Hey Dad!

Enjoy your trip to Lowell....but come home soon okay?

Over the river & through the woods

Just so you know Addison and I traveled by ourselves to Grandma's house in the lovely Pittsfield, Massachusetts last weekend.
She did a great job on the plane....a stranger told me that she "is a great little traveler". How right that person was, she is great.
We had a great time visiting with Barb, Phil, Lori, Emily the babysitter and Tracy...what a treat!

Addison met her fairy godmother Kate's mother... trust me, that will make fairy godmother Kate INCREDIBLY jealous....but that's what Kate gets for living the fabulous life in France.
Addison was spoiled rotten by Grandma, went shopping at the outlets (no sales tax on clothes, AWESOME!) and enjoyed quiet time in the hammock.

It was a fabulous weekend...we even got to see the Papachristos/Glodek clan....we'll be back soon we hope.

Okay I must go do the flight of the bumblebee and clean my dirty house...we have yet another open house today....It only takes one buyer to make a sale right??

um, that's MY foot...

There have been big happenings in our world:

1. Addison is now supplementing her ravenous diet with formula...can daddy now do the 4a.m. feeding?? Perhaps.

2. Due to her new yummy formula she is becoming a chunky monkey. It's true. There are now cute little roles forming around her thighs ~ as of last Wednesday she was a healthy 10lbs 10oz.

3. Now she can get her whole fist in her mouth. A true talent that will allow her to win bets in bars during her college years.

4. Last Thursday on way home from lunch (according to Karen our life is awesome because all we do is lunch and breakfast...she's kinda right) she found her foot. She can't grab it, but she has now realized she controls it. Watching her discover this entertained Christie & I for at least 20 minutes.

5. The same day she found her foot I found out that introducing formula to her diet means now having an amazing amount of poopy diapers...somehow she managed to get poo all the way up her back, to her belly button and on her feet...she is soooo dainty.

6. Spending $29.99 on a backmat jungle gym is the best investment I've ever made...she lies on her back for at least an hour trying to grab at her toys...she can successfully do 65% of the time. According to the packaging the gym is a Roaring Good Time ~ how right they are.

Touchdown!

Football season is upon us. This does not excite me. The best thing I can say about football is that it guarantees me quality nap time on Sundays...well, it used to. Now maybe I'll get a nap, maybe I'll be trying to keep a baby happy, it's a coin toss. Right now Addie is on her Daddy's lap, enjoying the game, sipping a beer and learning about a sport that even after 30 years of living I still don't understand. By the way, when I say she is enjoying the game I mean she is intermittently crying and napping...

Monday night was her first Bengals game...she wasn't quite ready to suit up, but she did show her support thanks to her array of Bengals gear from Uncle Brian...lucky she looks damn good in orange.

For the record Addison was not wrapped in her Bengals blanket, or using her Bengals bottle, or in her Bengals jersey, or snuggling with her Bengal Tiger during today's loss to the Cleveland Browns....that is probably why they lost.

She behaved so well

One of my favorite things is when people remember me~ the dry cleaning ladies, wait staff at restaurants I frequent, my friends after a night of drinking.

Toward the end of my pregnancy I started stopping at the Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Canal and Roosevelt every morning on my way to school. In May their special was purchase one large iced coffee and get a donut of choice for free....a pregnant lady's dream. After about a week and a half of getting my large iced coffee and chocolate glazed donut, I walked in for my fix and the girl behind the counter said to me "Do you want your usual?".

I had arrived. I was officially a regular. When I left I excitedly called Andy to share with him my great achievement~ he found it a little more pathetic than exciting. I didn't care, it was pretty much the highlight of the month of May.

I tell you this because yesterday I "arrived" again.

Addison and I met Christie at the River West Cafe on the corner of Montrose and Kedzie. Christie and I have had several breakfast dates there recently and Andy and I have been going at least a few times a month since it opened. The staff and owners are always pleasent and welcoming, but they've never yelled "JESS!" when I've walked in the door. The food is good, the price is right and it is walking distance from home...works for me.

