Wicked

Today, I'm sure you are expecting to see a bunch of pictures of Meg and Kate in costume once again. Ahh, but something has 'trumped' my Halloween posting . . . and, after two days, I figured you needed a break from my zebra and piggy, anyway.

Instead, I must write about an experience I had last night.

I saw "Wicked" . . . the Broadway musical . . . right here in Atlanta.


To say it was amazing is an understatement. To describe any of it to you with only the silly words or spunky verbiage I can muster up would do it an injustice. To say that I loved it would NOT be enough.

I feel like the luckiest girl alive. On Tuesday evening, my best friend and best college buddy called me on her way home from work, as she does usually once each week. After our normal, "What's up at your house?" chat, she busted in with . . . "Well, I'm calling to ask you something . . ."

That can always mean a multitude of things. We are like sisters, this friend and I . . . we are always asking one another for different favors. But this time, it was something that I would never have expected.

"(My husband) and I are going to see Wicked at the Fox on Thursday. My mom is going too, and it turns out she has one extra ticket. I'm so sorry we can't invite Jim, but if you'd like to come . . ."

I'm not sure what else she said. All I heard was something about seeing Wicked . . . one ticket available . . . and that I was invited to join them for the show.

If you are a recent 'subscriber' to this blog, you may not have heard about the Wicked ticket debacle in NYC back in April (no pun intended). You can read about it here and here . Or I can just sum it up: Jim and I bought 2 tickets to see the show in NYC from some dude on Craig's List. $250 for the seats, and they were counterfeit. It was a horrible experience.

When I heard that Wicked was coming to Atlanta, Jim somewhat scoffed at the idea of trying to get tickets. He even declined to see it when we were in Chicago just 2 weeks ago. Seems he's quite jaded from our whole NYC experience; he lost interest in seeing the show. So, I had just thrown my hands up and figured (a) I won't get to see it, but life will go on OR (b) sometime in the future, I will be surprised with tickets because Jim knows had badly I'd like to see the musical.



I got surprised with tickets . . . but not by Jim.

My friend's mom had purchased a whole group of tickets for herself, her family, and some of her work friends. When all was said and done . . . and 17 tickets were handed out . . . there was one left. And my darling friend (and her darling mom) thought of me.

Not only was I lucky enough to be offered the ticket, I was also lucky enough to have been offered the ticket on a night when Jim was home to watch the girls. I could actually go . . . no babysitter needed. No stress, no worry. Daddy and the girls would have a night to themselves.

It all just fell into place. And -- I ask you -- how often does that actually happen?

Please don't worry about Jim . . . no, he didn't get to see the show. But, I don't think it was all too disappointed. Sure, after I came home raving about it, there was a part of him that felt he'd missed out . . . but, he's honestly not that much of a musical theatre (or theatre in general) kind of guy. He goes to shows because I love it. Just knowing that I was finally getting to see Wicked was enough to make him enjoy staying home with the girls and send me off with my friends. (Thank you, Jim. I love you.)

Together with my buddy, her husband, and her mom, we piled in the car rode to the Fox for the show yesterday evening. The ride down was full of excitement . . . we chatted it up about different things going on in our lives and paid little attention to the traffic of downtown or the time it was taking us to make it to the theatre. We were all anticipating what the evening had in store for us.

The excitement continued as we left the car and walked to the theatre. The show was sold out . . . people were everywhere . . . the place was buzzing. They had even changed the lights in the Fox Theatre marquee from red to GREEN for this show. The whole place was electric, and all because of this amazing musical. I kept saying over and over . . . "I'm so excited! Thank you for inviting me!"

As we got to the door, I said to my friend, "Now imagine . . . if we had done all of this, we were all dressed up like this, so so excited . . . and these people right here taking our tickets said Nope, you can't come in. " THAT was exactly what had happened to us in New York. Just remembering that feeling breaks my heart all over again.

