Bobby and I had a little mini-vacation to Chicago Tuesday night, and it was a lot of fun. Through his work he acquired 2 rooftop tickets for the Cubs vs. Cardinals game at Wrigley field. Bobby and I had both been to a Cubs game, but it had been years and neither of us had sat on a rooftop, always had been in the stadium. When we arrived, we were the first from our group to make it and we weren't sure if the company sponsoring the night was giving a presentation, or what the night entailed since we were to get there at 5p and the game didn't start until 8p. Luckily, there was no presentation (me sitting through a software company spiel would have been like when I had to sit through a Spanish Catholic mass...would have NO idea what was going on). The night was basically just a way for the company that does work for the hospital to schmooze over their clients, which worked just great for us. I told Bobby to keep up these great perks from his job, he just laughed! For the rooftop experience, you basically just pay one fee (we didn't have to pay this time) and you get to watch a Cubs game with an awesome view, especially on such a beautiful night, and get unlimited food and drinks. My absolute favorite part was the little freezer with an unlimited variety of novelty ice cream, like ice cream sandwiches, drumsticks, Toll House cookie ice cream sandwiches, fruit bars, etc. It was awesome! The whole night was fantastic. The food included pizza, a Greek chicken salad, fresh fruit, chex mix, little bags of chips, a grill that you could order anything from brats to hamburgers to chicken sandwiches, and pop, wine, water, and beer. If I ever go to a Cubs game again (which I'm sure we will), we will always do the rooftop experience because you can't beat it! The funny thing about this whole excursion was that I had just seen a Groupon for these rooftop seats and mentioned it to Bobby and probably only a few days later this opportunity came up! The rooftop we were at was 3639 Wrigley Rooftop...highly recommend!
Our view from the rooftop
We stayed in a hotel, Best Western Plus Hawthorne Terrace, which was walking distance from the stadium and the rooms were really modern and nice. I guess with Best Western I just have the impression of a run-down hotel for some reason, but it was really nice.
This was the light up mirror in the bathroom at the hotel. I want one of these!
The huge hot tub, looking in from the fitness area
Looking out at the fitness area from the hot tub
This was our first night away from Natalie and I did great! I didn't cry once, but I think my mom was hoping I would get as emotional as she would have...haha. Of course we missed her but it was really nice for the two of us to get away, so we'll have to do these mini trips every so often. My parents had a great time getting to babysit her and Natalie did great! Natalie slept from 11p until 7:30am for them and only woke up at 7:30am because my dad wanted to see her awake before he left for work. My mom got some great pictures of Natalie and took a video of her finding her thumb and sucking on it for a long time. Natalie has finally discovered that she can control her hand and now instead of her whole hand all the time, she has discovered her thumb.
Aunt Krista and Natalie playing
Sporting the Harley brand...I'm sure she'll have plenty more of these...haha
Before we left Chicago, we walked around a bit in Wrigleyville, which is a very interesting area to say the least! It was nice to walk around in Lincoln Park to the lake and around the other streets near our hotel. Usually when we stay in Chicago, we are near Michigan Avenue with all the shopping, so it was nice to discover another part of the city with the little bit of time we had before we needed to leave to pick up Natalie.
In front of Lake Michigan at Lincoln Park
It was a gorgeous day!
A windmill farm on our way home from Chicago, these things go on for miles and miles!
Our trip home was very adventurous! First off, Bobby got pulled over while I was asleep for going 65 in a 45, which surprised me since most of the time he only goes the speed limit for fuel economy! So, we have a $121 to pay to the City of Clinton...yipee! Prior to this, we stopped in Merriville and ate at Potbellys for lunch, which is about 2-3 hours from Terre Haute. By the time we got home, I realized I left my purse hanging on the back of the chair at the restaurant, but luckily when Bobby called, they had it. They are supposed to mail it to me, but I can't go anywhere because my car keys are in my purse, as well as my license, credit and debit card. I'm hoping that it's a good sign that the restaurant still has it and hopefully no one took anything out of it. I'm hoping when I talk to the manager in the morning, they will overnight it to me because I need it!
I got my Mother's Day gift today from Bobby and it was $150 for the spa here in town that I like to go to! It covers a pedicure, facial, and 1 hour massage! He did a great job, even if he did just get it today...haha! I can't wait to use it!
Tomorrow will be interesting for me because Bobby and I are heading up to Chicago to watch Cubs vs. Cardinals on a rooftop that he got through work! Can't wait, even if I do have to sit through a 2 hour sales pitch for his work. The interesting part is going to be that we are meeting my mom before we get to Chicago to give Natalie to my parents for the night. This will be the first overnight trip away from Natalie, so we'll see how I handle it! I know I'll miss her like crazy, but it will be nice for Bobby and I to have a night away! My mom and dad are super excited too that she gets to spend the night, if my mom would have had it her way, she would had taken Natalie on Sunday when we were all in Indy and then we'd pick her up Wednesday, but I wasn't ready for that quite yet.
