it was too nice of a day to sit inside a dark theater chowing on popcorn. In the meantime, however, I am counting down the days 'til "New Moon" comes out!

Finally, we finished the day with a good workout (we had to work off all the chips we ate at lunch). When we got home Zoe was in such a great mood after a day of play with Gracie, making it the perfect way to end a really fun day.

Jody and I rarely get time together sans Zoe and it was really nice to get a chance to just focus on each other for a little while. Thank you bank holidays! And, of course, thanks to the veterans for all that they do!

On Strike!

2009-11-04T15:59:00.003-06:00

Aye, we've been having a rough week here in the Schirel household. Jody got sick on Sunday and was out of commission until today. Next up, Zoe got the H1N1 vaccine on Monday and was not quite her usual cheery self afterward. And now, Zoe's on a nursing strike. This is the first time that she's gone on a nursing strike and it stinks!

No matter what we do, she screams bloody murder when I try to get her to nurse. Last night before bed, she was so beside herself that she would not even take a bottle. She slept the whole night still, but I was really worried about her getting enough to eat/drink. This morning she still threw a fit. Jody eventually got her to take a bottle, but not without plenty of drama.

Ah! It's been upsetting and frustrating on so many levels. I've been lucky enough to be able to breastfeed Zoe almost 9 months, and it has been so rewarding. But as anyone who has done it will probably agree, it's so much more challenging than you'd ever imagine. I'm hoping this is just a reaction to her vaccine and nothing more serious. I've heard these nursing strikes can last a little while, so here's hoping it's over sooner rather than later.

Trick or Treat

2009-11-04T14:41:00.005-06:00

Some of the mom's group crew, plus Bridgette's hubby on twin duty

Delaney rocked her pink wig in an awesome punk-rock baby get-up

I promised more Zoe the cow posts, so here goes. We sure got a lot of use out of Zoe's cow costume. I swear, I have never celebrated Halloween so much! It's time for some serious candy detox. The weekend before Halloween, one of the girls in my mom's group had a party up in Roscoe Village, so we headed over there and went to the neighborhood parade. It was fun to get together with my mom's group peeps outside of our usual weekly meet ups. It was great meeting all the husbands and seeing all the kiddos in their Halloween cuteness. I feel like it's never easy to make new friends, but I've really enjoyed getting to know all the girls in the group over the past few months. We're all in the same new-mom boat and meeting up with them every week is something I really look forward to.

Our Halloween celebration continued this past weekend up in Wrigleyville on the actual night-of Halloween. We met up with Kristin, Tom and Lydia and Kristin's parents to do dinner and Trick or Treating. The girls were both cows (we didn't even plan it) and looked so freakin' cute. They both got all method in costume and wouldn't crack a smile for the cameras. Really, Zoe was quite serious about Halloween in general! Anyway, we went over to Alta Vista for Trick or Treating and got a chance to catch up with the Stierwalts for a few minutes too. Unfortunately, we only got to say a quick hello to Andrew because he was Halloweened out by the time we got there. All in all, it was way more tame than Halloweens past, but also way cuter.

Picture Perfect

2009-10-29T14:49:00.004-05:00

My brother, Josh, takes awesome pictures. He just shoots photos for fun, but he really has a natural eye for it. Living out west certainly gives him plenty of gorgeous scenery to shoot, as well. So when he was here in September I loaded a bunch of his photos onto my computer, and I've decided to start posting them up here as our opening blog photo.

The photo above had been our opening photo for a little while and it is one of my favorites that he took in Millenium Park over Labor Day. He actually took a ton of great Chicago pictures, so I'll be posting those soon. For now, though, I just loved this new photo, which was taken on a ravine trail near him in Montana.

Cousin Time

2009-10-29T10:22:00.004-05:00

This weekend we headed out to the 'burbs to see Jason, Heather and Ean. Ean is doing well and getting cuter by the day. He's gaining weight and still a really mellow little dude. I have yet to see him with his eyes fully open! I know Jason and Heather are not getting a normal amount of sleep these days, but they looked great and really seemed way more with it than I was at just 2 weeks.

Zoe didn't even clobber Ean. She grabbed at him a little, but was actually way more gentle than I was expecting. She definitely enjoyed exploring Heather's parents' house, and we realized how nice it was to have carpet for her now that she's moving and grooving all over the place. That plush carpet was way easier to motor around on than our wood floors.

Boo..er, I mean Moo

2009-10-19T09:48:00.004-05:00

This weekend kicked off Zoe's first Halloween adventure. Our neighborhood held a Halloween bash with a petting zoo, pumpkin patch and games, followed by Trick-or-Treating at the shops and restaurants down Madison.