But not this time. This time, my ticket *dinged!* just like it was supposed to when scanned, and into the theatre we went. I know I was smiling from ear to ear.

The show itself is absolutely incredible. It was, without a doubt, more than I could have even expected. The story -- which follows Glenda (the good witch) and the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz before the arrival of Dorothy and Toto -- is so cleverly written, so funny, and so captivating. The music -- just spectacular. I came home and downloaded the soundtrack before I went to bed. I can't say enough about the show . . . and I can't say too much, either. I would not want to ruin it for anyone. I would want you all to see it as wide-eyed and unknowing as I was. I loved, loved it.

I got to see Wicked. I am still so excited about that . . . and here we are, a day after it has already happened.

Thank you, my friend, from the bottom of my heart. I feel so, so lucky to have been able to see this musical with you and your family. I feel like a part of your family because you included me, because you though of me and knew how much I wanted to see this show. I'm just so grateful for a friend like you.

I got to see Wicked!!

Halloween Week: Thursday at St Andrew

As promised, today was the preschool Halloween party . . . complete with costumes and ghost shaped cookies.

All us moms were there to take part in the festivities. We dolled up our kids as soon as we arrived. . . . WAY more for our own delight than for theirs. We strapped them into princess dresses, cowboy hats, zebra and monkey suits . . . then stood back to take as many pictures as the kids would allow. Once they were starry-eyed from all the camera flashes, we turned them loose on a 'spooky' sticker activity.

Two year olds in costumes can be such a riot. Especially when they attempt to do normal things, like craft activities and eating snack.

The party did not disappoint . . . Me OR Meg, thankfully. It was a hoot.

Kate even went in costume . . .

Meg had made a very special request this morning . . . "Kate come in her costume, too? Meg want to!" was what she had asked for. It seemed very important to her. Of course, I could not resist honoring Meg's request to have sister in costume at her preschool party. It was a big hit :)

I love this time of year at Meg's school. She's learning so much, bringing home great crafts, and enjoying tons of activities unique to the fall season. Two weeks ago, the kids visited a pumpkin patch for storytime and pumpkin picking . . .

It's so fantastic to watch Meg grow, to see her learn and have so much fun at these events. These activites are the kinds of things I've been waiting for . . . the stuff I have always, always looked forward to doing with my kids. I try and soak up every single moment. I hear there will be a day when Meg (and Kate) won't want Mommy to come to the party . . . which I know will break my heart. Thankfully, those days are far from now . . . so I'm free to enjoy every event I can with our girls. As a matter of fact, when Meg sees me, she usually says, " 'ders MY momma!"

Oh -- and last night -- to add to the fun of our day's events, I took Meg for a ride through our neighborhood to look for "Spooky Houses." Many of our neighbors have gone all out with the deocrating, and we enjoyed driving around to appreciate their hard work. It was a true treat. Meg rode in the front seat to get a good view (no Brittany Spears comments necessary -- we didn't even leave the neighborhood), and she kept yelling, " 'ders 'nother spooky house!" as we rounded each corner. (I kept thinking: she's going to go nuts over Christmas lights!)

How fun it is to have a wide-eyed child in our lives.

Happy Halloween Thursday! Tomorrow is the big day . . . trick or treating, candy eating, and spooky costumes galore.

Halloween Week: Wednesday

Today was the first of our three day Halloween party palooza. Hosted by Yours Truly, we enjoyed a wonderful costume party play date . . . complete with a crafty activity for everyone to take home.

8 kids, 8 moms. We definitely had a full house! Lots of fun snacks and lots of fun costumes.

I tend to stress myself out when hosting events. I worry too much, prepare a ton, and then try to relax and have fun when the party is going on. But, with today's clientele, I didn't have to stress. We are all a bunch of moms . . . everyone is doing the same things I do and trying to get by the same way I try. I didn't worry about my messy house or my less than perfect Pumpkin Rice Krispy Treats. Nobody cared . . . I think everyone had a great time and enjoyed seeing their kids in costumes. (And that was my goal.)

