Sick Walker!

 It has been a tough week for the Williams.Mommy started work, which would be fantastic, except there is a lot of running around like crazy already, as Baby James has been sick and with a fever cannot go to daycare.  The fever was up towards 105 this weekend, and although I harassed my Dr (actually the answering service, I am quite annoyed that they have such an annoying answering service and refuse to speak with their patients) I was told there was nothing to do but ride it out.  During these situations in the past, I would always say: "what do the working Moms do?"  Well, now I know.  We freak out, we work late on Friday night to make up for missed Friday morning, we plead for sympathy from our coworkers (mine are great, by the way) and we sob in our driveway.  Well, at least that is what I did.  And, James woke up feeling better today!  Let's hope this sticks.

 Here are some photos from last weekend.  I just find that it is difficult and no fun to take photos of sick kids, so we are a little behind on the photo department at present.

The other big news of the week - despite having awful fevers and passing out all over the place - from the couch to the floor to Mommy... - Baby James has decided to start walking!  The little man will now walk up to four or five steps between things.  Between the couch and Mommy, the chair and the couch, Daddy and the chair - and tonight, between Daddy and Joel Andrew and I.  So priceless to see James so happy walking to his big brother, and to have Joel Andrew catch him in a big hug.  Super cute.

We have to get through this week, which I hope will get rid of the bugs in this house once and for all - and then next week it is our trip to Hilton Head!  Just 9 days left until my most hated flight of the year...But then a fun trip will await, with hopefully no illnesses?  I hope...

Horrible No Good Day

Yesterday was a horrible no good day.  To put things in perspective, no one was hurt, nothing truly bad happened.  But lots of things were hurt and nerves were frayed.

That being said, I did start work on Monday, and I love being back!  (so far).  But, it is nice to get dressed up, to have adult conversations, to have something to worry about other than dirty laundry. This was a momentous day as well as it was the first day Joel Andrew wore big boy underwear.  And, so far only one accident!  (which will be detailed below).  So, I just wanted to get this in, that I am enjoying my time back at work (so far) before you read about yesterday, the terrible no good day.

Ah, so the terrible no good day.  Wednesday. I woke up sick.  Super sick.  Ama was sick in Chicago, Joel Andrew has been sick, they told me his classmates have had an pneumonia.  James had a little bit of the bug and Joel Husband had been nursing this cold for weeks.  But I had avoided it, until now.  I woke up Wednesday a mess.  I gagged and coughed for 15 minutes in the shower.  I stumbled to get ready.  A mess.  Which was a shame because I had such a cute dress to wear with the unseasonably warm weather (80 degrees in March, really?).

Anyway, I got ready to leave anyway.  Joel Husband and I of course ended up arguing over who knows what and I was a mess running out the door.  I get in my car to leave and pull out, slamming my side view mirror into the garage door with such force it shatters the mirror and breaks the mirror frame.  Awesome.  Then I sat in my now broken car in the driveway and sobbed for a while.

Upon going back into the house I saw Joel Husband trying to get the boys ready for school.  James was hacking away and Joel Andrew was no where to be seen.  He was hiding, in the fancy living room.  I asked him to come out and he said in a low sad voice "my pants are dirty."  How is someone supposed to say they have to go poop on the potty when their parents are arguing and ruining their car and snotting all over the place?  Poor guy.  We changed him, Husband took them to school, and I sat at home like a lost puppy.

I called my boss to tell her that I would not be coming in on my third day of work.  Awesome.  She could hear it in my voice though, I was a mess.  I made Dr appointments for me and Baby James and called in a friend who has a body shop for my car.  All should be fixed, for under $400, this weekend.  It is not so bad.

I did manage to get a few hours of work in, and found it to be eerily awesome that while waiting in the Doctor's office I answered about 4 emails for work on my phone.  Scary and productive at the same time. Baby James came home with me and we both took a nice nap in the afternoon.  Verdict: we have to suck up these colds, go about our normal routines and wash our hands.  Baby James also has another double ear infection.  We are going to our Dr next week to discuss.  I have an inkling that he has never gotten rid of his ear infections since January.  I am smelling tubes in our future.

As the day came to a close, still sick though, I decided as soon as James was sleeping, I too would go to bed for the night.  Joel Andrew came up to "tuck me in" and he and I were hanging out in my bed when Joel Husband came in and also got in bed to "tuck me in" - then the whole bed collapsed to the ground.  Gone was my sleeping before 8pm, and hello was the annoying task of taking the bed apart and putting it somewhere out of toddler and baby reach.  1/2 hour later and I was sleeping in the bed on the floor, college style.  I am looking forward to buying new bedroom furniture now.

