Three Times a Charm?

Rejoicing was heard throughout the land. Gavin slept through the night for the past three nights in a row! I haven't wanted to mention it before now in case it was a one-time fluke, but the little guy has slept from about 10 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. for the past three nights (I know this doesn't seem like "through the night" unless you have kids, but mamas everywhere please rejoice with me). I'm not sure whether I should chalk this new sleep cycle up to Gavin hitting the three-month mark this week or the fact that we started wrapping him in a new type of swaddling blanket from which there is no escape. If it's the swaddle, than I highly endorse Solana Swaddle Wraps (made out of muslin from Australia and very lightweight)! Whatever the case, I hope it continues.

New Beginnings

This weekend was a celebration of new beginnings. Our friends, the Engstroms, are preparing to move to Africa this week to serve on the mission field, and we are excited for them as they embark on their journey. Many of their friends gathered on Saturday to celebrate them and sned them off in prayer. It was a sweet time of celebrating their new beginning in a foreign land. Joe, Gavin, and I also had the opportunity to attend our Bradley birth class reunion and it was great fun meeting all of the babies (many of whom I had already met since the mamas have been meeting regularly) and congratulating all of the fathers. Each couple had the chance to share their birth story and talk about life with a baby. It was nice to be around so many people who are excited about their new place in life. It occurs to me that new beginnings often come at the end of a struggle, but aren't they worth the wait?

A Perfect Summer Week

This week was the perfect summer weather, as was evident from the Chicagoans who came out in droves to populate the beaches and parks. It was like watching a black and white photo brought to vibrant life; kind of like the Wizard of Oz after Dorothy got hit in the head. We definitely had to take advantage of the 78 degree-cool lake breeze-finally shorts weather, so Gavin and I ran around outside like mad people (I ran, he strolled). Joined by friend Beck, we ate a last Cozy Thai lunch with the fabulous Roxanne before she and her family depart for Africa next weeek for a two-to-three year adventure on the mission field. I will really miss Roxanne's awesome enthusiasm for life and God, as well as her hot sauce-Mexican food-celeb watching-fashion loving on the cheap-self. Our family will also miss the Engstrom family as a whole, but we know we'll keep in touch as they embark on this exciting new chapter in their lives.

The same day as our Cozy lunch, we hit a beachfront park in Winnetka to join friends Moon and Chloe and kids for some playtime. One-year-old Uriah and three-year-old Sophia were very interested in knowing, "What is your baby doing under that blanket?" as I was feeding him. Check out the very funny photo of my captive audience! You may also notice that in one of the photos my boob is as big as my baby's head. Pictures do not lie.

Muppet Baby

Who's Cool Now?

I guess my season of being "in the know" is on a brief hiatus, so it's a good thing my husband is still in on all the action. He just called to tell me that he went on a business lunch with the B & O people from corporate at Rockit Bar and Grill and Billy Dec was at the next table. I guess that's not too surprising since Billy owns the restaurant (along with about every cool club in Chicago). This was in sharp contrast to my morning spent with five babies and five mamas talking about breastfeeding. Who's cool now?

So Cute I Can't Stand It!

I mean, really. Doesn't this photo make you want to have a zillion babies? Hmmm...maybe if you had a zillion nannies...I guess one is enough for now.

This photo was taken on Father's Day, after Gavin went swimming for the first time in his Grandma and Grandad McGowan's pool. He absolutely hated the swimming part (except for about three minutes of it) and the cold, wet diaper afterward, but once he was dressed again he managed some of his cutest smiles to date. I guess we'll keep working on is water skills.

I'm Tired

I'm tired. Three hour blocks of sleep are not enough. When do babies start sleeping through the night?

Harbor Country, Michigan

We just returned from a restful weekend in Harbor Country, Michigan. Despite predicted reports of violent thunderstorms in the area, we experienced a sunny weekend with the exception of a one-hour downpour. Ironically, Chicago got all the weather that was expected in Michigan, so we left town just in time. This was our first time traveling with a baby, so Saturday morning was managed chaos as it took us five hours to pack, load up the car, feed and change Gavin, and get out the door! Fortunately, he was a superstar babe and slept the entire way to the Michigan border. He probably would have slept all the way to the hotel except I had to stop at the outlet mall on the way. I think he caught my shopping vibe and wanted to experience his first bargains at the Baby Gap and Banana Republic, so he woke up.

So here are my South Michigan travel tips. We stayed at a great 1920's hotel called the Gordon Beach Inn and loved it. It's pretty inexpensive (go before the end of May and the rooms are two nights for the price of one) and is in a wooded area just down the road from a private beach, which is where we took the photos above. It was so pleasant, clean, and uncrowded! We also checked out their sister property, Lakeside Inn, and had a great breakfast there (creme brulee french toast, anyone?). Of course, we hit my favorite restaurant, Tosi's, and tried a new brunch place called Blue Plate Cafe.

It was a great weekend and just what our little family needed since we were all able to sleep as long as we wanted in the mornings...even Gavin! It was wonderful beyond words to have no agenda and just enjoy being together.

Looking Good!

My maternity clothes look better on Nicole than they did on me. You look good, girl!

Weekend Fun

Christa knows her way around babies!

Gavin's first chips and salsa?

We had a lot of fun last weekend as our lives "after baby" took another step toward returning to normal (whatever that is). In other words, we actually got out of the house! Gavin and I took a walk on Saturday morning, and then Joe hung out with the little man that evening so I could visit with my friend Christa, here on business from Dallas. It was so nice to have a few hours of "me time" to eat a nice meal with a friend. I realized it was only my fourth time out of the house by myself in eight weeks. What a weird thought.

The rest of the weekend was gloriously beautiful, so our little family attended a great dedication service for our church's new Family Life Center before heading down to the Division Street Fair/sidewalk sale. We ambled our way through some cute shops before eating a late lunch at yummy Mexican restaurant, Adobo Grill. Check out the picture of Gavin attempting to eat his first chips and salsa!

Monday was another visit to the doctor for another set of vaccinations (we are breaking them up instead of doing them all at once), and our amazingly cheerful baby cried for only about 30-seconds or so. This was a vast improvement from last week during his first set of shots, believe me. Joe had to go to Hinsdale for a work job later that afternoon so we made it a family affair and rode along. We enjoyed introducing Gav to Joe's boss and co-workers, so it was a fun day despite him having to work on his day off.