Anyway, Christie and I sat enjoying our Greek Skillets and bottomless cups of coffee. We caught up on what we had missed in each other's lives since our last phone call 12 hours earlier. It was a pleasent breakfast.

We finished our meal, and Christie went to pay...the owner then said to Christie...."Wow, she behaved so well today."
She noticed!
She remembered us from all the other times we came to eat...and all the other times Addison screamed through our meals. The point is she remembered us...we're regulars...we're part of the fabric of the neighborhood.....okay, maybe that's taking it a bit too far, but nonetheless, the gals at River West know us!

Zen Baby

Well, we made it to yoga. Overall, it was a smashing success compared to the massage class...Addison allowed me to do about 1 pose and 3 stretches....a rousing success. Just like the night before, all the other babies seemed to know how to behave ~ sweetly cooing, gurgling, flirting with those around them. Mine, of course cried, made her sad face and let at least one toot slip out.

Okay, let's be honest the word toot makes her sound dainty. She farted ~ she always farts. Nice, loud, stinky. You know she's in the room when her gas erupts.

Anyway, back to yoga....we ended the session by playing games and singing baby songs, both activities Addison really seemed like. And I swear, for the rest of the day she was a much more mellow baby than usual. I made it not only through the Lincoln Square Farmer's Market and a fabulous lunch (spinach stuffed gnocchi with a black truffle cream sauce...what? YUM!) but was able to sit in the square and drink a cup of coffee. Total zen baby...

On a completely different note, Addison and I got to hang out all day yesterday with Aunt Janet...What a treat for us both. All three of us giggled and smiled and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. I'm sure if Addison had words she would have turned to me and said, "Damn, mom that lady is fabulous!" ~ Without hesitation, I would have agreed with her.

Massage is soooo relaxing

In an attempt to be an amazing earthmother I decided to bring my sweet little angel to an infant massage class. I was ready...I fed her right before we went, dressed her in kimono style onesie for easy massage access and brought along a soft, warm blanket to make her more comfortable.

We got to class. The lights were dimmed. Soft music was playing. Two other rolypoly babies were smiling and cooing. Oh how wonderful this massage experience was going to be. I gently took Addison out of her carseat, warmed the massage oil on my hands and attempted to give my darling a relaxing baby massage.

I failed.

She screamed and cried for pretty much the entire hour long class.

I wonder if those other rolypoly little babies were relaxed....?

Tomorrow is our first "Mommy & Me Yoga"....can't wait to see what she does there!

I was sleeping soundly, comfortably on my couch this early afternoon with Addie snuggly tucked next to me when my whole freaking neighborhood exploded. Horns, sirens, drums and someone singing in spanish very loudly over an intercom system.
I blinked, looked at my sleeping cuddlebug, and turned my head so that my deaf ear was facing up ~ a logical choice when faced with noise that is interupting your afternoon nap. Sadly, my deaf ear was no match for the cacophony that was occuring on my block. Nap time is over.
I still have no idea what caused the mass celebration....I mean, I'm excited that Oprah's new season starts tomorrow too, but I didn't take to the streets to celebrate.

German Drinky Drink

It is amazing what difference a year makes. Last night I sat enjoying a few delicious German beers at Resi's with Karen (home by 11:30, up this morning by 5:30).

This same time last year, and for the past many years, I would have been enjoying Lincoln Square's Octoberfest and carni-games. Large mugs of Becks, sweaty crowds and framed poster of Lil Bow-Wow. Normally the night would continue with a Lincoln Avenue Pub Crawl and perhaps a nightcap at the ever popular Oakwood...

It's amazing how Miss Addison changes our version of big night out. For the record, she and her father headed home by 9:00, and I was left unchaperoned ~ risky!

Last weekend I tried to enjoy the open bar at Steve and Tamar Haro's wedding...I was hung over until Wednesday. So sad ;( Addison behaved much better than I did, she got down in her party dress and slept through her first plane ride. It was a very big weekend!