No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn

I have been so negligent to this blog since Zach's first month. We've had a whole lot of changes and things are pretty busy and in flux. Zach is an awesome baby. He's so smiley and happy. His giggle just melts my heart. He has the most squeezable cheeks and most smiley eyes ever. He truly has brought so much joy into our family.

But the kid won't sleep. Like ever. We're up every 2 hours with him almost every night. His naps are few and far between and usually only last 30-40 minutes. Basically, I'm just exhausted. Totally and thoroughly exhausted. Honestly, I've never been this wiped out in my entire life.

I've never been a big fan of change, either. But, these past few months have been one change after another in the Schirel family and we're all figuring out how to adjust. Here's a little rundown of what's gone down:

June/July 2011...Zach born. Joy! Love having a new baby. Running on hormones and adrenaline to maintain some energy despite the sleepless nights. Feeling guilty for not having as much time with Zoe, but so happy to see how much she loves her baby brother already. And then the end of summer and early fall rolls around and all of sudden the Schirel world is rocked...

About 1 month after Zach's birth, our nanny decided to move back to Poland. Talk about the worst timing ever. Zoe loved Basia and so did I. She was like another grandma to Zoe. I figured having another baby wouldn't be so tough as long as we had Basia around, as well. Well, that didn't quite work out. Basia's last day was Labor Day. Tears. Lots of 'em. For all of us.

On top the huge void left in Zoe's world with Basia gone, she started a 3-day-week preschool in early September. The school is great and Zoe seemed to be doing really well at first. But now, she's been struggling with some kind of delayed separation anxiety . So that's been really hard on all of us. She's gotten really quiet and withdrawn at school, which is totally unlike her. But, hopefully it's just another phase in this emotional toddler world.

We found a new nanny pretty quickly. But after two weeks, I realized she didn't mesh well with us. Not with Zoe. Not with me. And not with Zach. So we've actually been nanny-less since mid- September, which has made working challenging to say the least. I've cut back considerably on the assignments I am taking on. And somehow I am managing to write during short nap times, nights, weekends and at the gym when I drop the kids off at the gym's kids' club. Before having Zach, I hadn't planned on suddenly becoming a full-time stay-at-home-mom. I love that I have been able to work part time and be home with the kids part time. I really love working. I love writing. I love using my brain in ways that extend beyond motherhood. And yes, I like making my own money too. So, on top of major sleep deprivation, this has been the hardest thing to cope with for me so far. But, once Zoe gets more comfortable at school and we can get Zach sleeping a little better (and able to take a bottle...which he still can't seem to figure out), we'll get back on the nanny search. I'm guessing it'll be by the beginning of the new year.

And finally, one very exciting change has been that Jody got a new job! While Chase had been good to him for about 5 years, he was itching for a new challenge. He's now at the Acquity Group and really enjoying it. He still has a sweet 10-15 minute commute, so I am once again thankful that we decided to wait a little longer before moving out to the burbs.

So yes, life's been challenging lately. But it's also been wonderful. Every day, I am so thankful for this awesome family and for good friends and family who have really helped us out. We're planning to do some sleep training with Zach the minute he turns 5 months, so I am hopeful that some reasonable amount of sleep and structure are right around the corner. Oh lord, I hope they are anyway!

I'll try to get more posts up here. Although it sounds like we've been couped up inside as sleep-deprived zombies, we've actually managed to have plenty of fun this fall...and I've got dozens of photos to prove it! So stay tuned...

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Although Zach was born with a relatively full head of dark hair, he's lost most of it quite quickly. Check it out: the top photo was taken at about 2 weeks, and the bottom pic was taken at 5 weeks. That's a whole lot of hair loss in just a few weeks! The strangest thing is that he lost most of the hair in front first, leaving just some peach fuzz up top. But he still has a little patch in back. It's like a very extreme mullet, I suppose. Regardless, I think our little bald peanut is cute as can be with or without hair. And, hey, this may just be a sneak peek at Zach's middle-aged 'do since my dad has most likely passed on the baldness gene!

