Embracing the Inner Monkey

Monkey Toes

Grandma Kathy bought Addison a monkey costume when we were in Pittsfield in September. I have been dying to put her in it and was so excited when Halloween finally arrived. I used to call her my spider monkey because she was such a skinny little thing...now, of course, she is my chunky monkey or my chunka monka, depending on how cute she is being. At this exact moment she is crying and screaming bloody murder because her father is burping her (how dare he??!) so am not quite sure what kind of monkey she is being...does a shrieking monkey exist?

We did not go trick-or-treating...I figure at this point in my life I can afford my own Snickers bar and really shouldn't use her for free candy. We did, however, go to Crust, an organic pizza joint in Wicker Park to celebrate Christie's 32nd birthday.

Check out my tail...

Such a hipster little monkey.

Tuesday Tradition

Almost every Tuesday since late July Addison & I have gone to the Lincoln Square Farmers' Market. It is the perfect excuse to take a walk. We wander the stands, buy some delicious fresh fruit & vegetables, maybe buy a pie and then head into the square for some coffee. (Well, I have coffee, she usually enjoys a nice little bottle of soy formula). It's been a great way to get out of house, enjoy some fresh air and see the hoards of other stay at home moms looking for some adult interaction.

Today was the last official market at Lincoln Square of the season. The stands were a bit sparse, the market wasn't as crowded as usual, and sadly the pie man did not have an Apple Crumb pie (Neyer household favorite). I felt like I was saying goodbye to a good friend as we walked off in search of coffee.

Thank you Farmers' Market for keeping me sane...do you have any branches in Cincinnati? I have a feeling I am going to miss you quite a bit this time next year.

New Laughs for Grandma...Happy Tuesday!

That Daddy-o sure does make me giggle!!

An uncle's undying love

Last night Andy got a phone call from his brother. We have learned over the years to not answer Brian's calls on WHO DEY Sunday nights. Especially 7 hours after the Bengals got their asses waxed by the Pittsburgh "Squealers".

So the voicemail we were blessed with (sans 400 curse words) went something like this....

"Neyer! You dumb sonofabitch(undecipherable drunken gibberish, something about Santa Clause & bar noise) If Addison is suited up she's done. If she's suited up she's done! She's not allowed suiting up anymore. I revoke all Bengals passes to Addison if she was suited up tonight. She's done! Done. She's done!".

Yeah, because it's my sweet baby's fault that the Bungals suck. For the record, Uncle Brian, Addison was not suited up. Last week she was suited up...They won. She didn't suit up for the Browns game...They lost. She was wrapped up in her Bengals blanket for the Raven's game...They won. I think I see a pattern...

At least after this long, loud rant my windows didn't get egged.

I Heart Giraffes

For some reason when Addison was born, she received a lot of giraffe paraphernalia. She got:

• Two giraffe snugglies, one of which she carries with her all the time now. (Okay, let's be honest, I put the snugglie in her car seat, forcing her to "carry" it with her);


• A giraffe blanket and a giraffe spring jacket. The blanket seems to be a favorite (Can babies have favorites? If so, do you suppose I am her favorite or her father? Never mind, don't answer that...);


• A giraffe pull toy that plays music that seems to put her in a bit of trance when played;


• A giraffe stuffed animal (according to Ty stuffed animal company it's name is Towers) that Addison seems to find quite amusing....as demonstrated below.

You have a baby....in a bar....

Tool says that Addison is one of his favorite babies on the simple basis that she has been to quite a few bars. Being able to take her with us has been a lifesaver, or at least a "social life" saver. In no particular order, here are the bars that Addison has enjoyed over the past 3 months:

1. O'Donovan's : Great neighborhood bar, a lot of the staff still know me from working there, so often we are treated nicely with our bill. There is large non-smoking section, a great outdoor space and a clean ladies room with chairs and a changing table.

2. Bowman's: Straight down the street, so easy to get to. In the summer their outside area is super baby friendly and the food is yummy. We also know a few of the staff and they treat us wonderfully.
Bottles w. Papa @ Bowman's

3. BW3's: Not one of my favorites, but definately one of Andy's. Big enough non-smoking section and really loud...in Addison's mind, the louder, the better.

