Santa in Chicago

On Saturday we decided to take some friends of ours into Chicago for the day. It was Christina's first time ever in the big city and her mother, Ana, was thrilled to get a chance to go. So the four of us took the train in for the day.

It happened to be time for the Festival of Lights so there was a lot happening during the day. First we checked out the big bean at Millennium Park where C had the most fun chasing pigeons all around the park. She saw one, pointed, then shouted: "Quack!" and proceeded to follow its meandering path around the picnic tables. She thinks all birds are ducks and will tell you so just in case you thought it was something else--like a pigeon.

Here's a few of the best shots we got around the bean:

Once I caught C and strapped her down in the stroller, we continued North on Michigan Ave to check out the festivities. We were happily surprised to find a children's band playing fun and energetic songs on the main stage. We stopped to dance for a while before sampling the freebies at the tents surrounding the square.

One of the tents housed Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause. So we gladly stood in the line to await our turn to meet them. Somewhere in the roped off area, pretty close to Santa himself, C had a breakdown. I wasn't sure if she would calm down enough to pose for her picture, but thankfully she did. You can see from her body language that she was a bit timid. Immediately after taking the photo, she fell asleep in the stroller and kept on sleeping until we reached the train to go home. What a sweetie.
The train ride home...C made so many friends. She laughed, and played patty cake and peak-a-boo with the ladies behind us. What a complete joy.

It was a fun day to be sure. Although we didn't really do that much, we still ended up walking several miles and felt exhausted the rest of the day. I saw Ana at church the next morning and laughed because we usually see them at first service, but sure enough...everyone barely made it to second. I still maintain that it was worth it and am ready to do it again soon.

New Dining Room

We ordered some dining room furniture a month and a half ago and it's finally here! C agrees that it's the best thing ever. Pay no attention to the chandelier, it will be replaced in just a few days thanks to S's mom and dad.

Yellow Slide

After a week of rain, M being on the road for work, and C feeling terrible, the weather cleared up and we headed to the back yard to play on the swing set. You can see how happy our little girl is now that she is feeling so much better.

Baby not feeling well

Last Saturday C took a three hour nap...which is a bit longer than usual so I wondered if something was wrong. Sure enough, she had a temperature of 103. Poor little thing. I called her pediatrician, told her C's symptoms, and was told to simply push the liquids and keep an eye on her over the weekend. I believe that they thought C had the flu...but she didn't. On Monday I noticed a bunch of grayish/red sores in her mouth. Her temperature was under control, but still teetering between 99.8 and 101. So both M and I took her to the doctor to find out what was happening and if there was anything else we could do. She refused to eat anything for days and frankly we were more than a little worried.

After examining her little body, the doctor told us that she had something called Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. However, there was no indication that the virus had spread to her hands or feet. It was completely contained in her mouth. This is called Herpangina (no relation to the herpes virus). The treatment...nothing. Push the liquids because anything else will hurt her mouth and throat. We were to keep giving Tylenol for the pain and make sure she had plenty of wet diapers.

The virus took six full days to run its course. Thankfully she is fully recovered and racing around the place again, happy and content (for the most part).

This is a photo of her taking a break...one of many this past week. After playing for a short time, she would get all tuckered out and have to lie down on the ground for a few minutes before trying to play again.

Up and Walking

Taking one or two steps seemed to be all C wanted to try for the past two weeks. She has been zooming around the house pushing her little walker toys for about a month and a half. She will let go and stand by herself for long periods of time and maybe take one or two steps on her own, but with much coaxing. But today, she decided that she wanted her Independence. Out of the blue I see her stand up on her own (first time I saw her do this) and walk through the arch way from the dining room to the kitchen. Then she couldn't get enough... every chance she got she stood up and walked a few paces. Since she gave me so many opportunities, I caught it all on tape. Enjoy.

Candy, candy, candy

Little C dressed as a little fairy princess, greeted candy gatherers at the door with excitement. She was quite popular with the parents and the older girls that came up to the door. When we were not greeting kids at the door, she kept busy sorting the candy. Once M got home from school we took C by the hands and walked her to the neighbors on either side of us. We had a nice visit with our neighbors and then headed back home. C loved her little dress and all the silky petals she had to play with.