Chicago Vacation

Last weekend we had the chance to go to Chicago for the weekend. Ryan worked several Saturdays in June and July, and he found out the week before last he had to use all his accumulated "comp time" by the end of the month, so we planned a few short excursions as a family. We had a great time.

Thursday

We drove up to Chicago (about 3 1/2 hours) after Ryan go off on Thursday night. Collin did pretty well in the car, especially while Baby Einstein played on the DVD. He fell asleep, but woke up as we arrived at 9pm. He was so hyper when we got the the room, but we let him crawl around,and check everything out before putting him in the crib. It worked much better than forcing him to go to sleep, like on our trip to Madison in June.

Friday

We woke up early, and Ryan went to the fitness room. Then we swapped, and he took Collin to the pool while I worked out.

Fun Story: I feel like I am becoming quite the Elliptical Snob. This hotel's was certainly not up to par with my favorite (in Baraboo, WI) which gave me a water break half-way through and said things like, "Good work!" and "Almost there." Loved it. I did get to select a route, and I enjoyed my "Alpine Hike." Then I headed to the pool to join the boys. Unfortunately, it was an outdoor - heated - pool, and it was quite chilly (yeah, in August!).

After soaking my feet in the cold pool, I put Collin down for his morning nap while Ryan went to the temple. Our hotel was about 1/2 mile from the temple, which was super awesome. Right as Ryan got back, our good friends from Madison arrived. We watched their 15-month old, and they headed off to the temple.

Fun Story: While they were gone, Ryan and I each took a stroller and decided to explore. We found a "rummage sale" and decided to stop by. We saw piles and piles of dirty, yucky junk. And then, like a little present just for us: there sat a hiking baby backpack. We have been looking for a hiking backpack since our hike at Devil's Lake and then to the waterfall in Washington. We thought since it was so clean and separated from the crap that someone must have brought their child to the sale in it, but we took it up to the register anyway. She told us it was brand-new, and it was for sale for $15. I had left my wallet at the hotel, and Ryan only had $10. So we offered her the ten to hold it for us so we could walk back to the hotel for the other five. "Oh no, that's silly. You have two babies! Just take it for $10." Score. Another successful steal.

We walked back to the hotel (two strollers AND the hiking backpack), and our friends returned from the temple. I put Collin down for his afternoon nap, and Ryan and I headed to the temple. Lucky them, Collin slept all but 15 minutes of the time we were gone.

We got Chinese take-out and put the babies to bed for the night. Then, like freshmen living in college dorms, we sat in the hallway between our rooms and played cards. It still makes me laugh to think what we looked like sitting in the hallway of the hotel - four grown adults kicked out of their rooms by their babies.

Saturday

On Saturday, after some additional workout time in the fitness room, we headed to the train. After some frustration with the Chicago Public Transit System (honestly, why would one-day passes not be sold at the station? and can they really close a section of the track and force everyone onto crammed buses?), we got to Navy Pier. What a marketing and commercialism trap! We did get to see some Tiffany stained glass windows, but $8 for two hot dogs? I mean, really...

After Navy Pier we headed down the Chicago Lakeshore Trail (highly recommend it) and saw the Chicago Yacht Club and gorgeous Lake Michigan. It was sunny and not too hot or humid. Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

We arrived at "the Bean" just as three wedding parties did, but... what a strange piece of artwork. We also got to take a peek at the fountain towers.

Then we headed back to deal with the bus and train transfers to our cars. Thank goodness Ryan can read maps. We had totally worn out the babies at this point, and they took the opportunity to snooze.

We got back to Peoria pretty late on Saturday, but it was a fabulous little family vacation. Collin was a real trooper. We loved seeing Jenn, Dave and Lane. Thanks for a great weekend!

8 Months

Wow, my baby is 8 months old. I know it's cliche, but HONESTLY: Time flies!

Crawling

Last Tuesday, just days before his 8-month mark, he started full-on crawling. For about a month, he would get up on his hands and knees and lunge. He would also go forward with his right side, then the left, but then he would come crashing down. That all ended early last week, and now he is getting everywhere.

Every room I go into, he follows - finding all sorts of things to get into trouble. Case in point: the toilet. How do moms use the restroom in peace? He also loves the fireplace (AHHH! We don't have glass doors, and he gets covered in ashes), the DVD and VHS shelf (Who would have thought they'd be such fun to dump out of their packages?) and the kitchen floor (which is awful because now I have to sweep EVERY day). He also found some artifical flowers on a basket I made my frosh year in college and started chowing down (hope they're non-toxic). He loves chewing on shoes and toes, and he puts every little crumb he finds on the floor into his mouth. He likes the door stops that vibrate up and down too. He is definitely trouble. I never thought he'd find so many things to get into. What a curious kid.

