Chicago: 3 weeks after full family arrives

Sweet Home Chicago!

Last time I lived in Chicago I was fresh out of high school. 18, single, and only school and softball to worry about. This time: 29, married with 2 kids, and so many responsibilities I'm still awake at 3:25 am thinking about them all.

Ed and the kids joined me in Chicago on August 1. We moved into our small apartment and after 3 weeks we still have boxes in the living room, dining room, kitchen, clothes everywhere in the laundry room, and items for storage stacked to the ceiling in our bedroom. Moving in has taken much longer than ever before. Why? Well, my responsibilities at work increased ten fold and I am very thankful for this opportunity. Also, Ed has been frantically trying to apply to schools in Chicago which offer his program of Classics (ancient Greece and Rome). He was accepted to Loyola (go Ramblers) and will start Monday. Oh yeah, and 2 kids. EV turns 3 next month and James is 9 months old. How we're going to afford the city is still up in the air. I just figured out our budget and we need an extra $1500...a month. Umm...ok. That's the reason I'm still awake. Winning lottery ticket anyone wants to split???

James update:
He is adorable. As EV likes to say, "She's so cute." He boasts 6 teeth, 4 on the top and 2 bottoms. With these teeth he attempts to eat all sorts of items. Last week at the fair he chowed down on a corndog and an elephant ear, complete with pink lemonade. My favorite part of the fair was when Ed, my dad, my mom, and I were all seated around a circular picnic table, all holding corn dogs. James sat in the middle and crawled around to each of our locations to get a bite. He just went from one person to another, munching whatever we would give him. Sometimes he didn't wait to be offered, he just took. Today he basically ate my fingers as I attempted to feed him a banana, clearly not fast enough however. We affectionately call him Little Man but sometimes Ed throws in Medium Man since he's growing. He crawls like crazy and frequently I'll be sitting on the couch and unsure of where he has crawled off to. It isn't too hard to find him though. Just find EV and James is right behind her. Actually he's usually right behind anyone, head butting their legs.

EV update:
I can't believe Baby Viking will be 3 soon. She is loving Chicago and all the activities, but she doesn't love our apartment. When she's sad she'll say, "I want to go home." I get a little teary eyed too because I miss the comfort of our old place. I understand what she means. At the fair she rode her first rides. We started on the carousel which is a normal ride for her. We progressed to these little bugs and then took a chance on another bug ride that went up in the air. There was a chance she would get to the top, scream, unbuckle herself and jump off. Instead, at the top she threw her hands up in the air and yelled, "Higher!" Next was an obstacle course ride which had a huge slide at the end. She barely met the height requirements but thankfully she had a high ponytail and they allowed her to ride. To get to the big slide she had to climb a rope ladder. She's good at these at the park but this one had a big last step and I didn't think her legs would be long enough. The worker noticed and held up all the kids until she got to the top. I didn't know what to do if she stopped and looked around for us frantically. But again, she surprised me. She made that huge step, got to the shaky bridge and after pausing once when kids were jumping on it (thank you to the older kid behind her who told the younger kids to stop jumping so EV wasn't scared and could cross) she made it to the slide. Her first words when she landed, "I do again!"

The last three days Ed and the kids have toured the Museum of Science & Industry for 7 hours, the Field Museum for 8 hours, the Brookfield Zoo and Ed and EV met up with Uncle Danny to do the Willis Tower SkyDeck. They have been exploring Chicago like crazy! She comes home and tells me her favorite things. At the Field Museum they have a display meant to demonstrate something about the ocean and it consists of an area on the floor with little spotlights following your movement while classical music plays in the background. Ed relayed the story about how EV understood this setup to mean she must dance. Here is a stage, with music, and the lights are on me. It must be time for ballet. Ed sat at the exhibit feeding Little Man for a long time while EV ignored everyone else enjoying the exhibit and continued twirling, jumping, and bowing. It was his favorite moment, watching her in her own little world, full of creativity and naive to anyone around. She said the dinosaurs were her favorite. There was an exhibit where you press skeleton parts on a large computer screen and they create the dinosaur.

