"Sledding"

Since this weekend's nearly half over I figure I better fill you in on last weekend. It was a long weekend for us because of Martin Luther King Day (one word: heaven). We took advantage of the extra day and filled it with a good mix of Sam time and adult time. We made our way to the Nature Museum, which is our new favorite place given the small crowds, sunlit corridors and humongous play space for the pint-sized set. It also boasts a very cool butterfly haven, which is hot and steamy and reminds you that the chilly weather isn't entirely bad.
We also did some "sledding." I put it in quotation marks because even though we technically put Sam in the sled, we never made it out of our backyard (which is a backyard in Chicago so it's the size of a postage stamp). After bundling him up his patience were nearly shot and by the time we actually got outside and got going, it was time to head back in for dinner.
On the flip side, Steve and I worked in a dinner alone at a great bar we've been hearing about for months. It's called Hopleaf and we highly recommend it. They serve every kind of beer under the sun (Europe, Australia, you name it) and their mussels are to die for. We'll go back anytime with anyone!

Stay warm.

Terror at Kid Snips

We took Sam in for his fourth haircut last weekend. Considering it's the fourth time around, you'd think he'd be comfortable, but he's definitely not. He started wimpering the second we walked into Kid Snips and by the time the stylist started cutting his hair, he was wailing. The poor woman went lightening fast, and I think in an attempt to keep us as far away as possible for as long as possible, she went SUPER short with Sam's hair. Take a look.

Also, in our unofficial tour of Chicago's finest museums, we hit the Shedd Aquarium with Sam on Sunday. It's under construction, but we saw some pretty cool stuff that puts the Fisher Price "aquarium" that's strapped to Sam's crib to shame. (It's a no flash photography zone, so the photo opps were limited)

Before:

After:

Turtles!

New Year, New Sam

I’ve been on hiatus from the blog as we try to get back into a groove here at 2234 West Charleston. I’m always surprised at how much I miss our routine by the time New Year’s Day rolls around. This year was no different – by last Sunday I couldn’t wait to get back to into the swing of things. Weird, I know.

After surviving our battle with the flu, we managed to fit in some New Year’s fun. Now that we’re parents and our lives revolve around an early-rising one-year-old, our New Year’s fun is a little different than in year’s past (we were up at 6 a.m. – about three hours after we made it home just a few short years ago). We took in the Museum of Science and Industry – it’s still the absolute monstrosity of a place that I remember as a kid. The only difference: I remember the section that houses the baby chicks to be at least three times as large. In my mind’s eye, there were hundreds of eggs and chicks and tons of action. It’s quite the opposite, actually. Still super cool, especially watching the little chicks hatch, but there are a handful and they actually move pretty slowly.

The rest of our weekend was pretty quiet, which gave me plenty of time to think about resolutions. I have three. Sam has two, which I’ll list here – making them public will make us more accountable, right?

1. Officially ditch the pacifier. It’s his going-to-bed friend and it’s time to say buh-bye. The garbage man is coming next week to take it away!
2. Graduate from a sleep sack to a sleeper and blankets. Doesn’t sound difficult, but you’d be surprised at how much a blanket in the crib can throw us all for a loop.

Here’s to progress in the new year.