Skin Tone

So I was at my makeup store last month, and they discontinued my foundation so I had to try all these new products to decide what I liked best and which shade was right. I finally decided on the absolute lightest shade, and the makeup lady says, "I think your baby is darker than you are!" Now what do you say to that?

So Collin is super tan. It is funny because his ankles and wrists have a roll of fat on each, and if you point his toe or bend his wrist a bit, he has a perfect white tan-line. Silly dark-complected child. Must have gotten that from his daddy.

Hair

In case you are wondering, he is still bald, bald, bald. I put him in a hat most of the time we are out of the house. Then people don't see how bald he is, and I think he looks rather cute like that.

Napping

Collin is taking two naps each day now. He sleeps from about 10:30-12noon each morning, and then from 2-3pm each afternoon. He usually goes to bed between 6:30 and 7pm, and he wakes up between 7:30 and 8:30am. I know: I was totally blessed with the best sleeper ever. We count it among our Seminary Blessings.

Eating

I don't know if this is normal, but Collin would never stop eating if I didn't stop offering the food. He eats about 4 ounces of solid food each meal each day (3 meals per day), plus he is still nursing 4-6 times per day. He still isn't a fan of drinking water from his sippy cups (I've tried two designs) or from the bottle, so we'll have to keep working on that. He eats just about everything (carrots, squash, green beans, applesauce, pears, black beans, wheat bread, grapes, pickles, lettuce, rice, daddy's smoothie...). Yeah, he eats it all. No wonder the kid is in 12-month clothes!

Teething

Apparently I never posted that Collin got two teeth on the bottom less than a week after his 6-month birthday. I thought they'd keep coming rather regularly after that, but we haven't seen anything new since. He has been gnawing a lot yesterday and today, so maybe those top ones will make an appearance soon.

Car Seat

We did buy Collin a new car seat. He got the Evenflo Triumph Advance LX. He seems to like it, but it is HUGE. It is as tall as the headrests in both our cars (Volvo S70 & Toyota 4Runner) making it difficult to go in reverse. He'll have to remain rear-facing at least 4 more months, so I am starting to see why so many people opt for the mini-van so early. He sits in the middle, which is good since Ry and I have to keep our front seats all the way back for our long legs. It'd never fit on the sides while in rear-facing mode. I think his seat will fit much better when we can turn it around for forward-facing though.

I took this picture to show that the first time he rode in his new chair, he immediately had to play with the head rest. We picked the LX over the DLX because we like the angled head rest, and what does Collin do with it? Bat it above his head.

And that's a few of the 8-month feats of Collin. Next month is Collin's 9-month doctor's appointment, at which time we'll discover his new length and weight. My guesses: 30 inches, 20 pounds.

Car Seat Survey

We are now in the market for Collin's next car seat. We have been reading reviews online, but I wanted to poll my friends and family and see what they recommend. Please leave a comment if you particularly like or dislike your child's car seat.

Here are some things we are trying to decide about:

1 - Booster included: We need one that will rear-face and forward-face, but should we get the one that will also be a booster seat down the road? Is it worth the extra expense?

2 - Compact design: Are they as safe/comfortable? We would like it to fit behind the driver's seat in our 4-door sedan without Collin kicking the driver in the back, but does the smaller size work as well as the taller ones?

3 - Comfort: Are the more expensive ones really more comfortable? We take Collin on road-trips to St. Louis at least monthly, and I want him to be as comfy as possible, since a happy baby is a happy mommy and daddy, and therefore a happy road trip.

4 - Brand: What do you prefer? Graco? Evenflow? Eddie Bauer? Safety First?

Any other recommendations? What have you liked or hated? Collin is more than done with his infant carrier, and we want to get the best value for our buck. What have you learned from experience and/or your own research?

THANK YOU!

Trouble, with a capital T... And that rhymes with C, and that stands for COLLIN!

Q: What do all these items have in common?

A: Hours of enjoyment for... not mom. For my baby, who will pick them over a purchased "real" toy any day!

And what provides enjoyment for an almost-8-month-old?

sewing machine packaging

straws

plastic cups

cell phones

remote controls

shoes

a CD case

the computer power cord

his crib bumper

paper & cardboard

plastic bags (carefully monitored, of course)

laundry

So why do we bother to buy toys, when anything WE find interest in, he prefers over their own stuff anyway?

And yes, he does have toys of his own. I'm thinking I'll start trying to play with his toys when he takes mine. Will that fix him?