Oh, and I didn't forget Kate. Because of -- what I firmly believe to be -- devine intervention, she went down for a nap at noon and slept through almost the entire party. It freed me up to enjoy some time with Meg, do the craft, talk to my friends. She woke up promptly at 1:30pm, just as everyone was leaving.

Tomorrow's adventure: the preschool party. And then comes Friday, the real deal . . . Halloween! Meg can't wait to use the pumpkin bags that Nana Dahlby sent . . . I told her that we are going to walk around the neighborhood and people will put candy in her basket. She can hardly wait.

Day In, Day Out

Much like a small child, I thrive on routine. I love to know what's going on and what to expect next. Routine = happiness, in my book.

With an infant that grows into a toddler, you create a routine without really thinking about it . . . it just happens. Wake up: 7:30 am. Breakfast first, then play time. Lunch at noon, immediately followed by a 2 hour nap. Wake up, play some more, maybe visit the park. Starting at 5:30pm: dinner, bath, bed. It can be heavenly on days when it all just falls right into place.

Meg and I had it down to a science. There was plenty of variety in our days . . . enough to keep them interesting . . . but those basics happened nearly every day like clockwork. Kate arrived, and a much anticipated and much expected change in our daily routine occurred. Nothing wrong, no complaints . . . I knew it was coming. Life just changed, as I knew it would.

What I didn't know was how quickly we could return to a routine in a house with a nearly 2 1/2 year old and a 4 1/2 month old baby. But, much to my delightful surprise, it appears to have happened.

Our routine now is not exactly the same as it once was. Meg and Kate wake up at different times . . . and Kate never seems to rise at the same time twice (yet). But still, it's wake up and eat, get dressed and play. Some days, it's a little more rushed as we get Meg ready for preschool. Some days, I can oblige Meg's request to, "Watch a po-gram in Mommy's bed for a little bit, pweese." Meg and Mommy eat together, play, and Baby Kate finds a time mid-morning to return to her crib for a snooze.

Lunch time can be a bit hectic. I prepare food for both Meg and myself . . . and it's rarely the same thing. While I'm not planning to become a short-order cook, I don't expect Meg to eat a salad or a turkey sandwich nearly every day (which is my routine), so I will make her different things on many occasions. It's not that big of a deal, but sure it does make lunch prep harder some days. After lunch, we usually read a few stories . . . sometimes Kate is already down for a nap at this time, sometimes she enjoys stories with us. The HUGE accomplishment here: I can usually line up naps for both girls. At least for an hour or so. That's not an every day occurrence, but it happens more often than not. By the grace of God, I get an hour or so to do things I need to do . . . without a toddler at my heels or the guilt of putting the kids in front of TV.

The worst time of our daily routine is the post-nap "witching hour." From about 4:00pm until dinner, I think that time actually stands still. 15 minute increments can seem to last for days. It's the worst. I find things for us to do or places for us to go to fill this time the best I can, but it always seems to linger and last forever.

All of you out there with husbands that come home each night -- THIS is where you have it so good. I know your routine well . . . you start looking at that clock at about 5:30pm and wonder when he's coming through the door. Maybe you are waiting for a "I'm on the way" phone call from Dad, or maybe you know exactly what time he'll be home. Either way, I envy you. You have help coming.

Me, I'm on my own usually 4 nights each week. So, we hit 5:30pm, and I'm not waiting for a phone call . . . I'm moving into the kitchen, trying to get dinner together. Some nights, I cook something yummy for Meg and I, some nights it's the left-overs from those yummy meals, and sometimes it's just whatever I can piece together that is at least moderately healthy (meaning a glass of milk and at least a vegtable thrown in somewhere). I have to do this while my kiddos are usually watching TV, coloring, sitting in a bouncy seat, or bouncing off the walls. Each night is different.