Working from home on Thursday to avoid scaring my co-workers with this horrid cold.  But hoping that the fact that I got it last, and it came on like a lion, means it will also leave quickly as well.  I am already feeling a ton better today (like I won't be crashing any cars today better, I hope...).

Two Poopers in the Pool

Yesterday was our first pool class.  It is a family class, at the same place I brought Joel Andrew when he was 6 months old.  I had Joel for most of the class, and Joel Husband had James.  It was a ton different - and better - than when it was just Joel Andrew and I when he was 6 months old.

Joel Andrew hated the water at that time.  At the beginning and the end of class there is a thing where you jump up and down and sing a song and splash a lot... When he was a baby, Joel Andrew hated it.  James, at 10 months, loves it.  The pool is awesome for James.  Joel Andrew, now that he is 2-1/2 loves it too!  Which is good, because these classes were not cheap, and we still have 6 more to go...

Joel learned how to get in and get out of the pool, he blew bubbles, he was kicking and scooping the water.  He is a long ways away from swimming on his own, but he had fun and I think that is what counts.  James learned nothing and just had a good time.  Joel Husband pointed out that he didn't care if James learned anything, just as long as he was smiling, and that he was.  We were supposed to be booked in a sibling class, but instead were booked into a 2-4 year old class.  James kinda tags along, but that is sort of his thing, anyways...  He was loving hanging out with the big kids.

After pool we went to a diner for lunch.  It was good!  But the lady yelled at us for using those plastic mat things... apparently they ruin the tables and restaurants are banning them...  Who knew?  Well, I still have about 20 so we are still going to use them...

Let's see how well this family does next week in swim class!

Daycare for Baby James

I have been posting a lot lately, and I am not sure if it is that we have a lot going on, or if I am trying to make up for the fact that I will soon probably not be posting at all since I start my job on Monday...  Anyway, I am hoping I will continue to post.  I really already enjoy looking back at all my posts and find it is a good memory of our days together.  So, hopefully more will come soon!

This week, on Tuesday, my baby started "school."  This is a full three months sooner than when Joel Andrew started school, but so far is working out a ton better.  I know they are different kids, and no matter what age Baby James probably would not care since he is Mr. Happy no matter where he goes - but when I dropped Joel Andrew off at 13 months, it was the WORST.  He was at the peak of his Mommy-clingy stage and cried and cried and cried for weeks.  The first day I dropped him off, I told them I was just nearby and they can call me back for anything or any reason.  Sure enough 2 hours later, they said he had had enough.  He cried the entire time.  It took a while for him to warm up, A while!

Not Baby James.  I dropped him off, and did not hear a thing from Daycare.  I came to pick him up, and saw him in the monster 8-kid stroller, from the back.  His little fuzzy sticking straight up hair, looking out at all the kids and the ladies looking at him, having a ball.  He didn't even flinch when he saw me.  Just a smile, and then back to having fun.  This made me feel good, and a little sad too.  What about me?

Daycare decided he was so awesome, so flexible, that they would move him to one nap a day, after one day of being there.  I freaked out a bit.  Here they were, for weeks, comforting me and telling me they would do whatever was on his schedule, it would be an easy transition - and then after one day they wanted to change his whole schedule around.  When I asked why - they told me that was when all the other babies slept.  They did not venture to explain that this meant it was quieter and easier for Baby James to have a good nap - instead it came across as "it is easier for us if he just does it our way."  I was devastated.

But, Joel Husband reminded me that he had been having a hard time napping in the afternoon recently.  We always had to wake him up from his morning nap now, 2-1/2+ hours... And, we would be starting swim class this weekend which is smack dab in the middle of morning nap.  Maybe one nap would be better?  A final poll to my Facebook peeps and I found that many kids, especially the second or third borns, drop to one nap as early as 10-11 months (though many were more like 18 months).  Joel Andrew was 13 months.  So I took a breath and said, whatever.  I can no longer micromanage this kids sleeping, I will not be there for the bulk of his week.  I need to let go.

The next day, Baby James passed out on the playroom floor at 9:45am for 45 minutes while everyone played around him.  He then proceeded to sleep for 2-1/2 hours in the afternoon.  Daycare is keeping the two naps.