Friday, we attended a funeral for our friends, then headed to Indy to pick up our race packets for the Indy 500 Mini-Marathon. We met my parents and sister at the hotel and proceeded to the convention center. Afterwards, we continued our walk downtown further to get some dinner. Most places were crazy busy and had 1.5 hours or longer waits, but we finally found a place that was only 45 minutes. Instead of using the pager system like most restaurants, they took down your cell number and called you when your table was ready, which was so nice because we could walk around the mall to pass the time. We got our carbs in for the big race in the morning and proceeded back to the hotel. I carried Natalie in an Ergobaby carrier which was great and I think will come in handy so much better when she is just a tad bit older (will fit better in it) instead of lugging around a stroller. It was especially nice to use in large crowds or when "living the pedestrian lifestyle" in downtown Indy. She seemed to really enjoy it and slept while she was in it. At the restaurant, Bobby put a lemon up to Natalie's mouth and below is the reaction we got (see video).
cute little crocheted cowgirl boots
Saturday was the big race day! Bobby was running it with our neighbor, Eric. I was walking it with my mom, her friend Nan, and my sister-in-law Kristen. Neither my mom nor I trained at all for it and everyone had completed all the training or at least some of it. Us walkers, our only goal was to finish the race and not be picked up by the trolley (had to keep at least an 18 minute/mile pace); whereas, Bobby and Eric wanted to run it in a 7:30 pace. Happy to say we all finished! Bobby and Eric didn't quite make their goal pace, but I would say they did a pretty awesome job. They finished in 1:48:06 which was just a little over an 8 minute pace. The walking group finished in 4:00:55 (just a tad bit slower than the runners...haha). We were all hurting in our own ways! Bobby's legs were tight, my feet were killing me, Kristen almost passed out and had some crazy blisters, mom was sore, and Nan was sore and ended up in the ER today for compartment syndrome in her lower leg in which she will have surgery so please pray for her! I think it would be safe to say that we were all happy to have said we did the Mini! Bobby and I had done this race last year (run/walk) and I had done once before that as well (run/walk). My goal next year is to run the race (definitely not as fast as Bobby and Eric though) and Bobby wants to run and of course improve his time. The Mini has always been an inspiration to me since the first time I did it because you see people of all shapes and sizes. We saw a couple of service"people" (a man and woman) in their fatigues carrying 70lbs on their back; Allen from Biggest Loser Season 8, a couple of people that were blind and walked holding onto their walking partners; a man with a prosthetic leg; people probably at least 50 years older than me (and faster)! We also saw and heard of a few that needed medical assistance, so please pray for them as well! Nan had some great friends that made a banner for her and stood outside of the 500 Speedway track that was such a great motivator for her at just the right moment. We can all say we proudly finished 13.1 miles!
Nan and Mom before the race
Kristen and I
Walking on the track in the rain!
Almost to mile 9!
What great friends of Nan!
Victory mile! Almost there!
Natalie bundled up and wearing Daddy's medal!
After the race, we went back to the hotel and Natalie got to go into the pool for the first time. It was pretty cold, so I thought for sure she would cry as soon as she got in, but she loved it. Bobby took her in a little later after waking her up, but eventually fell asleep while in the pool with him. I hope she will love the water as she gets older too and take after her daddy with swimming!
After swimming and relaxing at the hotel after the race, we met up with Kristen, Jeff, Evan, and Alexis, as well as Eric and Rebekah and their family. No place we called took reservations and with having 15 people, that was a major issue! So, we had to split up in groups of 8 and 7 and didn't even get to sit close enough to talk to everyone, but we all enjoyed our dinner after our almost 2 hour wait. Crazy!
For some reason she enjoyed laying like this!
Mother's day was nice! We packed up our car with what felt like our entire house because we had SO much stuff! Matt and Amanda came to the hotel and we all walked to the mall downtown to find a black dress for Amanda's wedding, plus I had to take back the 3 I ordered online and didn't really care for. The guys were all dreading the mall! But, since it was Mother's Day, they really didn't have a choice. Luckily, the first store we went to and the first dress I picked out fit and was perfect for Amanda's wedding! Can't believe I finally found a dress that fit my huge you know what and hid my stomach post-baby! It couldn't have been anymore perfect! We ate lunch in the mall, did a little more shopping (more browsing than anything). My parents got Natalie the cutest swimsuit, but she won't fit into it until next year (was a great deal) and an adorable Baby Gap jean skirt overalls! After walking back to the hotel, we went to get Rusty at Matt and Amanda's and headed home. Once we were home, Bobby finally gave me a Mother's Day card (I was starting to wonder if I was going to get one) that he helped Natalie write her name, even while she was half asleep...haha! However, Bobby said my gift won't be here until tomorrow, so I'll update this with what I got once I get it. I absolutely love being a mom and have the most beautiful daughter! Life couldn't be anymore perfect (except for the fact that I wish my Mother's Day gift was that I got to be a stay-at-home mom for a little while). Happy Mother's Day!