I love Halloween and I was so excited to get Zoe all dressed up. She rocked the house in her cow outfit. Not a big fan of actually putting on the costume, but once I got her in it she seemed pretty happy...and toasty.

Zoe was mostly unimpressed by the petting zoo. Jody took her up to all the animals and she just sort of sat there--no big screams or anything. Just lots of intense stare downs. Obviously, none of them were as fun as Charlie--her all-time favorite four-legged friend. The animals were pretty skeevy, particularly the llama, who was soaking wet and covered in dirt. Poor llama.

We then headed down Madison and got some candy. We felt a little shady taking the candy, since everyone knew Zoe wouldn't be eating it, but whatever. She was cute enough that no one seemed to care. Our last stop was a little Italian wine bar in our neighborhood that we've actually never tried. The owner was serving up make-your-own carmel apples. Mmm. So we made some carmel apples, had cider and pumpkin pie latte samples and chatted with the owner for a while. The owner was super nice and we promised to come back for dinner soon. Then as we were bundling up to leave, she killed my Halloween buzz instantly by asking, "When is your due date?" It took me a second to realize she thought I was preggers. Not cool. I had to let her know that I was, in fact, not pregnant...as I held my little 8-month-old cow. I was so sad (and I'm sure the lady was kicking herself when we left). I have finally gotten down to my pre-pregnancy weight and this lady just killed me. I'm pretty sure Jody was equally upset since he had to deal with me wallowing in this all day long. Although he did get the eat the rest of my carmel apple and candy as a result!

Aside from that slight buzzkill, it was a fun day. Prepare to see more Zoe the cow pictures in the next couple of weeks as we continue celebrating Halloween all over the city.

Proud Parents

2009-10-16T09:37:00.003-05:00

Here's a photo of the new family of three. Ean and Heather got discharged yesterday and I'm sure are enjoying the comfort of being home. Now the fun can really begin! Jody and I both got a chance to visit while they were in the hospital, and Ean was such an angel. I hung out for about an hour and he slept in my arms the entire time with hardly a peep. So sweet! Here's hoping he continues being a peaceful, sleepy baby. Hopefully, we'll get out to the 'burbs soon for a cousin meet-and-greet. Zoe's turned into a little terror lately, grabbing, banging and climbing on everything, so we'll have to give her some lessons in "gentle" before she tries to clobber little Ean.

Welcome Ean Andrew Michael Schwartz

2009-10-13T21:26:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to my brother Jason and his wife Heather who welcomed the most gorgeous baby boy into the world today. Ean, spelled with an 'E' in honor or my grandmother Edyth, was born 10/13/09 at 9:55am, weighs 8lb 6oz, and is 20in long. The "A" is for Ardelle Oestmann (Heather's Grandmother), and Michael is for Jason Michael Mueller, their friend who was tragically killed last year.

Jason, Heather, and Ean are doing well. It's exciting to see my little brother all grown up as a Dad. Zoe can't wait to meet her future cousin/partner in crime. I am sure the two will become fast friends at only 8 months apart.

I couldn't help but impart some of my fatherly wisdom when I visited tonight, so I showed them my "super secret" swaddling technique. I had to perfect it because Zoe was the world's most super moving baby and couldn't sleep for the first months of her life without it.

I wish them all the best. I remember how exciting and challenging the first couple of weeks were. I forgot to eat for those first few days!

Six Years Strong

2009-10-11T10:10:00.004-05:00

Happy Anniversary to us! Today, Jody and I are celebrating six awesome years together. This past year has been the craziest and most wonderful yet. There have been so many changes and so much excitement, thanks to a certain little lady who has rocked our world! I couldn't have asked for a better partner to share it all with.

To celebrate, Jody and I went out last night for a delicious dinner at Takashi in Bucktown. We'd been searching all week for a place to go and Jody decided to make the call and surprise me with this one. It was a really cozy, romantic spot that served up French food with a Japanese influence. The food was out of this world! And believe me, we ate plenty of it. We couldn't decide on the appetizers so we got two--the scallops and the pork belly. Both outstanding. Then we enjoyed steak and salmon for our main entrees, and we cleaned both of our plates. So good. I guess the chef, Takashi Yagihashi, is somewhat of a celebrity chef too, and we learned from the diners next to us that he was recently featured on Top Chef. We ended the evening at Hot Chocolate. All and all, it was a great night. Thanks so much to Jody's mom and Mike for watching Zoe and letting us enjoy a rare date night out.