Post dinner is no cake walk, but somehow I always manage to make it through. I clean up dinner while Meg watches (again) a program and cleans up her toys in the living room. My biggest time saver these days: we use a lot of paper plates. I started that about a month ago . . . and it's really quite helpful. It's lazy and more expensive, sure. But Meg loves to pick out her plate before dinner, and I love to just toss everything in the can at meal's end.

Dinner done, it's upstairs we go. Naked babies in the bath . . . and now I can bathe them both in one bath tub. It's quite a sight . . . Kate in the little tub IN the big tub, Meg all squished at the end. Sooner or later, Kate will be able to use a very nifty tub seat that Keisha gave us. Then both girls will have some space. For now, it works the way we do it . . . both girls in and out of the tub in about 15-20 minutes time. Lotions, jammies, combing of hair . . . then it's time to pick out books.

These days, we are on a two or three book routine, depending on the night and the book selections. One of my favorite things that has begun to happen is that Kate will sit with us and listen to the stories. Oh *sigh* how it melts my heart. I sit in the bed with my two girls, lying on the pillows in their jammies, smelling the room up with incredible baby smells. Kate usually sticks her fingers in her mouth and just sucks contently while I read (side note: she's alternating between the first two fingers of her right hand and the middle/ring fingers on her left . . . only time will tell which will win out as 'the' fingers to suck). Meg loves her stories, and we often read one book more than once . . . last night, it was 3 readings of " Today is Monday " by Eric Carle.

After stories and lights out for Meg, I often think to myself, "One down, one to go . . ." And lately, that second seems to go down pretty much right after the first. This is so unexpected; to have an infant going to bed before 9:00pm was, I thought, impossible. But last night, by 8:15pm, both of the girls were sleeping and I was . . . well, in disbelief.

Will it really be this easy? To be on a routine again so soon?

I certainly hope so. If it is, then maybe the next Baby Dahlby will come along a little earlier than expected ;)

For now, I'll cherish the days when it all falls into place. I'll thrive on my routine for as long as I can . . . or for as long as it lasts, I should say. With a little one like Kate, it is bound to keep changing . . . but if I can manage to keep some simblance of routine in there, I think we'll all be a little bit happier around here.

Hungry

Every few weeks, it seems that my toddler becomes particularly hungry.

For attention.

It makes for a few long days, but usually goes as quickly as it comes. It is unpredictable, unmistakable, and uncontrollable. If you couldn't guess, we are knee deep in an 'attention deficit' situation right now . . . Meg is being particularly whiny and needy today.

This current episode actually started yesterday. Two photo shoots kept me away from home all morning and then again for a few hours in the evening. By the time I returned around 6pm, Meg had had enough of my absence, and she made it clear that she had missed me during my time away. She clung to me. She whined when I had to pay attention to Kate. Every little need she had became a request to me . . . "mommy sit by Meg", "mommy take Meg potty", "mommy fix Meg's dinner". She peed in her pants TWICE . . . and I'm convinced the second time was definitely an attention-seeking strategy. Meg crawled in my lap, walked at my heels, draped herself all over me until I could not take it any more.

What made it worse, we had company for dinner. Having company didn't make my night worse . . . it made Meg's whining and complaining worse. It's like she turned it up a knotch to please the crowd. (So, so sorry, Dan & Traci . . . I wish our get-together could have been a bit better for everyone involved!)

Today it has continued. She had a total meltdown in music class this morning when we took our 'class photo' . . . because I had to hold a whimpering (and actually hungry) Kate and could not hold Meg in the picture. That was all it took for her to, full out, start crying. Poor thing. She didn't stop, so we took the picture anyway.

I do feel terrible when we are going through these 2-to-3 day bouts. I don't know what the best course of action is. Do I give her the attention she needs, reinforcing the behavior by giving her the desired result? Or, do I ignore her, trying to extinguish the behavior . . . even though I know she needs me and just wants some extra love?

How bad could it be to pay her a little more attention? Then again, I can't just bow to Meg because she wants my full attention . . . she does have a little sister that has needs, too.