4. Riverview Tavern: Two words: corn dogs. YUMMY. Large non-smoking backroom where kids run wild, so no one minds a crying baby. Riverview with Karen


5. Brownstone: fan favorite...we love their food, they have a great outdoor space, a good non-smoking space, and deep fried Reuben Rolls. It is so damn loud that you can't hold a conversation, but that bodes well for baby.

6. Seven Ten Lanes: If you're in Hyde Park, Seven Ten has a nice outdoor seating area. We ended up there trying to avoid rush hour traffic home from Midway...it was worth the trip overall.

Drafts with Dad
7. Montrose Saloon: Walking distance from our condo and was once written up as the place where "Albany Park hipster hang out" (I had no idea that Albany Park even had hipsters!) Smoky inside, but nice quiet beer garden during good weather.

It's important to learn bar etiquette early in life...we're doing our part to groom the next generation.

S-T-I-N-K-Y

Earlier in Miss Addison's life we had concerns about the fact that she did not poo regularly. At one point she had gone over 7 days without a good poop. Poor girl...I had to prove my chops as a good mom and put a thermometer up her poophole.

(That thermometer is now clearly marked, and kept separate from all other thermometers, don't worry!)Very traumatic experience for me, not so upsetting for her.

Fast forward to today...she destroyed TWO diapers. Two. Nasty. Poos. Once this morning right after her father left for work. Once this evening 15 minutes before her father got home from work. I had to light matches and a scented candle ~ both times. Gross, but probably amusing to you....super not amusing to me. And, for godsake, it is definately Andy's turn for diaper duty!!

That's one good looking lady

The lady Addison lunched with today has great legs, but doesn't look so hot in a dress. We were graced with the presence of the one, the only ~ Sean Ryan Phelan. While I thought Sean might enjoy a little Southport Grocery or OverEasy, I decided instead to go with the classiest of classy ~ Hot Doug's.

Yummilous, we had two Chicago Style Dogs, an order of fries and two sodas for the bargain price of $7.50. That Sean sure is a cheap date.

It's not often that we celebrate chunky thighs....Addison is out to change that! She has gone from a skinny minnie to a chunky monkey, as evidenced by the emerging rolls on her thighs. (I have emerging rolls on my thighs to, but I'll spare you all a photo).**

**I had to edit this Monday evening when my mother pointed out that I said "roles" instead of "rolls"...I was an English minor, the copy editor of LUC's paper and have a freaking Master's Degree, I leave the working world for a few months and suddenly my brain freezes, so sad.

It's the best medicine

If you need a pick me up....or just a reason to giggle, this is the place to be.

Baby Boy

On Saturday Addison, Christie & I traveled out to Bloomingdale, Ill. (right next door to the village of Addison, for the record) to have a little meet and greet with Evan David Brooks. Renata calls him her "wee little man".

That's pretty accurate description...he is wee little, but absolutely perfect. He has beautiful little hands, gorgeous little feet and the most adorable cry.

It was great to see the Brooks Family together...this "wee little man" is in amazingly good hands...and with Rocky involved he's in good paws too!

I've seen that face before

On an almost daily basis I am asked "Who does Addison look like?". There is no definitive answer to that question. When Addie was first born my dad said the best answer is to tell whoever is asking that she looks just like them. If grandma is holding her..."oooh, she looks just like you!". If Uncle Quinn is holding her..."oooh, she has your long fingers!". So on and so on.

But here's the truth, she looks like a lot of people. When she is falling asleep and waking up she is a dead ringer for her dad. When she is sitting observing the world she looks exactly like her Uncle Jeafen. When she's hungry and grumpy, she's me (we both want food when we demand it, damn it!).

There is a certain face though, when her lips are in the beginning of a smile and her cheeks are relaxed and her eyes are sparkling, that reminds me every time of my Boo Boo, my mother's mother. It's wonderful to see that face and know that is hidden within my daughter.