This past Sunday we went to the beach with my Grandma. I grew up going to Tower Hill Beach in Bridgeman, MI and it is quite a walk down there. My Grandma has been saying for a while she wants to go one more time in her life and she wants my kids to be there. It was beautiful weather so we threw together a trip! Dad even came! It was a perfect day. The walk was hard for Grandma but she made it. This was the beach she grew up going to, where she met my Grandpa (he was a cute lifeguard) and they were married for over 50 years. It's the beach my mom lived next to and frequented everyday in the summer. It's the beach where we pass the old cement path which my Grandpa helped lay when he was a teenager. It's the creek I remember walking through to get to Lake Michigan. And I was able to have my kids and their Great Grandma all together. It was a really special day.


Together the kids really are great. They share a bedroom which is working out well. In the mornings you can hear EV playing with James, which is difficult since he's in the crib still. We open the door and the first words out of her mouth are, "James awake!" I'm not sure if he wakes up naturally anymore in the late morning or if the Toddler greets him.  I have heard, "No James, that's mine" more times than I would prefer but I've also heard, "Here James, I help you" (followed by his screaming since she's picking him up onto the bed by his head/neck). He lights up when she enters the room. If he's sad, EV can cheer him up no problem. He loves her tickling him.

Beach walk

Facebook inspiration lead to a virtual 5k today. I didn't measure my miles but I know it was 1.3 miles to the heart of Huntington Beach and 1.3 back. While at the beach I walked up and down for a while and am sure I covered my 3.1 miles. 

I passed a very tan good looking older man sitting on his porch. He was the epitome of  a California surfer and I'm pretty sure he knew he was a very tan good looking man, however I imagine he would not agree to the older adjective. I walked in a tank top and worn out and dirty yoga pants. Worn out from age and dirty from traveling. As I returned his greeting I cinched my jacket around my waist tighter, hoping my top was sufficiently covering my Mommy Medal. You know, the pooch you're left with after successfully carrying two children full term. I decided I didn't care what this unknown surfer thought about me and realistically he was just saying hello, not asking me to be the cover model for his very good looking older surfer man magazine. I wouldn't mind being an assistant on that shoot however.

The younger generation of life guards were being trained while the regulars conditioned their toned physiques. I saw young Mitch Buchannons but luckily no CJ Parkers. Can you tell I've spent time in my life watching Baywatch?

Watched surfers young and old ride out into the ocean, all wearing their black wet suits and all in healthy shape. It's very easy to tell when your outfit is suctioned to your body.

While walking away from the beach, I imagined the salt on my lips was from the Pacific Ocean breeze and not the sweat from my long yet enjoyable walk.

Ed sent me an email with a voice recording. It was of the kids both laughing. I loved it.

Ed sent me a recording of EV singing:

"I know you I danced...a dream"

Got the cutest pictures is the kids from Ed at the zoo.

On the drive home tonight I pulled over so I could video chat with ed and the kids. James got his third tooth and I played hide and seek with EV. She grabbed the phone and hid (we hidin mama, ah, I hear daddy) while ed searched for her. Then she ran to her room shrieking. I could see her little head bobbing and hair flying. Then ed had to hide with me and I remember seeing her jump into the bedroom to get him. After she climbed all over ed and kept getting stuck (I stuck mama) behind him. James was sitting up and so happy, like always.

New Beginnings

When there doesn't seem to be enough time to sit down and record life's events, I know I'm too busy. With my kids being young, it's a balance between wanting to capture every little moment and actually living every little moment. In the evenings when I could write up a blog post, I'm instead resting on the couch with Ed. In the mornings before work when I could write one up, I'm watching EV spin to her favorite ballet movie. And during the day I'm at work so no time then...correction, WAS at work. 

I guess that's what stands out in my mind the most these past few months. I have to find a new job. It doesn't define this time in our lives. I'd like to think the colorful antics and burgeoning language of our almost 3 year old, the slowly but surely method of development James has adopted, as well as the stronger bond Ed and I have nurtured are the things I'll remember in the future. But right now, front and center, is job hunting.

This past year was challenging for numerous reasons. Ed and I welcomed James into the world and even with two of the best kids out there, it was still a struggle for balance. Ed battled through the application process and was accepted into Indiana's graduate program and luckily started classes in the summer. He will now have to transfer. I worked my way back from maternity leave and juggled mothering and career to the best of my ability. I focused on myself a little more than I did the first time around and am proud to say I've lost all 50 pounds of baby weight plus an additional 5. Note to self: next time, don't gain 50 pounds.