It's really hard being a mother of multiple children. The guilt I'm dealing with as we battle through our day today is really horrible. I want to stop what I'm doing and spend all the time I have with Meg . . . to help her cope with our changing family and to let her know that we love her every ounce as much as we did before Kate arrived. But, literally, I can't. I have a 4 month old that depends on me as her sole source of food. And she needs a little of my time for other things -- like giggles and smiles -- too. I have other things -- housework, work, neighborhood commitments -- that take little bits and pieces of my time. So, I give Meg the attention that I can, and I go about my other tasks with a heavy heart and a lot of guilt.

Poor Meg. She's starved for attention, even though I'm giving her everything I can. Hopefully she'll wake up tomorrow a little less hungry for her mom.

Halloween Hijinks

Before we had kids . . . let's face it . . . Halloween wasn't much more than an excuse to go out and do a little partying. Lots of Sex Kitten and Hugh Heffner costumes are now hung in our closets, reminding us of our younger days.

Now, Halloween is so much more . . . it's adorable, fun, all about candy, and -- at least at our house -- a nearly week long activity.


In anticipation of all the Halloween coming to the Dahlby's house over the next few days, I give you some Halloween Hijinks I've caught around town over the last week or two.


Hijink # 1 -- Obama vs. McCain

Hilarious costume seen in a recent local parade. I tried to get a shot of McCain really giving it to Obama :)

Hijink# 2 -- Lawn Ornaments

People all over the place go all out to decorate their homes this time of year. It starts with Halloween, grows as the autumn leaves change, and climaxes with holiday-in-lights. It's a fantastic time of year for lawn ornamenture (is that a word?).

In case you can't tell what these Halloween lawn skeletons are up to . . . they are tailgating. Right there on the lawn . . . TV and all. Awesome! I passed this house last year, and the same skeletons were playing a piano. I'm guessing that each year they are up to new antics . . . which makes for awesome lawn decor. I bet the neighbors are on pins and needles as the calendar changes from September to October, anticipating the skeletons each year . . . I know that I would be, if they were my neighbors.

Too, too clever, I tell you.

Hijink # 3 -- Signage

And just in case you can't make out what it says . . .

Corny, of course. But it made you smile, didn't it?

If I catch any more hijinks this week, I'll be sure to post. BOO! to you and yours this week . . . enjoy all the fun that Halloween can bring.

New Digs

Been thinking about a change for a while . . . then I created that crazy picture as a header, loved it, and decided the old polka dots needed to go.

Out with the old, in with the new.

Enjoy.

Favorite Photo Friday, Week 8

Claudia, Marietta GA, October 25, 2008

I think it's funny how much our lives have changed . . . not just in big, monumental ways, but in little ways. Five years ago, our weekends were spent at wedding showers or at actual weddings. At least once a month, we attended one or the other. Then, for a while, it was a plethera of baby showers. Babies galore among us and our friends . . . Meg being one of the first, then Kate being one of the most recent.

Now-a-days, there is still the occassional wedding. And baby showers are certainly not yet a thing of the past. But one event seems to dominate our weekends as of late . . . birthday parties.

Above is from a party we had the pleasure of enjoying this weekend. The darling Claudia turned two, and we all celebrated in style with a UGA themed party and a oh-so-fun bouncey-house. (Actually, this weekend we were 'double booked' with parties . . . but we couldn't make it to both . . . after all, there is only so much cake our two-year-old can handle in one day.)

Presents were opened, just like at the other types of affairs we once enjoyed. Cake was had . . . there was even some fun champagne to liven up the party. So there wasn't talk of an upcoming wedding or a pending due date . . . there was still a lot of fun and laughter enjoyed by everyone. We celebrated Claudia, which is totally worth the celebration.

,

Like Johnson & Johnson says, "Having a baby changes everything."

(And YES, I realize I'm posting favorite photo on Saturday . . . I was sick Thursday and Friday, so I got a little behind. Feeling a little better today.)