So, he is adjusting well.  And, I guess so am I!  I will post soon about my Mommy week.  4 days of kids in daycare and no work meant me getting a lot of stuff done (but not as much as you would think).  I am worried about getting out of the house in the mornings, and Joel Husband was in Canada all last week so we could not really practice what a normal, non-Canada like day would be like.  Wish us luck for Monday morning!

Tooth Counter

Today we went to the Tooth Counter (also known as the Dentist).  It was Joel Andrew's first visit, and boy was he a good boy!  I have to say, this was an episode.  The dentist's office sent us mountain's of paperwork before we even arrived telling us it is a better experience for the child if everything is filled out ahead of time.  They wanted us to arrive 5 minutes early.  They called twice to remind us of the appointment, and left messages, insisting we call back to let them know that we know there is an appointment and we are coming.  I was pretty excited for all of this organization.  I hate waiting for a Dr., I thought we would avoid that.  But of course we didn't.  We arrived, waited 25 minutes in a waiting room full of kids and only two toys.  A pediatric dentistry place!  There were no fish, which I feel is obligatory since Finding Nemo came out.  But I had a little angel.  Only Mommy was annoyed at the wait.  I think the working Mom thing has already kicked in and I value my time 8,000 times more now.

 Anyway, putting all that aside, he did a great job.  In the mountains of paperwork they sent ahead of time, there were guidelines on how we can make the experience not frightening for little kids.  Instead of using the words "checking or examining your teeth" we should instead say "counting your teeth."  Do not say "drill" say "whistle."  Pretty funny.  So, I prepared Joel ahead of time for the "tooth counter"and he had a ball.  The hygienist just took a peek, showed him the fun chair, and actually tried to floss him.  Which went pretty well, for the first few teeth and then immediately erupted into hysterics.

This is where I differ here with the dentist.  They were telling me he had plaque build-up and I should brush for twice as long as I do now.  They were telling me I needed to floss him.  They were also telling me I should expect him to get braces when he is older.  I was obviously skeptical to all of this, and let me know if you agree or disagree.  I believe it is important to brush teeth and we have established the routine.  Joel Andrew brushes for a bit, then announces: "Mommy's turn!" and hands me the brush willingly and lets me brush.  But, there is a finite amount of time he allows me to do it and sometimes I just do not want to argue.  Not because I am lazy, or tired (though I am sure that is in there, but this is not the primary factor).  My primary factor is I want him to do this every night, and every morning.  I want to avoid fighting each time we do it, because no matter what - if he is kicking and screaming I am not going to get his teeth as clean as when he lets me do it for 30 seconds with no problem.  So, here I differed with the dentist.  I was also annoyed that she was planning her unborn's college education based on my two year old's crowded teeth.  Why is she telling me now he needs braces?  Seriously.

Anyway, the real part of the story is how much of a champ the guy was.  He brushed the teeth of the stuffed animal there.  He went up and down in the dentist chair.  He smiled and chatted with the dentist and the assistant and he played on Mommy's phone while I was talking to the dentist.  He was a charmer, a flirt and an awesome guy.  If only Dr. Fischer (my first Dentist) could have seen this!  I was not such the good patient (and still am not...).  He is scheduled for his first cleaning in October...

Frame Free Stuff

I know this is usually a blog just about my family, but I am so impressed with myself I had to post.  Here are some photos of my newfound talent: I am good at framing free stuff.  Top I have framed historic wallpaper samples and hung them in my entryway.  This cost nothing, is special to me as I used to raise money for the historic houses that have the actual wallpaper in them, and it was a nice way to decorate my large entryway without actually putting wallpaper on the wall that is costly and difficult to change at a later date.  Score!  I bought the frames from Michaels, 40% off with a coupon for an additional $15; got the wallpaper samples for free - total cost, less than $60!

Boring water closet no more!  I took some old white frames I had lying around, and bought a few more, cut up an old map that was in my car (no longer needed with GPS), and here it is!  The maps are from around Portsmouth and Hampton Falls to boot.  Gives you something interesting to look at while you are on the pot, costs nothing, and the only problem was hanging them all straight.  Total cost, $60 (again!).

