A Little Tropical Weather

When the highs are in the single digits, you just try to stay warm. That usually means wearing long johns, drinking a cup of tea, and wrapping up in a blanket. But today, we thought we would do better than that. We headed over to the Garfield Park Conservatory where the weather is always tropical.

Sylvia enjoys a little warmth in the Palm House.

Sylvia tends to be quite literal. The sign says 'Touch Me!' Darcie and Chris assumed it referred to the plant beside the sign.

Sylvia is impressed by the Fern Room.

Hope everyone else is staying warm!

I survived and so did Sylvia and Adrian was SURPRISED!

So I arrived back home last Sunday evening at 9:00 pm. Sylvia was very much asleep and I insisted to Chris that I had to see her. I poked my head in to see her sleeping on her stomach, stretched out, breathing deeply, and in one complete piece. I wanted to pick her up and squeeze her so badly, but I wasn't allowed to.

Adrian was completely surprised! I met her on Canal Street somewhere after several phone calls and directions from her stepmom. We had fun and enjoyed the afternoon in a bar. Later in the evening was her real party where we had appetizers, drinks, and chatter amongst a lot of sports fans - something about a New England Patriots game. It took Adrian three times to blow out all thirty candles. We managed a limo ride home somehow which was fun because I had never been in a limo. I thought we were going home to sleep, but Adrian's three younger siblings and her cousin Jenna were gung-ho for an after party. I surprised myself and held out until 2 am when I fell asleep on Adrian and Jess' couch.

The next day Adrian and I went on a walk through her hood - the financial district. Oddly enough, we saw a wild turkey and this very friendly squirrel. Adrian was kind enough to pose with the squirrel for me. We couldn't catch up with the turkey.

The Problem with City Kids...

The first time Sylvia comes face-to-face with a bear, and what does she do?




Luckily this was just a test at the public library and not a real encounter. You can be sure we'll be practicing our 'animal responses' before our next camping trip. You know, I'm going to blame this on all of those kids books that make bears, lions, and snakes seem cuddly and cute.

Leaving the Kids at Home

Darcie went to New York this weekend to surprise Adrian for her birthday. She left Chris and Sylvia to fend for themselves. For some reason we see this playing out like Home Alone or something. So far we haven't gotten into too much trouble, or if we have, we're pretty sure we can have it cleaned up and repaired by the time Darcie comes back.


Sylvia promises me that she's old enough to see a 10:00 o'clock movie and drink a coke all by herself, so we'll see how that plays out tonight. Otherwise, our weekend has consisted mainly of walks to the park and dirty diapers. We did play a lot of guitar, but it was more Wiggleworms than rock n' roll, so no neighbors complained. Also in the 9 hours since she left, we have spoken with Darcie 4 times.

An Overnight Adventure Sans Sylvia

I'm headed to New York tomorrow morning for Adrian's birthday party. This will be my longest separation from Sylvia. I leave at 9 am Saturday morning and return 9 pm Sunday night. I've tried multiple times to make reasons to stay in Chicago, but I really want to surprise Adrian. She doesn't know I'm coming. I could bring Sylvia along as she still flies for free, but I don't think she'd be up for the party. I've spent all day searching for clothes that looked "cool" which I've never really been, but I thought I'd try and look not-so jeans and t-shirt. Since I haven't been to a bar with adults in the evening in a long time (about a year), it's hard to try and fit in again. We'll see if I can pull it off. Sylvia and Chris helped me pack and perhaps for one night I can remember that life of going out. I know I'll be wondering about Sylvia and Chris the entire time.

Our Junkyard

The glorious days of marveling at Sylvia sitting and wondering when she would ever crawl and then marveling at Sylvia crawling and wondering when she would ever pull up and then all of a sudden Sylvia was pulling up and I was wondering when she would ever walk and then she started walking and now I am wondering when she will ever sit still again.

Yesterday, she discovered the joys of digging in the houseplants. It's really hard to negotiate with a 15 month old. I mean I sympathize with her and perhaps if I didn't have to clean up all the dirt again and again, I'd be amenable to the repotting of all the houseplants. Sylvia walked out of the kitchen after I said, "no." I returned to washing dishes. Sylvia perhaps thought that I obviously couldn't be serious as she decided to go to the other plant nearby and unearth some more soil.

Sometimes it is so hard to tell her, "no," without cracking up. I have to use my forceful voice and manage not to laugh. I know that I'm not telling her "no" in vain as she has to learn to manage some level of frustration and our house has to have some semblance of order.

After the Holidays

We all went down to Mississippi for Sylvia's second Christmas. We had a great time visiting family and friends. We went to parties, opened presents, and ate until we had to loosen our belts a notch. Sylvia is really beginning to get into toys, and she loved the variety of things she got to play with - whether they were meant for her, an adult, or one of the pets. She loved getting her hands on anything she hadn't seen before. The big presents this year were a piano, guitar, drums (do you see a theme?), and baby and stroller. Santa brought her lots of books, too.

After Christmas, Darcie and Sylvia stayed in Jackson to celebrate cousin Austin's birthday and hang out with the Price family for the annual reunion. Sylvia even got to ride a horse for a bit (she still doesn't like helmets). On New Year's Eve, the ladies returned to Chicago (and snow).

We've posted photos of Elaina's baptism, Christmas, Austin's birthday, and the Price family reunion in the photo section.


Sylvia in the courtyard.


The rose garden.


That's a Teva sandal in her hand. She was not allowed to wear it outside.


Our holiday card collection.

Hope everyone had a great holiday is enjoying a wonderful new year. Happy 2008!