I love celebrating our anniversary. Our wedding is one of my top two days of all time. Jody, thank you for being such an amazing husband and father. I feel so lucky to be sharing a life with you and growing our family together. I love you loads!

Gummy Girl

2009-10-09T17:01:00.005-05:00

All gums
With tooth (well, you have to look really closely!)

She's been a drooling fool since she was about 2 months. She chews everything from toys to fingers to Mommy's hair. We've been hearing from friends, family and strangers "Oh, she's teething" for months now. And finally it's here: Zoe's first tooth.

Over the past almost 8 months, there's nothing I have loved more than Z's gummy grin. It is pretty much the best thing in the world. I'm sure her toothy smile will be even better. For now, though, it's so-long to that gorgeous gummy grin.

Congrats!

2009-10-01T10:13:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to Katie and Michael on their engagement! (I'm a little late in posting this since they got engaged over a month ago, but I've been way behind in blog postings lately.) Anyway, we finally got to to see Katie in all her engaged glory at brunch this past Sunday. The ring was gorgeous (way to go, Michael!) and Katie was so excited and happy. We're already looking forward to July 2010. Congrats you two!

Brrr...

2009-09-28T11:04:00.004-05:00

Well, hello fall!

Get Up, Stand Up

2009-09-28T10:41:00.003-05:00

Lately, we've been finding Zoe standing up in her crib banging on the top of the rails, screeching in delight, and looking way too mischievous. Let's hope that she doesn't follow in her dad's footsteps. Legend has it that Jody launched himself out of his crib at just 9 months and that was the end of cribs (and naps) for him. Anyway, whether it's in her crib, the pack-n-play, the couch, or using one of us as her anchor, Zoe's all about pulling herself up these days. And, my goodness, she gets excited once she's up. Check out her moves:

Bugs United

2009-09-28T10:23:00.004-05:00

Last weekend when Jody headed to Charlotte, Courtney came to keep me and Zoe company. It was a great visit! Zoe loved Courtney immediately because she kept helping Zoe into standing position...a new favorite thing to do.

On Saturday, Connie and Nick hung out and then all of us went to dinner at Mod, a new West Loop pizza place. I'm so excited that the Spencers have officially moved back to Chicago from New York. With so many people moving away, it's rare when people move back. So I am thrilled Nick and Connie are here! Courtney and Jeremy, you're next, right?!

Get On Your Boots

2009-09-17T15:46:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, Jody and I went to the U2 show at Soldier Field on Saturday night. It was the opening show of U2's U.S. tour, and it was awesome. Neither of us had ever seen U2 in concert and they were just as good as I had hoped. These guys have been around forever, but there was no hint that they were sick of playing these songs or tired out from years and years of touring and performing. Yes, they are getting up there in the years, but there was something about his whole presence that made Bono kinda hot (and that is one rock star crush I have never had)!

They kicked off the show with a bunch of their new stuff from the "No Line on the Horizon" album. Luckily, we'd been listening to this album for a couple weeks to "study up" for the show. While the crowd was pretty reved up, the entire mood of the stadium shifted once they started playing the classics. Sunday Blood Sunday, With or Without You, One, Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day, Walk On, Elevation, and so on. They closed the show with my favorite song on the new album--Moment of Surrender. We were already heading out at that point, but we got to hear it as we beat the crowds out.

Seeing a show at Soldier Field was pretty awesome. It was actually my very first time inside Soldier Field. Pathetic, I know. But, this was a great first time there. The energy was amazing and crowd definitely added plenty to the show. One of these days maybe I'll go to a Bears game there. But, concerts are more my speed.

Thanks so much to Grandpa J for watching Zoe and giving us a great night out!

She Likes to Move It Move It

2009-09-15T10:44:00.003-05:00

Our little wiggleworm is on the move. She's been scooting and rolling all over for a while now. But yesterday she started figuring out the whole hand-knee coordination thing. She still has a ways to go until she's a full-blown crawler, but this is a good start. Thanks to Grandma for the sweet new tumbling mat...it's kinda huge, but Zoe loves it.