I have been having a hard time with what to hang in my bathroom, which I painted robin's egg blue, and has light tan tile.  I bought some bright raspberry carpets that help, and a pattern of towel that ties it all in...  But I needed something else - so I thought this up.  I saw someone selling a seafan version of this on Etsy for over $200...  So, I decided, I can do that!  Went on Amazon, got a bunch of shadowboxes... Went to Michaels and got some backing board of the raspberry color...  went on a website that will send you as many sand dollars and starfish as you want, all under $1 each (some as low as .20 cents, all with reasonable shipping).  And, here we are!  Still waiting for my seafan to come in, but the shadowbox is ready for it...  Now, I only hope that the glue holds here.  That is the one potential problem... Especially being in a bathroom...

Travel Bugs

 I should start off by saying a big thank you to Ama and Grumpy.  They were great hosts to us while we visited in Chicago.  They baby-proofed the apartment (not James-proofed, but baby proofed.  There is no way anyone could James-proof) - this was a big feat for them because they are literally collectors of china, glass, vases and antiques.  Lots of stuff had to be put away.  Ama went crazy on the food and made them some delicious meals, and even was very patient when the toddler did not want to eat the delicious meals.  Grumpy took care of both kiddos, individually, at many times.  he made frequent trips to the mailbox with Joel Andrew and had full days with just Baby James.  The two just stared at each other and kept thinking back and forth: "You look like me," I am guessing...  No, they had a great time.  Even the high chair, pack n' play was all set up when we got there, Ama did constant laundry so that we would not have tons left behind, and the basics that I had sent ahead of time from diapers.com made it so that I did not have to lug diapers, wipes, formula, lotion, etc on the plane, or make annoying lists for my Mom to buy.  We really had it set-up great. I have wonderful parents that made it as nice of a stay, as easy as possible for us.

 All that being said, it was not easy.  It was so rough!  As you know from previous posts, flying with kids, even when people are being nice, is not easy.  Flying alone with two kids was rough.  With husband it was easier, but still a challenge.  I just kept thinking, when James is Joel Andrew's age we will be set.  No carseats, each kid has their own backpack with goodies, no bottles, each kid has their own iPod with movies, and Mommy sleeps...

But until then, we have a few more trips.  Can you believe it?  A few more!  What was I thinking?  I have never ever had a good flight to Hilton Head, ever.  I have been stuck in the airport for 6 hours +, I have been assaulted by a pregnant lady when I was fighting for the last seat in a puddle jumper in Charlotte after an 8 hour wait one time.  I stood, arguing with the flight attendant, watching her shut the door on my connection telling me I was 1 millisecond too late another time.  I almost was arrested for assault that day.  And, I haven't even had it the worst.  My sister-in-law ends up taking car rides from Charlotte at 2am with strangers...  The connection is probably the worst in all of travel history.  And, I am going to make it (or not) with two boys in less than three weeks.  ARGH.

But, I have to remember the good points to travel.  Ama and Grumpy certainly appreciated showing their boys off and I know Nana and Pa will too.  We got to see so many cool things in Chicago, the zoo was the best - as were so many of the other places we visited.  We had good family time and it is good that Baby James is learning to adjust no matter where we bring him.

But, the not being home and having the comforts of home got to us after a few days.  Even things as simple as a humidifier would have helped.  We ended up in an Urgent Care (something that seems to happen to us every time we go away) - and had some fevers, some colds, lots of sniffles, a few pink eyes and a sleepless night.  I guess, again, this comes with the territory.  I am writing it down to remember all the fun we had...

 So, we look forward to our next trip and hope that with each one moving forward it will get even easier.  It has to... right?

Museum of Science and Industry

Today we went to one of my favorite places to bring kids in Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry.  This is not in the city, per se, but it is awesome and huge and has a lot to offer for the little guys.  There is a play lab for little kids to run around in, with a water stream and all sorts of obstacles that kids can put balls through.  There is an area for little's to climb around in, and Baby James loved it!  Joel Andrew was a little annoyed that he was now too old to climb around in the baby area, but quickly got over it and was excited to learn in the big kid play space.

Right next to this area is the tractors.  It is surprising how many tractors John Deere must have donated to museums in the mid-west, because this was Joel Andrew's second or third time in one?  We ran through this fast and then went to have lunch in the cafeteria, which was not half bad.  Joel Andrew even got a huge blue choo-choo cookie (he asked nicely and usually never eats the things so I thought why not?  I can use it to have him eat a good lunch).  He ended up loving it but luckily understood that he was only allowed two bites and he would get more after dinner tonight...maybe...