But outside our little world, my job wasn't going well. The season was one of the hardest I hope I ever coach and in the end, my contract wasn't renewed. After the shock of hearing the news, and the emotions of imagining your family with looks that speak, "but you're the sole bread winner", I listened to Ed's encouragement and have applied for jobs left and right. I took a personal trip to Oklahoma City to watch the WCWS and it was medicine for my soul. The coaching class offered there reminded me how much I love learning about the game and the importance of surrounding myself with people who feel the same way. Some of the great mentors, Carol Hutchins, Jen Brundage, Gayle Blevins, Kathryn Gleason, and Carol Bruggeman were very helpful during my visit. I left with a renewed energy to tackle job hunting. 

EV is a wonderful little girl. I still call her "toddler" but she will now correct me.

Here you go toddler.

I NOT toddler. I guuuuuuuuuuuuurl.

Are you a big girl or little girl?

I a little guuuuuuuuuurl.

She enjoys all things dance: ballet, tutus, leotards. And all things girl: dresses, fairy wings, necklaces (which are just head bands she refuses to let me put in her hair). But deep down, my influence is there.

Ballet TV announcer: And that's the end of act 1.

EV: Mama, inning 1 over.

Her language is still a mix of baby swedish, baby talk, and actual talk. I'm able to have full conversations with her and it's amazing having a little person in the house.  She misses me dearly when I travel and will sometimes act out when I return. I have to remind myself she is just doing it to get attention so I give her extra loving after a trip. She loves swimming with me but is not interested in learning to swim without her life jacket. The kid would be outside all day if we allowed her. She's good for me because my natural self wants to be indoors. She loves tomatoes, her baby sitter Shelley, and her little brother. In the mornings she comes out and says, "She's sooooooooo cute". Everyone in her world is a "she" and I am particularly proud of that. 

James is coming along at his own rate. EV was early with everything (except speech). She crawled, walked, sat up, smiled, laughed, communicated, and got teeth early. James is a boy, through and through. He just lays back and says, "I'm good mom, don't worry about me, I'm just going to watch everyone." He can do tummy time all day but no crawling. He can sit up in a tripod position but that's only recent. And the second his sister walks in the room he looks for her and then falls flat on his face. He tolerates peas, loves sweet potatoes, and hates peaches. He has no tooth through his gums but there is one sitting right below the surface. My mom was worried he was going to be bald and toothless forever. No hair, although EV was the same way. He's ridiculously long but very lean. His outfits are 18mo and 24mo for their length but pants are still a size 3 months. They're basically capris but everything else falls off his little waist. I still don't know how I have long and lean babies. He has a carefree attitude and is constantly smiling. At the doctor's office there is a spot on the worksheet for concerns we have. I had one: he's so good. Sometimes he'll cry at bed time, but it doesn't last very long. He gives me dirty looks when I feed him peaches, but he eats them. He wants his sister by him constantly and gets the biggest smile when she plays with him. 

Life is going to change with our move. We don't know whether we will be in a town like Bloomington, a rural area, or a city. Will we have more or less space? In preparation I'm already starting to pack...and purge. We have so many things we do not need and they are taking up space in our house and lives. I won't have to worry about EV's clothes so much if she doesn't have a ton of them. We decided we are going to donate 95% of baby clothes. When and if we decide to have another one I'm sure there will be grandparents eager to buy things for the baby. I'm not going to cart 10 bins full of baby clothes on this move. 

Another major change Ed and I have made in the last few months was going to a plant based diet. It is essentially a vegan lifestyle, no meat, no dairy, but we do have eggs from time to time. Not out of a desire to eat them but more as a necessity to create other meals (like sweet potato and carrot latkes). It has done amazing things for both of us. Ed has lost 17 pounds and I've lost about 10 since doing it. Our meals now involve a wide range of vegetables and fruits. We eat whole grains, organic, and local when we can. Tonight's dinner: asparagus, snap peas, tomatoes, and spinach all mixed with a ripe avocado. In the past I would have never considered this our dinner, but now our tastes have changed. I've considered making this change in the past but it was Ed's dedication to it that has made it possible. We are doing it together. 

I'm excited to see where life will take us but the most important thing is we will all be together, as a family unit. 

 

Those were the days...

Just got home from a 9 hour bus ride from Georgia. I remember back in college arriving late to Alumni Field, turning in our uniforms, dropping off the Freshmen, and crawling straight into bed. Now it's come home, put milk into the fridge, wash pump parts, put clothes in the laundry, and then pump for 20 minutes, all while trying not to wake up the sick toddler, the peaceful baby, or the exhausted husband.

Next week: Florida, by plane!