Family Ties

2009-09-09T21:37:00.006-05:00

This past weekend my family came in for a visit. Aside from stopping through Chicago last winter for a quick lunch on his way to St. Louis, Josh hadn't been to Chicago since our wedding almost six years ago, and he hadn't met Zoe, yet. So it was a huge treat having him come in all the way from Montana. Now, on to convincing him to move here...Zoe needs more bonding time with cool Uncle Josh. Lisa, Avi, Edin and Adam all flew in from D.C., and it was Avi and kids' first time meeting little Z too. I can't believe how big Lisa's kids are. Edin is a total little person these days. She's totally in the "why?" stage, where she's asking a million questions and figuring it all out. The little chica is so freakin' smart too. Adam continues to be a total sweetheart and such a laid back little guy. He's starting to talk a little bit and is so full of energy. Watching all three kiddies was just the cutest. They are going to have so much fun together as they get bigger and bigger. Zoe was so interested in everything the "big" kids were doing, and she was definitely envious of their mobility. She's been dying to get moving lately and seeing Edin and Adam running all over just gave her more incentive to keep practicing that whole crawling thing.

My parents also came in from Ann Arbor, and as usual they were full of energy to spoil and entertain their grandbabies to the fullest.

With everyone back to their respective homes around the country, our house feels so quiet and I am missing everyone terribly. I wish we all lived near each other, but for now these long, action-packed weekends will do. So much fun. Love to you all!

AVP Chicago Open

2009-08-30T21:32:00.007-05:00

The AVP was in town this weekend, and despite some fall like weather, it did not disappoint. My favorite team, and reigning gold medalists, Todd "The Professor" Rogers and Phil "The Thin Beast" Daulhausser made it to the finals, but lost in a grueling 3 game match. Phil lost a pinky toe nail some time in the second game, but that did not slow him down a bit. Their 5 tournament winning streak came to an end to some worthy opponents: John Hyden and Sean Scott.

Do you see me over John Hyden's left shoulder above? I am right behind the girls in the green shirts. This was national TV, the AVP on NBC. I guess my 15 minutes of fame is over. John Hyden is a 2 time indoor Olympian and holds the collegiate record for kills in a match of 57. The record may never fall as he set it before the NCAA converted to rally scoring.

The women's title was captured by Elaine "EY" Youngs and Nicole Brannah. Above I got a pic with the EY and Nicole. They represented the US at the 08 Olympics, and placed 5th. EY has the 5th most wins of all time on the womens side.

It was a great weekend of volleyball. Can't believe summer is coming to an end.

Spa-ahhhh

2009-08-27T15:21:00.007-05:00

Dinner in downtown Scottsdale at Olive & Ivy

The hike The view

The spa

This gloomy, premature fall we're having here in Chicago has been tough to take, especially since coming back from such a gorgeous weekend in Scottsdale. My mom, my sister and I have been doing a spa trip to Phoenix for the past four years, and I don't think I've ever looked forward to it quite as much as I did this year.

This year we went back to the Camelback Inn and we all decided that we would stick with Camelback from here on out. The resort is surrounded by the desert mountains and is so peaceful.

On Saturday, Lisa and I did a hike through the mountains. We'd never really explored the surrounding area before and it was awesome, and you would not believe some of the homes we saw...unbelievable! Then we spent the rest of the day at the spa and pool just unwinding and having fun. I'm not much of a spa snob, but the Camelback spa is my all-time favorite. My massage was a little too intense (I was totally sore the next day), but I definitely needed it. Carrying around 17 lbs of baby all day long, along with getting into some of the most contorted positions while nursing a very squirmy 6-month-old have made me feel about 100 years old sometimes. I think the massage must have helped, though, because even if I feel old I got carded at dinner. (A nice ego boost...but, seriously, once you have stretch marks are you really allowed to get carded?!)

It was hard being away from Zoe and Jody for the first time and pumping six times a day was kind of a pain. But all the relaxation and Mirel Girl bonding was awesome! Is it too soon to start counting down to next year?

Mom's Away the Kids Will Play

2009-08-24T20:16:00.008-05:00

Zoe and Grandpa J and Uncle Jason and Aunt Heather

Diana went on her annual spa getaway with her mom and sister this past weekend, so that meant I was my first time alone with Zoe for more than a day.

I survived with a little help from my family.

My dad came down on Saturday afternoon. We had a good lunch outing to Little Italy and even got in a full family nap.

Jason and Heather came down on Sunday morning. I got to go the beach to play some beach volleyball. Then, we went to Stanley's for a late brunch. We got to eat outside and enjoy the great weather. Good stuff.

All in all is was a nice weekend. Zoe ate and napped without issue. However, Zoe and are are so excited to have Diana back.

Can't Wait

2009-08-13T10:20:00.003-05:00

Labor Day can't come soon enough! We cannot wait for my family to come in. It's about time Zoe got to meet her cousins.

Wigging Out

2009-08-12T09:15:00.002-05:00

Check out Zoe modeling her new 'do. This look is called the Lil' Kim and Zoe rocks it like nobody's business.

