A Bite to Eat

Before the storm rolls in, we took the girls to the zoo on this beautiful day.  At lunch, Julia enjoyed feeding the geese as much as she loves feeding Samson.  After taunting one goose with her carrot for a while, the goose took matters into his own beak and tried to take a bite out of Julia's toes.  Fortunately, it didn't bother her one bit.  

Friday Funday

The girls and I enjoyed a beautiful Friday playing outside, walking around the neighborhood (turning in Norah's kindergarten application - yikes! how is it time for that?!?), and getting a snack at McDonalds.  Julia greatly enjoyed her first taste of fries.

Active Baby and Her Nursing Strike

Julia can't get enough of climbing the stairs.  When I'm unable to chase after her (usually, when I'm attached to the breast pump), Norah and Etta are a great help at grabbing her before she can get too far.  This photo was captured when Norah snuck my phone.  (Apparently, they all know that the best time to get away with things is when I'm attached to the pump.)

The reason I've been especially attached lately is that Julia is on day 16 of a nursing strike.  I can only imagine her demands include us adding carbs to her diet and giving her a 15 minute break from her sisters every four hours.  Until then, she's going to continue to crawl the picket line.  In all seriousness, the lactation consultants I've talked to can't figure out why she's striking or what to do about it.  I'm hoping she'll change her mind soon.

Home Again, Home Again

It's great to be home again after an amazing week at Kellogg.  While they say they're glad to see me, no one seemed too out of sorts that I'd been gone.  It's amazing how much a baby can change in a week.  She sprouted two more teeth (she's got eight total now) and is regularly saying "Dada," "Etta," "hi," "bye," and "uh oh."  She's been saying "Dada" and "Etta" for several weeks now.  She's also getting more fluent with her sign language.  She's definitely got milk down, and now she's also waving goodbye, saying all done (sometimes), and clapping.  I can't believe how big she's getting.

While the Cat's Away...

The girls had another great Goose-day while I was away.  Every day, Etta calls me at night to ask, "How is Chicago? What are you doing in Chicago? Why did you go to Chicago?"  Needless to say, she remembers where I am.  While it's my first time away from Julia overnight, she doesn't seem too distressed.  In fact, she's not bothered by it at all.  

Kellogg Week

I'm starting a certificate program in non-profit management from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.  This is my first week at the school, and I'm so grateful to Nick, Nana, Popos and Kim for going above and beyond with the girls to make it possible for me to return to school.  It's a treat that classes are right on Lake Michigan and that the Dean of the B-School, Sally Blount, joined us on our first night.  I can't wait for more!

Stock Show 2016

One of my favorite days of the year is Stock Show day, and we had a great time petting pigmy goats and potbellied pigs, milking fake cows, watching the cows get their hair combed and blown out, and cheering on the horse jumpers.  Since Julia's on the fifth day of a nursing strike, I pointed out to her every nursing animal I could find.  As of tonight, it still hasn't made a difference.

Budding Writer

Norah has taken advantage of staying up late and playing on Etta's computer by writing her first composition: "Etta who is three-years-old and Norah who is sort of four and sort of five are bothering [b]each other and mom and dad." 

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Since we've had some warmer days, the girls' have had lots of fun on their new playset.

Naked Baby

The last several weeks, it's been like a wrestling match trying to change Julia's diaper.  Sometimes, that means she just ends up naked.

Tire Time

Playing at the Park

A Birthday Party for Little Mermaids

When given the choice, Norah and Etta wanted to have a joint Little Mermaid party at the aquarium, so we packed our fins and dove in this morning.  We had a great time touring the fish with friends, and in spite of how many times we've been there before, our guide taught us a number of interesting factoids, including: if you put your hands on the glass of the shark tanks, the sharks can feel your heartbeat.  Think of that next time you go to the beach.  After the tour, the kids blew off steam in the birthday room and enjoyed their pizza and cake.  Then, right when we thought the party was over, Nana and Popos surprised the girls with a visit from the mermaids.  Before bed, Norah told me that was her favorite part of the party.  All in all, it was a great celebration!