Mr. Utility Worker, My BFF

I know you are all impressed that I figured out how to upload videos. I am truly a technology genius.

For those of you who have not heard my "bad mom" story you will appreciate the following:

In late August I was out running errands with Addison. By the time we got home she was sound asleep, so I unloaded her from the car and dropped her in the house before I started to unload our bags. Apparently, out of habit, when I brought her in the house I locked the knob to our back door. Also out of habit I dropped my keys in the bowl by the front door and the diaper bag on the kitchen stool. I then went out to unload the car and slammed the back door shut behind me. With the keys and my cell phone inside. And, oh yeah, my baby was in there too.
I was locked outside, locked in our parking lot because you need a key to get of our gate, and unable to get into my baby. I thought about scaling the fence...I even attempted it. Keep in mind that 6 weeks prior I had pushed an 8+ pound baby out of my nether-regions...scaling a fence? Not smart.
So I went into pure panic mode ~ it was at the height of my panic that I spotted a utility worker for a company that will not be named. I asked to use his cell phone to track down my spare set of keys and explained to him my stupidity. He was very sweet and calming.
After I had arranged for Roberto to bring me keys, my neighbor came down the alley and opened up the gate. Mr. Utility Worker said "I can probably get you in your house"...which he did very quickly with an old credit card (note to self, from now on always bolt doors). I hugged him and professed my undying love to him and the raced inside to comfort my screaming baby (I could hear her screaming the entire time I was outside). Mr. Utility Worker went about his day and I called Berto to tell him all was right in the world again.

For the record, that screaming I kept hearing was in my head...Here is exactly what Addison sounded like (turn your volume up loud) during this drama...
By the way I saw Mr. Utility Worker again today. We exchanged hugs and chatted. He met Miss Addison. Turns out he is the utility worker for my building...think he'll get a holiday bonus from me this year? HELL YES!

When Addison & I traveled to Pittsfield last month I was as scattered-brained as usual when packing to return to Chicago, so of course things got left behind.

My Aunt Janet & Aunt Ruthie refer to this as my "Hansel & Gretel" syndrome...leaving things behind, so that I can find a reason to return. So per usual, mom packed up what was left behind and mailed it off to me.
I don't remember leaving a singing tree behind, but it too showed up in the mail....good thing, because it makes my darling daughter smile.
Made you smile a little too, eh?

Chug-a-chuga

Today was a monumental first in Addison's life.

No she hasn't found her toes...she almost rolled over, but she didn't succeed. She's not talking and she sure as hell didn't sleep through the night. I am, however, looking forward to all of those occurences. Nope the big first of today was..

Addison's first ride on the EL!

She rode from Kedzie (as shown above) to Western on the Brown Line escorted, of course, by me. We met Kate Cheeseman for lunch at Cafe Salemarie, spent time browsing The Book Cellar and then walked all the way to Borders in Uptown. It was worth all the traveling though, as Addison has now added Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Mr. Brown can MOO! Can you? to her library. Such a little reader...

Monday she also had her first trip to the Glenview Dairy Bar where we met Christie for a treat. Christie and I were gluttons, sucking down a peanut butter chocolate shake and a boston chocolate shake respectively. Our bellies were aching in the best kind of way.

And in other baby news....

Our dear friend Evan David is home from hospital....what a little trouper! Mom and Dad gladly brought their darling son home yesterday.... Evan has gained weight and continues to be (according to Renata) "feisty". Toby and Renata are excitedly embracing deliriously happy sleepless nights...move over Rocky, there's a new man in town!

My gorgeous nephew Emmett (Emmett Patrick O'Callaghan ~ could he be any more Irish??) is doing fabulously. He is gaining weight like a heavyweight boxer in training...Emmett was 6 weeks premature, born just one week after Addison...he'll be 3 months tomorrow...such a big beautiful boy. Emmett and Addison hung out at Grandma & Grandpa's last week....so nice that they already know how to play nice with each other :)

Finally, another leaf in the Flaherty Family Tree has arrived! Jackson Thomas Flaherty was born Wednesday to my cousins Colin and Liz...he is, without a doubt, adorable. Look at all that hair!! Jackson was 20 inches long and 8lbs 4oz. Needless to say, Christmas this year is going to be insane!