Monkey Business

Although having a newborn around has changed the pace of our household, Zoe hasn't slowed down a bit. She continues to wow us every day with some newfound talent, skill, sentences, etc. She is becoming such a big girl...and such a daredevil! Her favorite thing to do at the park these days is to hang on the bars and the rings. Whether she's hanging one- or two-handed or hanging upside down, she is so thrilled to be mastering more and more monkey moves. Her fearlessness may scare the crap out of me every time we go to the park, but it is pretty cool seeing how naturally all of the climbing, hanging, jumping, running, etc. come to her.

One Month...Already?!

Time really does fly when you're running on fumes, sleep deprived and falling in love with a new baby, doesn't it? Yup, Zach is already a month old! In some ways it feels like I was just pregnant yesterday, but in other ways it's hard to remember our (very predictable) family routine before Zach arrived.

We are all totally amazed and in love with Zach. I know many second-time parents wonder before #2 is born if they really will be able to love their second child as much as the first. It just doesn't seem possible. But then, boom, it totally is. Amazing.

Getting used to being a family of four has been an adventure. I'm not gonna lie, it's been hard. The lack of sleep, combined with dealing with a willful 2.5 yr old combined with a somewhat fussy newborn definitely takes its toll. But, we were kind of expecting that and it's exciting in its own way. I love that we are an expanding family and it's hard to explain but it just feels right. I know things will settle down in time. And I know how quickly these kiddos grow up, so I'm trying to enjoy all those awesome little things about having a newborn, like the endless cuddles, the middle of the night bonding time when nursing and the feeling of amazement at every new move and noise Zach makes.

I keep trying to remember things about Zoe's first month to compare, but I cannot for the life of me remember. So I am going to give some details here that I'm sure will be more than anyone else needs/wants to know, but I'd like to have a record of it. So here's the latest on our favorite little man:

-Weight: 11 lbs, 4 oz (75th percentile)

-Height: 20.5 inches

-Eating: He's been an awesome eater since he was born and caught on to breastfeeding right away. He has about 8 feedings a day with his last at around 10 p.m. During the day he goes about 2-3 hrs between feedings and lately he's been going 4-6 hrs between feedings at night. He's a totally noisy nurser and is sometimes a bit fussy after eating, but the boy does like his milk. We haven't given him a bottle yet, but we're going to try to introduce that in the next week or so.

-Sleeping: He's been a decent sleeper so far. The biggest issue we're having is after his last feeding of the night he is often fussy and we have to swaddle him and then walk around/bounce him for almost an hour before putting him into his bassinet. It definitely wears on us because we are so ready to just go to sleep by the end of the day. But, once he gets down, he's out for a while. He is also a noisy sleeper--lots of snoring and grunting.

-Wearing: As he continues packing on the pounds, Zach's outgrown most of his newborn stuff and is fitting nicely into 3 month gear.

-Likes: Being held, eating, bouncing up and down, tummy time, waving his arms around, kicking his legs, the Baby Bjorn, looking at his sister, looking at the wall next to his changing table (there's nothing really to look at but he sits there staring at that wall in particular for longer than most places), sleeping on his tummy (supervised, of course), sleeping over our shoulders, the double stroller

-Dislikes: The car and the car seat (just like his sister he is a total car screamer--no fun), sleeping on his back unswaddled, baths, getting his diaper changed (he's getting calmer on this, but still plenty of crying involved)

-So-So on: He will sit in his swing and his bouncy chair for a little while, but neither one has been a total favorite yet. Nope, Mommy and Daddy's arms are still the top place for him to chill.

-Looking forward: He hasn't started any real smiling yet but he has just recently started locking eyes with us and noticing a bit more around him. As our pediatrician said the first month is all about the baby being grumpy and gassy...and Zach fits that description. He's still pretty fussy during his waking time, but he is getting a little better and it should begin to subside in the next couple weeks.

Welcome to the World Zach!

It's a boy! Welcome to the newest Schirel: Zachary Samuel! Born on June 29, 2011 at 2.25 p.m., and weighing in at 8lbs, 4oz. and 20.5 inches. He's pretty awesome already!

I ended up getting induced at 39 weeks and 5 days. My doctor was worried about him shifting positions again and about him getting too big, so I was okay with being induced. It was a little surreal going to bed the night before, knowing that I was going to have a baby the next day. Needless to say, Jody and I hardly got any sleep that night...or since for that matter!