Then, the piece de resistance, the choo-choo area. They have a huge hall of trains, with all sorts of cabooses and engines you can go in and out of, as well as in the center of the room a massive train table with a recreated Chicago and midwest.  Joel Andrew and Grumpy were in heaven.

We zipped right out of there - home for naptime.  We will get to go back, with Daddy on Sunday (Mom's ASTC-ACM covers us again!) - and see the many other things, the additional John Deere's, the hatchery, the space shuttle, the wind area, the light area, pretty much everything else a science museum would have.  It will be nice to have Mommy-Daddy-Joel time there (Ama and Grumpy will stay home with James).

Sidebar: Tomorrow night is daylight savings time. We did all this work keeping the kids on east coast time this whole week, because when we get home James starts daycare right away and I wanted him to be as close to schedule as possible...  And now I find out it is daylight savings time?!  I am so glad I kept them on East Coast time, because then we would have had two hours to make up and adjust to on our return!

UPDATE: Joel Husband and I went back to the Museum with just Joel Andrew, and had a blast.  This time we went to the submarine exhibit which was HUGE.  Like the size of the whole museum.  This would be great if the boys were 7 and 5 or older...  We also walked around some of the big kid exhibits, like how to make a toy.  It really is an awesome Museum.  The big bummer, it is not near food.  But the cafeteria is not too bad.  It is about a $20 cab ride from downtown (or $20 to park there) - but it is so worth the morning you will have.  We went twice this trip and still I have only seen about 1/2 of the place!

The Shedd Aquarium (again)

Today we visited the Shedd aquarium after our brief visit to the Field museum.  We have been to the Shedd aquarium before, but this time we saw some new things, including the shark tank, and the whale and dolphin show.  We had a great time!

As with all Aquariums, I found it to be ridiculously expensive.  Not only that, but very confusing.  You can get a base ticket for $15, but that only gets you into the tanks.  To see the big animals, like the otters, penguins, whales, and dolphins - you need to pay almost double that.  If you want to go to the whale and dolphin show, you have to add another $4.  If you want to see the jellyfish you add another chunk of change.  It adds up real quick if you have kiddos.  There is supposedly a CityPass you can get, which gets you into a bunch of places over the course of a few days.  If I didn't have my other passes that get me in free, I might explore it.  Otherwise, the entire time we are in Chicago exploring places - it is all free.  Except for the expensive aquarium.

The show was really nice.  Joel Andrew was a little overwhelmed after our Field experience, so it was good that we ran into the Aquarium and sat down right away to watch the "whale" and dolphin show.  They were beluga whales, people - not Shamu.  Anyway, the show was nice and held Joel's attention, which really spoke to how much he needed a rest, because it was mostly an educational show.  Of how they train the animals.  At the end of the 1/2 hour they had 2 minutes of the dolphins jumping.  Looking around at all the school kids in the crowd I could hear 250-300 voices in my head: "when are they going to jump?  Why is this guy talking so much?"  The dolphins jumping were awesome, and even got some applause from Joel Andrew.  This is huge as the kid always yells at me, or anyone around him, for clapping.  Not sure why he doesn't like clapping...

We went onto the other exhibits, and as with any other aquarium we have been to (I am referring to New England as I can't remember if we have been to any others), school groups mobbed the place.  We did get to go around though and wait our turn and get back to the kids place space.  Joel Andrew had a few glorious minutes in the submarine, pushing buttons to his heart's content.  The slide area was overrun with school kids and after I yelled at other people's children for running on it and almost mowing my child down, we decided to move on.  Normally I will never yell at somebody else's child, but I couldn't help it in this instance...

We then went to the touch tank, and touched a starfish!  My little timid man washed his hands and stuck them right in, petting the starfish nicely twice.  I was so impressed!  Then, we went to wash and dry his hands, and he freaked out at the force of the hand dryer...  Go figure...

The shark area was awesome, and we got to see Dory up close, stand over a sting ray tank, and watch a wave come in and out of another tank.  But all the kiddo wanted to do was sort through the iPad-like things that told you what each fish was.  He would not even look at the tank, just played with the iPads.  Grumpy and I figured next time we can just get him an app...  No, we all had a great time and it was good to get out!

Time flew, but lunch was around the corner and we booked it out of there (cafeteria with school groups just might push us over the edge) and we went to the Park Grille, which is right below the "Bean."  Joel Andrew played on the iPhone and Grumpy and Mommy enjoyed a nice lunch.  Good times were had by all!  What will we do tomorrow?