A Peanut

As if I don't have enough on my mind . . .

Kate weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs, 11 oz at her 4 month appointment on Tuesday. With furrowed brown and wrinkled nose, Dr. Ho said, "Wow, she's the size of a two month old."

I've been calling Kate 'peanut' for ages now because -- as I've mentioned -- the girl is tiny. But, the same size as a baby 1/2 her age? Really? She doesn't seem that small. Sure, she still fits snugly on my thighs (you know, when lying down with my knees bent) . . . and the car seat still seems about 2 sizes too big for her little body . . . but I didn't think she was as small as the doctor's say she is. And I certainly didn't think anything was wrong with her because of her petite frame.

The nurse at the pediatrician's office couldn't have been nicer. We went through the 4 month developmental milestones, and Kate passed all with flying colors.

Great head control? check

Follows objects with her eyes? check

Reaches and grabs? check

Puts pressure on her feet when in standing position? check

Rolls over? check

Babbles and coos? check

There are no delays, nothing to indicate any problem at all. She said, "Well, you're little . . . but little is often MIGHTY!" That made me feel good. Dr. Ho, however, wasn't as convincing. Her questioning and comments left me worrying about my little emaciated Kate. (Okay, so she's hardly emaciated . . . but she is so little!)

Does she eat enough? you might ask. Dr. Ho certainly did. The answer: Yes. Honestly, she does. Kate eats anywhere from 5 to 6 times a day . . . mostly because (praise God) she's sleeping through the night these days, and that's all the feeding we can cram into her in a 12 hour day. I can feel the difference in my body when she eats, so I know she's getting a lot of milk. Her 'under-weightness' is not really a reason to start supplementing with formula or additional bottles of breast milk. She eats what she wants, when she wants . . . and that's about all we can do. Dr. Ho agreed that formula wasn't the answer.

Instead, Dr. Ho hinted around about adding cereal to Kate's daily routine as an attempt to get more calories into her. *Sigh* I'm not ready for that, and I don't think Kate is, either. She's been taking Tylenol the past 2 days (to help her recover from the 4 month shots), and it's all I can do to get her to move the liquid from her cheek to the back of her throat. Developmentally, she's not ready to eat from a spoon yet. And she certainly can't sit up, which would help in the whole eating process. I waited until about 5 1/2 months with Meg, and I think I'll do the same for Kate . . . "AMA", I guess you could say.

I was shown Kate's growth chart, which is a crazy downward curve. She's gained only 1 pound and grown only 1 inch since her 2 month appointment in August. And Dr. Ho was only moderately convincing about the fact that this could all fix itself as she continues to grow.

"She's the picture of health," Dr. Ho said as she shrugged and listened to Kate's heart and abdomen. "Babies do come in all shapes and sizes . . . so let's just see how she's doing at her 6 month in December." She wasn't telling me what I wanted to hear -- that Kate is totally fine, just a peanut.

I asked what the chances are that something could actually be wrong . . . given the fact that Kate is totally on track for development, eats and sleeps great, and could not have a better temperment. What else could be wrong with Kate? Dr. Ho did insist that the chances of some underlying problem are very rare. And again, she said, "We'll she how she's doing at 6 months."

Now I feel like I need to pump all the calories I can into Kate each day. It's like a race to see how much bigger I can help her get in two month's time.

Oh -- is that a little whimper? Want the boob, Kate?

When is the last time you ate?

How long have we been sitting here nursing?

UGH. I drive myself crazy.

I know, I know. She's fine. She's just small, and there is nothing wrong with that. I know.

But still . . .

You take your kid in for a well-baby visit and expect to leave with a crying infant and too many band aids on his/her legs . . . you don't expect to leave with a tiny baby and a head full of wonder about what might be keeping her so small.

Sing Along Songs

Music is kinda my 'thing' . . . it's a huge part of my life, and it always has been.