All went smoothly with the labor. It was a 9 hour labor, with about 25 minutes of pushing. Really, the first four hours were basically just sitting around waiting for things to progress, so we were playing on Facebook, watching TV and just hanging out for a while. Once my contractions really started coming, things moved really quickly. I was worried that being induced would be a much longer and worse labor, but it was pretty much the same intensity as my labor and delivery with Zoe.

We've been home almost 10 days now and things are going pretty well. We're all trying to adjust to being a family of four. It's hectic and I'm pretty sure our house will never be clean again. Zoe has been having an okay time. She's been sweet as can be to Zach, but she has had her fair share of tantrums and breakdowns. Although we were expecting it, it is still hard to see her struggling, especially with these raging post-partum hormones. Honestly, just trying to make sure Zoe is okay and giving her enough attention and time has been the hardest thing for me. Every day is getting a little easier and once we get into more of a routine, I'm sure things will work themselves out.

Zach has been a really good boy for us. He's way bigger than Zoe was, and he caught on to breastfeeding right away. So that has been a huge relief. He's a good eater and as good a sleeper as any newborn. At first he was going just about 2 hours between feedings at night, which was rough. But in the past few days he's been going 3-4 hours between feedings at night, which has given Jody and I more sleep than we imagined. Of course, we're still totally sleep deprived and will be for a while, but, hey, a 3-hour stretch is better than nothing. The best part about being a secondtime parent is knowing how quickly babies change and knowing that we will get into a routine and we will eventually sleep again. It just may not be for another six months!!

Other things we've learned about Zach so far: he hates getting his diaper changed, like really really hates it; he loves being held at all times; he sleeps best when swaddled; and he totally konks out when being carried in the Baby Bjorn.

Even though it has been challenging, I love having a newborn in the house again. You forget how little they are and how totally new the world is to them. It's awesome seeing Zoe interact with her little brother, and knowing how special it will be for them to have each other to grow up with. Stay tuned for more adventures from our She-Z and He-Z.

Future Gymnast

Zoe spent much of the winter and spring in a toddler gymnastics class and loved it. She "graduated" a few weeks ago, and I was able to snap some pics of her action. She was a total daredevil on all of the equipment and, of course, wanted to everything all by herself. Her favorite things were the rings and the uneven bars. She started out just hanging and swinging and then worked her way up to lifting her feet all the way up and flipping over (with help, which she actually accepted for the move). Her being so fearless totally freaked me out plenty of times, since this gym used real-sized equipment. Sure, there were mats everywhere but I was still constantly on alert to make sure she didn't land on her head. Although Zoe figured out all the physical skills pretty quickly, she definitely had some room for improvement in the listening to instruction department. She never listened to the teacher, Mr. Matthew. Any time he would have the class do a group exercise, she would go off and do her own thing. Whenever the teacher said hi to her or would ask her for a high-five she turned the other way and ran away from him. Then, when we'd get into the car she'd talk all about Mr. Matthew. Although it was frustrating during class, it was kind of hilarious how much she talked about Mr. Matthew outside of class. But, I'm thinking this is yet another reason I'd like to get Zoe into a pre-school sooner rather than later. It's all good for her to be independent, but at some point she's going to have to learn how to take direction from adults other than me and Jody. For now, though, she's just happy swinging on the bars like the little monkey she is.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy belated Father's Day to all the great dads out there! I'm biased, but I happen to think I am surrounded by the best dads around. My dad has been a constant source of support, love and friendship to me. And Jody is everything a dad should be to a little girl; he is totally and completely in love with Zoe and makes her feel like the most special person in the world every single day.

We had a great Father's Day celebration yesterday. First, we headed up to the Highland Park pool, which is a pretty great place for kids. And Zoe loves swimming! She is so happy and cute in the water--kicking her legs like crazy and just floating around. Anytime we take her swimming, though, she constantly says "No help Zoe!" So, Jody got her a cute little Dora intertube that finally allowed her to feel like she was swimming all on her own. Miss Independent, I tell ya. Jody's dad met up with us at the pool and she loved showing off her swimming skills Grandpa J.

After the pool, we had a nice brunch with Jody's dad, and dessert at an adorable cupcake bakery in downtown Highland Park. Since I'm still on the gestational diabetes diet, I just admired the selection and planned for what I will eat next time we're there post-baby! Like her daddy, Zoe has a major sweet tooth, so she and Jody thoroughly enjoyed their mid-day treat.