The Field Museum

Today we stopped at the Field Museum.  It is in a pretty neat section of Chicago - where the Aquarium, Planetarium, Field, and Soldier Field (football stadium) are all right next to each other along the lake.  The Field is Chicago's Natural History Museum.  We got in for free using my ASTC/ACM membership.  That is $30 saved for me!

I graduated from Harvard with a Master's degree in Museum Studies, so this is primarily the reason why I lug my kids to all these places.  But I really don't like, or get Natural History Museums.  The Field is huge, and awesome, but I still was not a fan.  We brought Joel Andrew into exhibit after exhibit, and we just kept saying things like: "there is a stuffed wolf, remember when we saw the real wolf yesterday?" and "there is a stuffed fish, we are going to see a real fish next."

I tried to explain the dinosaurs, a pyramid, a volcano - a few things to Joel, but he just wanted to push the buttons on the explanatory labels.  My kid is going to have the best vocabulary ever.  I think in a few years this place will be awesome with two boys.  But with a preschooler it wasn't so great.  There is supposedly a play lab for kids - but it was closed due to lack of staffing.  There was no other play area, and all the exhibits were designed for at least Kindergarten plus.  It was pretty empty though!  Oh well, maybe next time.

Lincoln Park Zoo

After Baby James woke up from his nap, we had snacks and immediately jumped in the car to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Friends of ours who had visited Chicago this past summer raved about the place, and my parents seemed to enjoy their time there when they went for an event a few weeks ago - so we thought we had to go.

On the way down when people asked us what we were going to do in Chicago, and I told them the Lincoln Park Zoo - they would respond: "Oh, that is small, why not the Brookfield Zoo?"  But, as I have learned from our trips to the Stone Zoo, smaller is better.  Joel Andrew has limited attention span, and he refuses to sit in a stroller seat - (he rides on using our skateboard) - so the larger the space to cover and the more things to see the crankier the boy will be.  So, this only helped me want to go to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Boy was it awesome.  And, small.  Who are these people that thought this zoo was small?  It had it's own carousel, it had a barnyard area - and then the animals - there were lions, tigers and bears.  Oh my.  But there were also giraffes, zebras, a polar bear, a rhinoceros.  This "small" zoo trumped Boston's big zoo, big time!  We were lucky that it was 65 degrees out, we were able to see almost all the animals outside.  They have some great indoor enclosures that you can visit in colder weather, including the monkey house and the gorilla house.  But, most of those rooms were vacant and the animals were out and about.  So much fun!

James enjoyed watching the animals and chilling in his carriage.  Joel had a good time, but was tired of walking after a while.  We went on the carousel, and Joel loved it for the first go-round.  Then continued to say: "Ok, let's get off" until it actually stopped.  I am sad we missed the seal area (it was getting late, and we figured we would cover them at the aquarium today), because that was where the choo-choo ride was.  Eh, he rode a real choo-choo yesterday.  To remember our trip, Joel got "Albert the Alligator" and Joel picked out "Lincoln the Turkey" for Baby James.  It is pretty funny that he picked out a turkey for his brother...

Just so you know, the Lincoln Park Zoo is free to all, it has spectacular views of the Chicago skyline, and is in the middle of an awesome park that you could picnic or walk around in.  Certainly a great place to visit in the summer months, we hope to be back!

We made it home and had lunch and went for a nap.  Baby James only lasted 1/2 hour... the booger is proving to drive Mommy nuts this vacation.  But Joel Andrew needed to be woken up after 2, he was a mess.  We thought we were in for a sickness he was so sluggish and had a fever.  One dose of Children's tylenol and 10 minutes of Finding Nemo though and he was back in action.

Now today, the Field Museum and the Aquarium, while James and Ama have their own day at home.

UPDATE: Joel Husband, Ama and Joel Andrew and I went back to the Zoo another day, and had an awesome time again!  We focused on the indoor places this time, as it was a bit cooler, and they were AWESOME.  We found the hippo!  Can you believe it, this zoo has everything including a hippo!  You can park your car here for $20, or take a quick cab ride from downtown.  I was told of a great cupcake place near here to get a snack afterwards, or walk a couple of blocks to Ed Debevicks or Dave and Busters.  Tons of fun, again the zoo is Free!