Jim jokes that I can beat anyone you know at "Name that Tune." He's right. I have this uncanny knack for knowing the name and artist for many, many pop and country songs. I have won 2 separate contests . . . once at a time-share resort in Mexico, I won a 'name tha tune' contest and we got a free appetizer. On a cruise, I came in 2nd to a DJ -- who I considered to be drastically over-qualified for the competition. Really, I got a trophy for that cruise-ship contest, so I consider it a win.


Not only do I recognize the song, but if it was released between about 1985 and now, I can often tell you the year it was originally playing on the radio. I associate so many of my memories and so much of my life with music . . . I just think back to when I remember hearing it, and I can ususally pin the year without hesitation.

For example . . . and I swear, I did NOT look any of these up, so there is the potential that I'm off by a year or a season . . .

• Madonna, "Like a Prayer" -- 1988, 5th grade when we lived in New Hampshire(incidentally, I can do this with just about every song on her 'Immaculate Collection' CD -- it's like my entire childhood on disk)


• Blind Melon, "No Rain" -- spring 1994, right after I got my driver's liscense


• Alanis Morisette, "You Outta Know" -- late 1995, early 1996, right as I was about to graduate high school


• The Cardigans, "Love Me, Love Me" -- fall 1996, my freshman year at UGA


• Justin Timberlake, "Bringin' Sexy Back" -- summer of 2006, right after Meg was born


• Amy Winehouse, "Back to Black" -- spring of 2008, when I was pregnant with Kate

Those were the first few that jumped into my head. I could literally go on and on.



So I know the song and the date . . . and many times, most of the words, too. My love of lyrics literally fills more of my brain than I care to admit. I hear a song once, and it sticks . . . it's just how my memory works. My cousin, 10 years my junior, once told her school-age friends when we were all driving around town one summer day, "My cousin, she knows the words to every song on the radio." She must have been about 8 yrs old, making me about 18 . . . and I still have that ability to sing along to this day.

And sing along I do -- oh, do I ever. In the car, I am like a freakin' American Idol applicant or something. I sing along to everything. Sometimes I turn on certain CDs and sing the same song over and over . . . if it's the kind that suits my voice and I think sounds great.

Jim says I have a nice voice. He actually seems to like to hear me sing, so I oblige him most of the time when we are in the car together.

The heartbreaker: Meg has started putting the brakes on my car rides full of sing along songs. From the backseat, I hear, "No Mommy Sing!" from my two year old. My heart dropped the first time she did it. She doesn't want me to sing?! I thought. My dreams of mommy-daughter sing alongs are on hold for now . . . the kid hardly lets me get a note out these days before she requests that I knock it off. "Please don't sing, Mommy," is what I've taught her to say. If she's going to shoot me down, at least she could be polite about it.

As I sit here and type, Kate is in my lap, "AAAhhhhh-ing" away and making all kinds of baby noises. I think she's trying to sing.

Maybe she gets it from her mom.

Tag, I'm It

I've been 'blog tagged' . . . which means I'm to tell you 5 radom things about myself.

Here goes . . .

1. I'm really cheap. Can't pay for anything unless I think it's reasonably priced.

2. I hate raw onions and blue cheese with a flaming passion.

3. I love, love, love to sing.

4. I always wish I had been a cheerleader in high school.

5. Laundry is my favorite household chore.

And now I tag: Becky (Mommy is Me), Erica, and Paula.

Chicagoing

You are probably wondering why I disappeared mid week . . . well, I'm back. We just returned from a wonderful weekend away in The Windy City.


Man, I love Chicago. And I'm not just saying that because we managed to enjoy this trip without somebody stealing $250 from us (remember our NYC trip this spring?). I really do love that town. I love the layout, the lake, the shopping, the parks. It's just such a fun place to visit. This is our 4th trip, Jim and I. We love going up there any chance we get.

Jim, Kate, and I boarded a plane on Friday morning to head up and attend the wedding of Jim's high school buddy. It was just a quick trip -- out Friday, back Sunday. The wedding was our event of focus . . . and we were very excited to see everyone that would be joining us for the weekend.