Fogo De YUMMY

In the immortal words of my husband, "I love bank holidays".
Okay, so everyday is a bank holiday for me...but it's not every weekday that Addison & I get to hang out with Daddy-O. Today we went downtown to have lunch at Fogo De Chao, an all you can eat Brazilian Steakhouse. All you can eat steak...awesome.

The rule of thumb at Fogo de Chao is avoid the salad bar. The salad bar is a way to distract you from the mounds of yummy meat that can fill your plate and tummy. Tool calls going to the salad bar a "rookie mistake".

Tool (aka: Andrew Reuter) was at Fogo with work buddies...and I saw him go the salad bar. I have witnesses. Tool went to the salad bar, Andy went to the salad bar, Christie, Jen & Karen went to the salad bar...I did NOT go the salad bar. I ate parmesan pork, garlic beef, filet mignon, ribeye, top sirloin, bottom sirloin. Ate and ate and ate.
It's seven hours later and I am still stuffed...all you can eat meat, pure genius.

(Oh, yeah baby slept through the whole meal ~ she's the bestest!)

Grandparent Bootcamp

Friday night Andy & I went to Skretta & Bridget's wedding...(see Michelle's Blog for more details...too many vodka lemonades makes my details fuzzy and hangover horrible). Since the reception was in the far south suburbs, Grandma and Grandpa Johnson volunteered to babysit the kiddo overnight.

SUCKERS!

We dropped Addison off at 3:00 on Friday afternoon...Grandma Johnson reports that baby was a delight during her shift, 3:00 - 9:00p.m. Grandpa Johnson, who covered from 9:00p.m. - 11:00 a.m. Saturday, says he loves his grandbaby...and she can come back for a sleep over when she is sleeping through the night.

To be totally honest, Addison came home happy, unscathed, and in one piece. I am not so sure, however, that she left Grandpa in one piece or unscathed. Baby woke Grandpa up every 2 hours (just for fun I think, because these days she sleeps 4 to 6 hours straight), introduced him to the joy that is her dirty diaper and showed him the fun game of "pee in the middle of a diaper change".

When I picked her up, she looked perfectly happy and content. Grandpa looked happy as well, even if I am positive a feather could have knocked him over. Within 5 minutes of leaving Grandma & Grandpa's Addison was sound asleep in her car seat, and slept for a solid 3 hours. I called Grandpa to tell him, but he didn't answer...

I am pretty sure that within 5 minutes of us leaving, he went down for his nap!

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for babysitting...Addison can't wait to come over again :)

There's always next year

Learning about disappointment young

Addison suited up tonight to cheer the Cubbies to victory. She had on her Cubbie Kiddo onesie and was snuggled up with her Cubs blanket....it didn't work. Cubbies lost. She was pretty bummed ~ I told her to get used to it.

Thank Goodness

This past week Andy travelled on business to Lowell, MA. It was just us girls. We kept very busy...we survived baby yoga, a trip to visit the staff & students at Revere and Addison's 3 month photo session.

Tuesday was baby yoga. I am pleased to report that I got through the entire class. I was, for the first time, able to do all the stretches and positions. My darling baby behaved so well ~ what a proud mama.

Being that we are sophisticated urban ladies we also attended the opening of Buildings & Landscapes, a photography exhibit by the very talented Treavor Doherty. After the opening we went to Terragusto with Christie and Karen for a sheshepoopoo dinner. We all were very excited to try this little restaurant, but really who charges $20for a small plate of pasta? Not worth it.

What was worth it, however, was the phone call I got from Karen after I dropped her off at Mulligan's. Apparently she sat on Addison's booties, which became velcroed to her ass. Yes, Karen was hanging out with little fleece pink booties attached to her ass that say

"Thank Goodness for Little Girls" ~ PRICELESS!