Back at home, we had some low-key family time. We grilled out and hung out with our new neighbors who were all out enjoying the beautiful weather. Our new neighbors have been really nice so far, and there are a lot of kids in our complex. Zoe has taken a particular liking to the 8-year-old boy upstairs. She is totally his shadow and he's been so nice to her as she runs after him shouting his name. All and all, it was a lovely way to celebrate my and Zoe's favorite guy--Jody!!

Baby Flip Update

Hooray! Maybe it was the Chinese medicine and Jody's mad stinky stick holding skills or maybe the baby just decided to give me a break, but he/she has moved in the right position. We went into the hospital on Friday and waited an hour before being told that the unit was "at capacity" and they had to bump the ECV to Monday. Rather than stress out the whole weekend and take another day off on Monday, Jody and I headed over to my doctor's office to see if they could just do a quick check on the baby's position.

Luckily, they squeezed me in and the doctor said the baby was all good. No need for the ECV! Although it was a long day spent in too many waiting rooms, it ended up being a really good day, hearing exactly the news we wanted to hear. Hopefully Baby Schirel Part 2 will stay put now. We are still doing the moxibustion sticks for a couple more days, on the orders of acupuncturist Kim. It seems to have worked, so I'm just going to go with it.

Flip to It

37-1/2 week bump

When I hit 37 weeks last Friday, I was relieved because it meant the baby is now full term. Hooray, one less thing to worry about! But, just as one stress disappeared, another arose. I just found out the baby is in the oblique position, meaning its head is down-ish, but it is laying diagonally. Since you can't really deliver a sideways baby, my doctor wants to try ECV (Version) to manually flip the baby into the right position. The procedure sounds painful--the doctor basically pushes around on your belly to move the baby. And there are risks that it could distress the baby and/or send me into labor. Also, if it works, there's no guarantee our little one will stay put. As you can tell, I'm not loving the ECV option. But, at the same time, I'd like to avoid having a C-section, if possible. So I'm going to give it a shot.

First, though, I wanted to try out a few other options. I went to see my fabulous acupuncturist, Kim. She did some needlework and a Chinese medicine thing called moxibustion. Basically, she lit a stinky herb stick and held it by my pinky toes for about 20 minutes. Sounds pretty crazy, right. But, supposedly people have some success with it. And, hey, I'm up for anything to turn this kiddo the right way. Kim sent me home with a goody-bag of stinky sticks to do at home for four or five days. I've recruited Jody as my medicine man (a.k.a. stinky stick holder) and once again we're happy to have a balcony so our place doesn't reek of Chinese herbs.

Medicine Man Jody working some moxibustion magic

I go in for the ECV on Friday. I'm hoping the baby has righted itself by the time they do the ultrasound before the procedure. If not, fingers crossed for the Version to work and for the baby to love sitting on its head so much that he/she stays that way until delivery day.

Yet again, I've realized how right people are when they say every pregnancy is different. I didn't have any complications with Zoe, and yet I've hit plenty this time around. My mom said that #2 is just reminding me that I need to pay as much attention to him/her as I do to Zoe. Sounds like a good theory to me. I'm just hoping this baby is a little easier out of the belly. We'll find out soon enough...

Is it Pool Time Yet?

As the temps slowly start creeping up, I know one little chica who is rearing to rock summer in style.

Hot Mama

Even though we've only had about five days of true summer temps, I am still not a huge fan of being pregnant in the warmer weather. With Zoe, I spent my biggest-bump days bundled up in the midst of Chicago winter. This time around, not so much. While I don't think there's an actual good time of year to lug around a baby in your belly, here are some of my thoughts on spending the ninth month in the heat...

* Sundresses rock. Total comfort for the pregnant mama. The downsides: it's getting harder and harder to comfortably cross my legs; there's really no way to avoid the whole muumuu effect; and moving into a place with only stall showers makes the whole leg shaving thing a bit tricky, to say the least.

* Although people keep telling me I have a "pregnant glow," I'm pretty sure I'm just really shiny and sweaty.

* Flip-flops are way easier to put on than boots. No bending, no pulling, no zipping. Perfect. Of course, painting your toes so they look decent in said flip-flops is a whole other issue.