My 1st Mother's Day!
Notice Natalie's handwriting :)
Natalie had a lot of firsts this weekend:
Tasted a lemon (got the expected reaction)
Went in a pool
Used her baby carrier
Stayed in a hotel (and did great)
Natalie definitely had a lot of stimulation this weekend and she is now tuckered out!
Started off with Natalie waking up around 8am, then we met Bobby for lunch at J. Gumbo's. Food was good and it was a nice, relaxing lunch. Afterwards, Natalie and I went to Kroger to pick up some fresh cut flowers to make a floral arrangement for our neighbors, as well as picked stuff up to make lasagna and all the fixings! They had a death in the family and was the least bit we could do to help out at such a sad time in their lives!
Here is the flower arrangement (I could do this all the time, it was a lot of fun):
Of course once I got home from the grocery store, I realized I had forgotten the mozzarella cheese and the lettuce for the salad. So, once I got done feeding Natalie, pumping, making brownies and the meat sauce for the lasagna...off to the store we went again to pick up just those couple of items. I was so happy that Natalie was good with both trips to the store! Finally got done with preparing dinner for the neighbors and delivered everything to them, and it was already time to get ready for Zumba. Bobby couldn't make it home in time so we did an exchange with Natalie...me dropping her off to Bobby at his work as he was leaving so I could make it on time. Zumba kicked my butt tonight, but it was fun!
Afterwards, I met Bobby and Natalie at Walgreens nearby so that we could go look at a couple of houses, both on the southside with one being a foreclosure. Ideally we would prefer the eastside, but liked both houses for different reasons. If we could get the foreclosure for an awesome price, we would probably buy that one, but it needs some work...carpet replaced, painted walls, install lighting fixtures, etc. Then, our realtor brought info on one nearby to our current home, and since it was unoccupied we went to take a look. The location was more ideal, higher priced than the other 2 we looked at tonight and would need some updating as well! Just had new carpet throughout the home, but the mauve bathroom would have to go (mauve sink, toilet, shower)! Also, it had wallpaper everywhere that would also need to go!
We had forgotten about my car being down south, so by the time we went to pick it up it was already 9p and we still hadn't eaten! Bobby picked up some dinner while I went home to pump. Natalie was fussy all night! I really hope she sleeps well because she is currently asleep, but has been crying all night but will only eat an ounce or two. I think she is definitely a nightowl because she will rarely go to bed before 11p! I guess I should maybe read up on how to get her into a better routine, but I just figured she would make up her own routine with time.
Today we also got the news that Bobby's oldest sister, Kristen, and her family (Jeff, Evan, and Alexis) will be moving to Maryland! Praying for Jeff and his new job, but also praying for them that their house sells quickly to soon reunite their family back together as Kristen and the kids will be staying behind for a couple months or so. Although we are very excited for them (a new place to visit!), we are also a little sad too because we won't being seeing them on our trips up north for much longer. Even though we live 4 hours away, they will be 10 hours away, but I can't wait to visit them once they get settled in!
I loved her outfit today, so I had to take some pictures!
This is why I removed the bumpers from her crib! Crazy girl always want to shove her face in something!
Lately, Natalie has been enjoying shoving her whole fist in her mouth! She tries her darnedest to get that whole fist in there, but it doesn't quite fit (almost though). She still hasn't mastered rolling over either, but tries very hard, just can't quite get the momentum she needs! She has started to learn to push off with her feet which helps her a little bit, but she just can't quite figure it out yet.
I am really sad that it is already May! It just means that I will be going back to work in a few weeks. Even though it is just part-time (Tuesday through Thursday) I am going to miss my sweet Natalie like crazy! I have also talked about the possibility of staying home, but in the back of my mind truly thought that I would be ready to go back to work and get into a routine of my own. After being home with her for over 2 months now, I have to say that I love being a mom and taking care of her and could definitely see myself as a stay-at-home mom. Maybe part-time I will have the best of both worlds by being able to be home with her 4 out of 7 days a week and making a little bit of extra money with a little bit of time to myself. I am going to cherish every day I have with Natalie until I return back to work at the end of May and will cherish even more the shorter amount of time I will get to spend with her when I'm back to work.
I keep praying to God for guidance in the direction He wants us to be, whether it be in Terre Haute or elsewhere. I wrestle with this daily because I have no idea right now what/where/when...etc. I know there is a plan for us and I just want to make the right decisions along the way. Adulthood gets complicated sometimes with all the life-changing decisions that need to be made along the way!
One day Natalie, you will be wanting to grow up faster than you already are and I hope you will listen to me and others not to wish your innocent youth away because you will grow up fast enough! I know that is a hard concept to grasp until you are already in adulthood and realize that things weren't really as bad as you had thought when you were younger :) I love you baby girl, and I can't wait to see who you become (but don't grow up too fast, okay)!