Because we had decided that we didn't want to visit the inside of every restroom in Chi-town, we left Meg here with my parents. I love her -- you know I do -- but 2 kids in a big city for just 2 days wasn't really worth it. Please don't think the kid missed out . . . she watching a coma-inducing amount of television with my dad, I'm sure . . . and kicked back enough apple juice and sugary snacks to rot out every tooth in her mouth. Meg loves her grandparents, and she didn't mind skipping the wedding.

There were two more on the trip with us . . . Jim's parents, Stan and Paulette. They came along as our babysitters so that we could go to the rehearsal dinner post-party and the wedding/reception without Kate. As you know, I'm a breastfeeding mom . . . and at only 4 months, Kate and I are not yet ready for a weekend apart. A few hours is very manageable (thanks to Medela), but an entire weekend would be very, very tough. We brought along the grandparents so that I could still continue to feed Kate without the ridiculous amount of pumping that would be required if she had been left behind. Here is a BIG shout out to Nana and Papa Dahlby -- THANK YOU. You came along this weekend for ME . . . not really for Jim. No matter what, he would have gone to the wedding . . . but if you had not come along, I would have had to stay home. Thanks for giving up your weekend to help me and our family!

In between the Friday night party and the Saturday evening wedding, we crammed in a little sight seeing . . . some time on Michigan Avenue, a trip to the top of the Hancock, and a morning in Millennium park. We ate stuffed Giordano's pizza and visited the Chicago Disney Store for a souvenir for Meg. The weekend flew by. It was awesome.

Some of the highlights from the weekend --

Visiting The Signature Room on top of the John Hancock building.

Jim forgetting his jacket. That guy -- he does that all the time. He once went to ALASKA with no coat. Being that it was only in the low 60s most of the trip, it was a little chilly at night to go around jacket-less . . . so he bought a new little coat while we were out shopping. (I should try that "Oh, look what I forgot!" trick sometime.)

All the shopping on Michigan Avenue . . . and State Street. I actually had more luck finding great things on State Street this time around.

Not being on a set schedule, except for the 3pm wedding on Saturday (which we were nearly late for because we goofed around all morning). Kate is still totally portable, so we schlepped her around Chicago and she napped in the stroller. I breastfed all over the place . . . at the top of the John Hancock, in a cab, and at Millenium Park, to name a few spots. I think I need a shirt that reads, "I Breastfeed in Public" so that people won't stare so much :)

Yummy stuffed pizza lunch. All the food, in general. I loved eating and not worrying about points for a weekend. Even the wedding dinner was awesome!

Having some time with Kate all to myself.

Saturday morning in Millenium Park, just wandering around.

The post-rehearsal dinner party at a midtown bar. When we walked in, the group screamed, "Dahlby!" and were all so excited to see Jim. It was a lot of fun . . . just to be out in a BAR again, like the 'old' days before kids!

The wedding itself, which was fantastic. I must admit that I was a little worried because these were all Jim's friends from home . . . mostly people I'd never met or spent much time with. Everyone was fantastic . . . very nice and very welcoming of new folks. It was so very much fun.

Being able to drink. Yes, call me an alcoholic, if you must. But I was glad to have a chance to let loose and drink a little. I've said it before -- I feel like I've been pregnant for the last 2 years. This weekend was the first chance (really, the first occassion) in quite some time that Jim and I have had to live it up together, so we took full advantage. I brought some milk for Kate and my pump -- and I did pump-and-dump after the wedding -- so all was covered on that end. I liked that I could drink more than one glass of wine without feeling guilty.

It was great. Now that I'm back home, doing laundry and tending to the girls, I keep thinking back to how much fun we had this weekend. I think Jim and I both needed it . . . and we are grateful to those who made it possible (the Bloom/Salb families for the invitation and the grandparents for the babysitting).

Now back to regular life . . . but first, a few more pictures of the fun in Chicago.