* Our A/C bill is going to be ridiculous. It is always hot in the house...well, at least to me. Jody may disagree on that though.

Grill Baby Grill!

I haven't gotten around to posting a moving post onto the blog yet, mostly because I would prefer to forget the crazy-stressful weekend all together. Long story short, our move sucked. Our movers were awful. They were 8+ hours late and we were physically and emotionally spent by the end of it all. All I know is that I will never, ever move again when I'm 8 months pregnant. But we're all moved into our new place now and things are going really well here.

We moved to a 3-bedroom duplex down that is pretty much double the size of our old place. It's pretty awesome having so much more space since we had been so squeezed out of our old place. We have a huge playroom for Zoe's stuff and "adult space" to watch TV and hang out without being completely cluttered with toys. But, by far, our favorite feature of the new place is having some outdoor space. We have a nice little balcony and some green space out front for Zoe and Charlie to play.

One of the best parts of having a balcony is that we finally get to use our grill. We got the grill almost 8 years ago as a wedding present and it has been sitting in our storage unit--with the tags still on--since. When we moved in we busted it out right away and we've been using it constantly. Jody is such a happy and good grillmaster, too! We had a barbecue this weekend when Courtney was in town and Jody got to grill up a pretty good feast of brats, burgers and corn (see his proud photo above). Even though it's a small space, we've also been sitting out there to eat a lot of meals. Zoe loves it and actually doesn't put up a fuss to eat (kind of a rarity these days!). So, we even ate dinner out there yesterday despite the 95-degree temperature reading.

I'm surprised to say it, but our new place does feel like home to me. Being in the same neighborhood and staying in the city is a huge part of that. And that is really what we needed as we await Baby #2. So far, we are really happy with our decision to stay in the city a bit longer.

The End of an Era

36 week bump

Less than one month to go before Baby 2's big arrival! Even though this has felt like a crazy-long pregnancy, I am still feeling totally overwhelmed realizing that he/she will be here so soon. I cannot wait to meet our newest family member and have a little baby back in the mix. But, at the same time, I am feeling so emotional thinking about the end of our family-of-three era. We have had the best time over the past two+ years with Zoe. Seriously, I feel so lucky to have such an awesome family and nothing makes me happier than the time we spend together. It's hard to imagine what life will be like with one more. I'm also feeling sad/guilty that I will not be able to give all of my time and energy just to Zoe anymore. I know it'll be great for her to have a litte brother or sister and I cannot wait to be a mom to two, but change is always a little scary.

Adding to all of this is that I cannot get over how quickly Zoe seems to be growing up. I actually read an article recently that said that part of parenting is being able to deal with a sense of constant mourning over the past with your child...yet embracing and looking forward to what's to come. It sounds so depressing, but I suppose no one ever said being a parent was easy! Besides, it does kind of make sense to me. The age and stage that Zoe is at right now has definitely been my favorite so far. She is just so smart, verbal, loving and funny. All in all, a totally fun little buddy! I'm sure it will only get better. But, these darn pregnancy hormones are mostly just making me emotional about it all.

So for the next four weeks or so, I'm hoping to get in as much quality family time as possible and as much Mommy-Zoe time as we can. And before we know it we'll begin the family-of-four era.

Water Table Action

A couple weeks ago, my mom got Zoe a pretty cool water table. Now that the weather is finally warming up, we were able to bring it out . Zoe loves water--swimming, puddles, washing her hands, you name it. So, naturally, the water table was an immediate hit. She spent just a little time splashing the water around in the actual water basin before figuring out that the real fun was throwing water all over the place--on herself, on me, on the sidewalk, on the grass, everywhere. We were both totally soaked, but she loved every minute of water table fun! Thanks, Mom!

New 'Do

Lunch at Qdoba after the cut...still kind of serious

The next day her hair had a stylin' side swipe...too cute!

Well, we finally made the move to get Zoe her first haircut. I have been so reluctant because it has taken so long for her hair to grow. But, after suffering through way too many rainy, cold days inside, it was time to get out for a new adventure. Sure, heading to Snippets may not be the most exciting outing, but it was something.