First Choo-Choo Ride

Yesterday, while Baby James was napping (mommy is insisting this boy adhere to his schedule this trip, since we get back and the next day he starts daycare) - Grumpy and Joely went to the Train Station to see some trains.  It was Joel's first time at the train station, he loved it.  He was overwhelmed by the big double decker trains and got to see one pulling out of the station.

We then walked to the elevated subway train, and went in one of the stations.  How cool are they?  The loop train stations, which are all elevated in Chicago, are just as they were 70, 80 years ago it seems (maybe older, didn't get the history lesson here).  Anyway, they are super-neat to walk in.  Grumpy paid 5 bucks (kids ride free) and we got on the "choo-choo" for one stop.  Joel's first ride!  All of the passengers though he was hysterical.  Then we walked back home.  Great way to kill an hour in the city!  Photos to come soon!

Travel

I am going to let everyone in on a big secret....

No one - NO ONE likes to travel with babies.  Not businessmen, not retired people, not college kids, and certainly not parents.  The babies don't even want to travel with babies.  Our trip yesterday went that well...

I tried to be prepared, and thankfully, Joel Andrew was a dream.  He really enjoyed the plane experience.  He did not get sick!  He had a great time, watched his movie, played ipod games, and ate licorice (black, isn't that weird)?.

James, on the other hand...  Was not so good.  He is our trouble kid, but he is also usually chill in most situations.  So I thought he wouldn't be that bad... But, let's face it.  Mommy was a mess, there is a lot of stuff to lug and deal with with a 2-1/2 year old and a 10 month old, and it is just not fun to travel anyway.  So no matter how I sliced it, we were in for disaster.

We got to the airport early.  Daddy had a last minute meeting so I drove myself and parked in the long term lot.  Hoisted the bags around me and pushed the stroller and suitcase all the way to the airport.  I was quite impressed with myself, as were many airport employees.  That was not so bad.

We checked in like a breeze, we went to Manchester, and the Southwest people were very nice.  Security was no problem.  Thankfully they do not make kids under 12 take shoes off anymore, so that is good (and totally makes sense).  Mommy was prepped and prepared to go through, and we made it through quicker than the businessman traveling alone next to us!

We found the play area (gate 4 & 5) in the airport and hung out there for a bit.  Then, went to Sam Adams for some grilled cheese all around.  It was so far an awesome day!  Mommy went to the potty, and Joel even wanted to try.  But I think I scared him for life (and me too because of the germs) - as when he sat on the auto flush went on and scared the pants of him...

I went to the gate and told the Southwest people I might need help getting on the plane.  They put us right on, first. Someone even carried the evil bulky car seat on for me.  The flight attendant held Baby James while I put it together, Joel sat there like a great little man.  All was set.

Take off, wonderful.  Toys and snacks for Baby James, movie and snacks for Joel.  But, about 1/2 hour in it became apparent that James had enough.  I think he was over stimulated, and he really just wanted to sleep.  And, in an effort to keep him from crying I just kept throwing toys at him, or snacks, or his bottle, or taking him out of the seat (I was desprate!) - which would solve the whining for one minute but then bring it back again until finally I realized that the kid just needed to sleep.  He fought it and fought it and cried and cried for 10 minutes, during which Joel Andrew kept asking what was wrong and dropping his ipod, snacks and headphones. Finally Baby James fell asleep.

We landed, baby wakes up and people start filing out of the plane.  One woman, waiting to exit, says: "That cute little thing made so much noise?"  And then continued... "Is he too young to be medicated?"  I laughed it off, but really?  Then another lady, I think hoping to redeem the last one, decided to "help" me exit and hold up the rest of the passengers and insisted that I get off the plane in front of her.  This I was no prepared for.  Which then lead to a screaming toddler, baby, Mommy trying to hold everything and people looking at me like I was the worst mother in the world.  Then I proceeded to hold them up while I got my stroller assembled.  It was awesome.  I left the terminal crying.  There was another mother with her boys about a year older than mine, breezing through and looking at me like I was nuts.  She was traveling with no car seats, only one back back, and a small umbrella stroller.  Perhaps next time I need to remember less is more.

Probably not a good time to take a trip...  But today we are going to brush it off, see the choo-choos, and go to the Zoo!