At my mom's group yesterday, one of the mom's busted out this pink "Baby Toupee" that she received as a baby shower gift. Totally random present, but it was the perfect prop for our mom's group. At this point, the babies in the group are still a bit too young to do much playing, so plopping the wig on all the girls for some impromptu phone photos kept us all entertained. Check out www.babytoupee.com for some funny (and pretty disturbing) baby toupee pictures.

Workin' On Her Fitness

2009-08-10T10:17:00.005-05:00

With Zoe's 6-month birthday just around the corner, she busted out her workout clothes and started getting serious about this sitting up solo business. After plenty of wobbles and topples she's now sitting up like a pro...mostly. Way to go, Zo! Below is some video footage of one of her grueling training sessions:

Three Amigos

2009-08-10T09:37:00.005-05:00

This weekend we had Kristin and Lydia and Chris and Andrew over for dinner. With Andrew finally getting the all-clear to hang with other babies, we were excited to meet him and introduce Zoe to her new buddy. At just 10 weeks, he spent the evening sleeping. Zoe was never such a sleepy baby, even at 10 weeks, so it was really interesting to see. He was a total cutie and will be having fun with the girls in no time.

Zoe and Lydia noticed each other a little bit more again, and I think Zoe really liked Lydia's ladybug helmet/hair accessory!

Even though our nights end much earlier these days, it was fun getting together and seeing the babies all together.

Identity Crisis

2009-08-06T15:32:00.005-05:00

Yes, our blog is having a bit of an identity crisis. I've been changing the color schemes, adding pictures, etc. and nothing seems to be doing it for me. I'm just not feeling any of the stock template options on Blogger. I stumbled on this one today and I liked it. But then I realized it's the same template as the Hunts, and I don't want to be stealing their "look." Sorry Matt and Alison.

I'll have to do some internet searching for Blogger templates I suppose. Uh, because that's how I should be spending my few moments of free time these days.

Breakfast Time

2009-08-05T14:57:00.003-05:00

Dear Mom and Dad,

What are you waiting for?! Please give me some cereal already. Otherwise I'm going to keep slobbering all over yours.

You know you love me.
XOXO,
Zoe

Cry It Out

2009-07-31T10:22:00.003-05:00

A well-rested baby on a sleepy Daddy.

Although Zoe has been a pretty good nighttime sleeper since she was about 6 weeks, her sleep patterns definitely started to shift around 4 months. She started resisting going to sleep more and waking up more in the nights. When she did wake up in the middle of the night it would often take about 2 hours to get her back to sleep, and I was even having to nurse her in the middle of the night even though I knew she wasn't actually hungry. Additionally, she needed to be rocked to sleep every night, which was taking its toll. It got to the point where we had to place her in the crib so carefully that the slightest wrong move woke her up and we had to start the process all over again. Jody and I were once again sleep deprived and Zoe was cranky because she wasn't getting the sleep she needed. So, last week we finally decided to try the whole cry it out method.

I bought book "Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems" and we used the Ferber method. Basically, you let your baby cry for a certain number of minutes before going in to reassure the baby for 1-2 minutes without picking her up. You increase the amount of time you let her cry each time and each day. So last Friday Jody and I mentally prepared for an entire night of crying. We did our whole bedtime/feeding routine and placed Zoe in the crib sleepy. Then she just rolled over and slept until 7.30 am. Not a tear shed. Crazy. The next night we were hoping for the same, but no such luck. The waterworks started. It was so sad and felt totally unnatural not going in there to comfort her immediately. But, it only lasted 10 minutes (a very LONG 10 minutes, I must say) before she put herself to sleep. And again she slept until around 7.30 am. We've now had almost an entire week of this new system and it's going pretty well. I don't want to jinx it, but so far we haven't had any crying that lasts too much longer than 10-15 minutes. She's woken up a few times in the middle of the night, but just makes some noises and then gets herself back to sleep.

I had been so reluctant to try the cry it out method because I have such a hard time hearing Zoe cry. But, especially since we're still really struggling with naps, Zoe really needs that nighttime sleep.

Our next big challenge is tackling naps. We are still rocking her to sleep for naps and we still cannot get her to nap in her crib. The other day I actually had to hold her for an hour and a half so she would nap. My arm fell asleep and I eventually had to just wake her because I had enough. We may try crying it out for naps, but the book says it is best to do it once the nighttime sleep is all set. Plus, the book says that it often is much harder and less effective for naps. Does anyone else out there have any experience with doing cry it out for naps?