Fall Catch Up

Stay tuned for a Tday post...for now, though, I need to do some catch up about the weeks prior to the Thanksgiving family invasion :) Taking Advantage of Chicago: Two years really is a short time to live somewhere, especially taking into account that we were gone for the entire summer and we will have a newborn baby the last few months we live here. SO, now that I am feeling some semblance of normal Maggie creeping back in (gotta love the 2nd trimester!), we have been going to museums on free days, playing outside in different playgrounds while the weather was still warm, and participating in a pre-preschool class once a week. It's been great to have the energy to make plans again, and we've taken advantage of doing outings with our wonderful friends here in Chicago.

Come One, Come All: This Fall has been a season of welcoming friends and family to Chicago as they've come to visit us and spend time in this great city. We had Mandy and Matt Rura make an extra stop on their trip home from a golf tournament in IL, and then another good friend from DC, Carolyn, came for a long weekend to hang out. She was a perfect guest, especially since I was still feeling pretty sick. We did some things together (museum pics below, Mag Mile walk with Sprinkles Cupcake ATM stop pics too) and she also braved the city and toured around by herself. She was also super great with Alyse and brought her a fuzzy teddy bear (now named Bronco Bear) that Alyse loves. And, then, of course, there was the Tday visitors that spanned the week before Tday until the Saturday after and included my maternal grandparents, mom and step-dad, brother, sis-in-law, and adorable nephew. They came and left in phases, stayed with us and in a hotel, and we all took full advantage of the chance to be together. More to come on that visit.

Beautiful weather for all of our visitors...Carolyn snapped this pic while we were walking along the beach with her.

My Birthday Surprise: Even as an adult, I do still love my birthday...it's just a nice day once a year that is just yours, to feel special, and have people acknowledge that you are alive :) But, I really don't expect anything on that day, other than a break from doing dinner or waking up with Alyse, etc. SO, I was very surprised when my bday morning I was handed a note that had a schedule for the day my friends had planned out to celebrate me. All day long Alyse had playdates so that I was free to enjoy an apple cider and walk with some friends, go to the gym, go shopping all by myself...and we were even provided with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus ice cream cake for the day. I cried, felt so special and loved, and enjoyed the day immensely! (Sadly, the most pics I took that day were of the yummy food we got...I guess it just goes to show I'm past feeling nauseous!) Then, Brandon and I got to go on a group date with some friends to my favorite Mexican restaurant the next weekend to keep the celebration going.

Halloween: Just check out the pics and know that it only took Alyse an apartment or two before she realized she was getting something good in her trick or treat bag :)

Alyse Turned TWO: Last but not least in this update post, our little A turned 2! She looks and acts like a little toddler: talks and walks like one, wants to do things herself and her way, sings, plays, helps, and follows adults around to see what they are doing. We love being able to know more what's in her head as she says more and more words and used more facial expressions and voice intonations. The little "yeah" she says with her head to the side is so cute and the songs she makes up while she colors, runs around, and is supposed to be sleeping make us smile. She's also started to have some pretty impressive tantrums and is going through a very possessive phase of a few toys that she just cannot share or have any other kids touch. She can do so much on her own now-- eat pretty much all by herself, drink from a "big girl" cup successfully most of the time, tell us when she has a wet or dirty diaper, sit on the potty (just to practice), color, identify letters and numbers, spell her name verbally, dance, climb, help cook and clean, and give great kisses. We had a fun bday party for Alyse and our friend, Sid, who are three days apart...pajama party complete with bedtime stories, fruit loop necklaces, cereal and milk for the kids and yummy breakfast food for the adults :)