Zoe handled her haircut in typical Zoe-style: super serious the whole time. She basically vegged out to the Dora video and let the stylist do her thing. Not a single tear shed. Not a single smile cracked. Of course, when we left, Zoe went into full-on chatty mode talking all about her hair cut. We Skyped with my parents later in the day and she couldn't wait to show them her new 'do.

I kind of love her with this new hairstyle. She looks a little older and her hair is not quite as crazy...well, except after naptime when it is all kinds of wild. It also brings out more of her curls, which is pretty much the only thing that she gets from me.

Mother's Day

We had a great Mother's Day celebration a couple weeks ago. We all woke up bright and early to head to the Y-Me Race at Your Pace down in Grant Park. We've done this race/walk a couple of times, but this year we had our biggest group. Lisa, Mike, Bonnie and Roger all came down donning plenty of pink. Jody and Bonnie did the 5K run--and they both kicked butt. Bonnie got first place in her age group and Jody was #172 out of the entire crowd. Totally impressive! I was not running this year since I have not been running throughout the pregnancy. So I waddled along in the 3-mile walk with Zoe, Lisa, Mike and Roger. It was a gorgeous morning and a lovely way to kick off Mother's Day.

After the race/walk, we all headed back to our new place and had a fun breakfast. By noon, we were all pretty pooped. After the family left, Jody, Zoe and I had a fun, relaxing day at the park and a long nap. Totally fun way to spend Mother's Day!

No Cake for Me

As I have been saying from the get-go, this pregnancy has been a lot different--and more difficult--than my first. And the difficulties continue...After scoring a few points too high on my regular 28-week glucose screening test, I had to take the 3-hour test. And last week, on my birthday no less, I found out I have gestational diabetes this time around. Of course, this news totally freaked me out. Diabetes has never been something I've worried about--I am a pretty healthy eater, I workout regularly and I don't have it in my family. The doctors say that it's a result of hormones being out of whack and that it's nothing that I did. But, I still can't help but feel like I've screwed up somehow.

I met with a specialist and a dietician yesterday and both of them made me feel a little better. While it is a serious condition and now puts me into that "high-risk" pregnancy group, the specialist said that my case is mild and that he was pretty confident we could get it under control by putting me on a special diet for the remainder of the pregnancy. Luckily, the doctors have all told me that in the majority of cases it goes away after I deliver the baby. So that's good news. The bad news: there are more risks to the baby--namely, having low blood sugar when he/she is born and being larger than a baby whose mom doesn't have gestational diabetes. Neither of these are certainties, but the risks are greater. I am trying to stay positive, but the hypochandriac in me is freaked. Having anxiety about how the baby is doing is a standard part of pregnancy for me, and this now adds another layer to it.

But, I am following this diet to the tee and hoping that it helps regulate things. That means no more chocolate and ice cream for me (so cruel to do to a pregnant lady!). That also meant no birthday cake on my birthday last week. I told Jody we could celebrate my birthday in October on my half birthday because too much of my actual birthday was spent being bummed out about the news.

Bump It

29 weeks!

Achoo...and Then Some

Sick Z getting some much-needed couch cuddle time with Daddy

So-long March 2011, we certainly won't miss you around the Schirel house! March was a rocky one for us thanks to an awful cold that none of us could shake. Zoe was sick for almost three weeks with a stuffy head, a nasty cough and more snot than you can imagine. Sorry for the visual! I quickly caught the cold from her, since I am a germ magnet in my pregnant state. I swear, if someone even glances at me as they sniffle, I catch whatever they've got going on. I think I have been cold-free for maybe 3 weeks of this entire pregnancy. Zoe and I were both pretty miserable girls for a couple weeks since neither of us could take any of the good heavy-duty cold meds. And, although Jody managed to avoid the bug for a while, he unfortunately caught it in the last week. He was pretty congested and miserable too, but by taking some meds he was able to function a little better than us. The only nice thing about being sick was that when Zoe gets sick, she's extra cuddly, which is always a plus. Since our little monkey girl is always on move, she's not much of a snuggler these days. So at least we got our cuddle fix during these long days/nights.

Oh yeah, and amid all this sickness, we were apartment hunting. We decided to rent for a year in large part because we wanted minimal stress. But, rental searching was way more stressful than we imagined...and going to check out places all over the city after work and on weekends with a sick, cranky kid in tow was not ideal. But, alas, we found a place and we've all finally managed to knock out this cold. So bring on April, bring on spring and maybe, just maybe, we can remain sniffle-free for a little while.