Man Weekend

This weekend Joel Husband is taking a deserved Man Weekend at Sunday River while I stick it out at home with the boys.  I had such a good plan as to hanging out with my boys, that I was actually looking forward to this.  I was going to be positive for my husband so he could relax and have fun, I was going to have fun with just me and my boys.  I was even going to... gasp...  higher a sitter for Saturday night so I could have a break, and get out and do some last minute shopping for our trip to Chicago on Monday. But you know what they say about the best plans...

On Thursday I woke up and immediately knew it.  The "Cleanse" bug had hit me.  I was in for my 24-hour cleanse whether I wanted it or not.  Because of inclement weather, Husband was working from home.  But - thank whomever it is responsible - daycare was still open.  It took husband a few hours to figure out I was not kidding.  Perhaps my wretching noises from the bathroom echoing throughout the house - or rather, my "Honey, you should take Baby James and leave me in this room quarantined or else you might get this for man weekend" worked... Cause Husband took James and I slept.  All Day.  Like a champ. (of course sleeping was in between sick, I do not want to make this sound like fun, because it was not fun, at all)...

Anywho, 12 hours later (perhaps this is an expedited cleanse), I was a new woman. This also coincided with bedtime, which made me think that husband might of thought this was all a farce.  No way man, I needed that day.  I have every last minute of my "maternity" leave programmed to the millisecond, and I lost a day of organization, cleaning, shopping and such.  Plus, what I was more concerned about...  I had the most contagious bug that has effected a good chunk of the New England population this year...  Who was next?  And I am going to be home alone with boys!

Friday went by and we were once again productive.  I packed for Chicago, and I pulled out the next set of clothes for Baby James from the attic.  Which also happens to be the only set of clothes left for Baby James from the attic.  Yes, kids, my soon-to-be-10 month old is ready to wear 2T.  And, my 2-1/2 year old is barely in 3T.  This will make things easier for me, right?  I hope!  Anyway we are off to Hilton Head shortly after I start work (built into my work plan, I tried not to start until after that, but that wasn't happening :) )...  so, I got clothing prepped for such occasion, and the summer I guess too.  I am telling you, prepping for work is a lot like nesting for a new baby.

Anyway, I digress.

Friday was productive.  Daddy was gone all day, did not come home, went straight up to Maine.  I picked Joel up from school (he went Friday since he missed Tuesday from his last day at Sunday River), we had dinner, they went to bed, all was grand.  They woke up, everything was great, had a bath, all was grand.  We got some snow pictures, Baby James napped, Joel and I had fun in the snow, played with trains, made Jello, all was wonderful.  James woke up, we went and did errands, got Quesadilla for lunch, I had totally forgotten about being sick.  Until about a 1/2 mile from home, when breakfast went all over the back seat, car seat, and baby in my car.  Nice.

Now, just so you know, convertible car seats are not easy to clean.  At least mine (Britax Marathon) is not. While struggling with that, with hungry toddler, with still puking baby, we managed the afternoon. I put baby in the high chair (because really, where else do you put him?) and he was just more and more sick.  Also, our high chair is not easy to clean.  Finally I came to my senses and even though it was not nap time (I am a stickler for that) - Baby James went to bed.  He needed it man.  Joel ate.  Then he watched Despicable Me, the entire movie, while I cleaned and disinfected everything.  And I cried.  I cried, and cried and cried.  I was sad I now had to obviously cancel my babysitter and would not get to buy new clothes.  I was sad we had to cancel our Museum of Science day tomorrow, I was super sad we were going to be stuck in the house the rest of the weekend (there was no way I was getting this carseat back together, let alone in the car - a Joel Husband job), but most of all I was sad about - when is Joel Andrew going to get this next?  Tomorrow?  Tonight?  On the plane to Chicago on Monday.  Do we have to reschedule or cancel our trip?

Well, that remains to be seen and is still a major concern.  But I have since put things in perspective.  There will always be time to buy clothes and have a babysitter.  The MoS was probably just going to anger me with crowds anyway and do I really need that the day before a plane ride alone with two kids?  And, I am a big girl and with a few deep breaths and curses I figured out the carseat all by myself.  Baby James woke up a better man and ate like you have never seen him eat before (only bread-like things people, I am not dumb, it laster 12 hours on me, I am fully prepared to wake up at midnight and change some sheets...). This incident has also forced James to become a pro at the sippy cup - I gave him water instead of a bottle and he was so thirsty he finally figured the thing out...  So, we will see.

Husband will be home tomorrow evening.  I hope he had fun.  Because Joel Andrew is lined up to be next.  Just please, please do not be while we are on the plane.