And We Have a Home

After way too much stress, we've decided to stay in the city for another year. We had been looking in the suburbs for a new home and really could not decide upon a town, a house or anything really. It was just too big of a decision that we did not want to make so quickly. Of course, the realization that Baby #2 is on his/her way in the next few months was enough to make Jody and I lose way too much sleep thinking about our future.

So, we've rented out our condo to a really nice couple, and we found a new place to rent in our same neighborhood that will give us more space. We're hoping that this will give us plenty of time to get used to our family of four and make a well-planned decision about a more permanent move. Personally, I am hoping that spending one more year in Chicago will be enough to make me a little more ready to move on. One of the biggest problems I had with our plan to move to the suburbs is that I didn't want to leave the city. Maybe it is the whole nesting thing, but I am just not ready. I love our life in the city. I love our friends here. I love our neighborhood and our neighbors. I love Jody's 10-minute commute to work. And I love the city itself. Yes, I know there are plenty of good things in the suburbs too--good schools, more space to live, a yard, neighborhood pools, new people (who must be nice, right?!). All of that sounds lovely, so we have that to look forward to. Just not quite yet.

We'll be moving out of here and into our new place May 1st, giving us about two months to get settled before Baby. Now it's time for to start sorting through and packing up 7 years of stuff that we've accumulated in this place and let the packing begin...

Two-rific!

Sharing frosting with preggo mama
Chocolate birthday monster

So happy to have a crowd singing "Happy Birthday to Zoe"

Mmm Elmo cake (from Alliance Bakery on Division)

Well, I'm one month late on this one...but happy birthday to our sweet 2-year-old! Zoe pretty much celebrated her birthday for the two weeks surrounding her birthday in February. And just when I thought she had birthday out of her system, a couple days ago she made me put a candle in her blueberry muffin, turn off the lights and sing to her. What can I say? Our girl loves her some birthday.

The three of us celebrated her actual birthday with dinner out at Stanley's down the street. For some reason, she loves it there and is always on awesome restaurant behavior. We had cupcakes back at home and Z thoroughly enjoyed both the chocolate and vanilla. We had to sing to her and let her blow out the candles three times (the Happy Birthday song has long been a favorite for her). We had a little birthday party (decorated with a whole lot of Elmo) the following weekend and enjoyed some quality time with good friends and family. Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate and made the day extra special.

I know everyone says it, but I can't believe how fast time goes. So far, I love Zoe at 2. Yes, she has her tantrums and no is definitely one of the most-used words these days. But, it is also so awesome to see her personality shining through and watching her learn so much every day. She is talking up a storm and has even started to tell us about her day, which is just the cutest thing. She's making little buddies at the park, in classes and even at the gym kid's club. She's actually pretty great with other kids--a little shy at first, but really sweet and is pretty good with the whole sharing thing and waiting her turn. It sounds kind of weird to say, but I can't think of another way to put it...she's just a real kid these days. And we just love every moment of it.

At her 2 year doctor's appointment all looked good. She's 24 lbs, 5 oz and 33.5 inches--25% percentile all around. Next on the horizon, potty training and transitioning to a big-girl bed. Who knows when we'll tackle either of these things. But, it's coming up soon. Any insight/advice from you experienced parents on how to handle a ton of change--potty, bed, big-sister, moving--is more than welcome!

Snow Days

I've always been okay with Chicago winters. I definitely don't love them, but I also know it's just part of the package of living in Chicago. The spring and summer in this awesome city make braving the winters worth it. I mean, that's what we all tell ourselves, right? Well, this year is a different story. I am so over winter. And yet again this change of heart comes courtesy of motherhood.

Oh my goodness, how much does it suck not to be able to just go to the park every day? Luckily, I've found quite a few decent indoor activities to keep us busy, but it still isn't the same as spending the day outside. Lately, however, with all the snow and crazy cold weather, I've had to get creative inside the house too. Zoe got a great activity table for Chanukah, so we've done plenty of painting, coloring and Play Doh-ing. But, that can only last so long--and art projects simply don't wear out our little energy ball quite enough. So, we've now moved on to forts and tunnels and quite a lot of jumping on the bed/couch. Good times, for sure!