AJ's First Haircut

When AJ was born, I always envisioned him growing into toddlerhood with a full head of dark curls like his daddy did.  I imagined that we wouldn't cut his hair, letting it curl and grow like a mini rock-star's. When future people would ask how old my "daughter" was, I'd have perfected my scowl and response that he was obviously a boy with his black tee and dirty hands, implying that of course they could tell the little mop belonged to my cool dude...

When all of his brown hair fell out soon after he was born, it seemed as if he would be bald forever...while we waited for the hair to get growing, I clung to my hope that it would also start to curl.  No dice. It was well into his first year that anyone could even notice his hair, and it was very obviously not brown, thick or curly. He has inherited MY hair. No one would have wished that on a child, but luckily he IS a boy, since fine straight hair was always a bummer for me. (and, I was called a boy well into age 2!)

So as AJ's air grew, there were a few hairs (like, 10) that must have gotten started earlier than the rest, and they were very long. They would stick out in weird places like just over his ears and from the top of his head, and all I wanted to do was cut them.I know this may sound strange, but I didn't want to just trim these few rebel hairs because that would constitute his first haircut and I have to save 10 hairs for his babybook and that would have been lame.  Thus, I decided to give him a "real" haircut and then let it grow.  After sitting relatively still on my lap with Dad distracting him, here are the results!  The little pile of hair I managed to cut away, and an "after" shot.  I complained to Andy that we had forgotten to take a "before" shot, but he told me the 2500 pictures we've already taken were the "befores"...so just look back a few posts if you want to see if you can tell the difference!

AJ's Jar

AJ loves to play with some of my old jars that I wash out and save for storing things like sauces and marinates. I know since they are glass, some people look on disapprovingly, but I don't care. The glass is pretty thick, and I am usually careful to only let him play with them on the carpet or at his seat...

He likes to open and close the jars, saying "lid off" or "lid on", and when his little fingers don't turn the lid the right way, he brings it to me saying, "help you! help me!" It's so cute and funny. He also likes to see which objects fit in the jars, and sometimes concocts things to "eat" or "cook".

So here he is in a recent video clip, so you can see him in action (notice the expressions!):

Garfield Conservatory (again)

We went to the Garfield Park Conservatory again recently, and I can tell this is going to be a great spot for cold and rainy days.  It's free (unless you make a donation), it's warm, it's full of plants, water and fish, and it's close to home. We can also pack lunches to eat there since they have tables set up inside and out.  AJ loves to run around and tell me what colors he sees, since the plants and their flowers come in a wide variety of hues, and it's a perfect place for someone his size to explore. The other day the Payne's and the Ma's met us there and the kids had fun together and on their own. The kids area was a big hit, and I think AJ might have been up for trying the tube slide alone, if there were not a bunch of loud, fast big kids there at the same time. Instead, he went down in my lap (a physical feat for anyone who has not seen the slide!) We also enjoyed looking into the coi pond and seeing the maintenance crew planting and moving trees around! AJ decided he wanted to help with the wheelbarrow, and he and his buddy Jack worked on moving a hose together (I'm sure the GPC really appreciated all their efforts...) Needless to say, as the days get cooler and shorter, we will probably start visiting the GPC at least every other week, if not more! I'm getting a LITTLE nervous about how to keep a now running, climbing and exploring AJ inside all winter!! (I guess we can go out now and then to play in the snow, but you know what I mean.) Thank goodness for the library, all the museums and the Park District gymnastics class!

You should have seen the other guy...

A wound-up AJ had a small accident yesterday at the Kohl Children's Museum and and incurred his first shiner. I asked him about it this morning, and with a little help, he said "Udda Guy"

Method Mania (and other green things)

Since having AJ and deciding to let go of my jewelry business at least for a few years, I have been gravitating more and more toward working for a greener world.  I told Andy a long time ago that I really wanted to be an activist, and now I think I'm almost there! I know this blog is usually very AJ-centric, but I wanted to digress from that to let you in on what I (and sometimes Andy & I) do in what little spare time I can find...

Anyone who has seen me recently has probably heard about the event that Andy and I attended at the Method Pop Up Store in Lincoln Park. I can't stop talking about it!!  Method is an amazing company that strives to stay true to the Cradle to Cradle philosophy and makes "going green" easy for those who still want their products to smell refreshing and look pretty. I have been a big fan of their hand soap and shower spray for quite a while now, and the more I found out about the company, the more I liked them. I started to try other products in their line since they sell them through Target (and I sort of live there) and other "normal" stores that I frequent. I am currently in love with their toilet bowl cleaner, which is just SO CUTE! and really gets the job done with only eco-friendly ingredients!

The Pop Up Store is only here until Oct 12th...that means you should run on over if you can to see and shop all of their products in one place. They are located just north of Armitage on Halsted, and the shop is bright and colorful and was built out using all sustainable materials and practices. You can bring in your toxic cleaning supplies and get one product free for doing so, and they will dispose of those toxins in the correct way for you instead of you tossing them into the trash (landfills!) or down the toilet (yikes, water supply!). There is also a free photo booth that I used with AJ when I went in during the day, and then we had so much fun in it at the party! Here is the pile of cute photos I ended up with.

The Method store has a separate area in back for the parties so we got to mingle while drinking a white sangria with green apples. It was a great way for Jen (my friend and organizer of CSGF) and I to meet and get to know some of our meetup group, and for ANdy to see that they are in fact real people (as opposed to a virtual friend!) Then we all participated in a cocktail class by Natalie Bovis-Nelson, the Liquid Muse.  The drinks were all based on organic fruits, alcohols and liquors, such as a Square One cucumber vodka mojito, made with Square One cucumber vodka, Trader Joe's sparkling lemonade and fresh mint and cucumbers and a little sugar (which we muddled). What a blast. We also heard about Method's products and philosophy and went home with very generous swag bags (re-useable, btw) filled with products like their hand soap, dish soap, and bowl cleaner and a cute T-shirt reading, "Cleans Like a Mother".  I have to say the one I'm most excited about is their new dishwasher tabs, which clean just as well as my toxic Cascade, but contain no phosphates or other scary ingredients.

In other green news from my family, AJ and I went to a CSGF re-use playdate and made these funny characters out of apples that were past their prime. OK, so really I made them while he played and ate the apples, but I like to take him to events that make crafts out of things that are or otherwise were heading to the trash. One of our group's playdates was also recently featured on the ABC 7 news segment, "Live Green". It was AJ's TV debut. :) and, if that were not enough, I just started to blog for a site called Chicago Mom Views, where I share interesting places to go and things to do for mom's in my area of the city, often with an eco-friendly bent. to read my first article, click on "Chicago Hot Spot" under Latest Articles.

Hulett's Halfway House

Last weekend Andy, AJ and I went to our good friend's, Mike and Heidi Hulett's, lake house in MI. We actually met Mike when we were looking for a realtor to buy our first place back in 2002. Then he ended up selling us a unit in the building where he lived and we became close friends with he and his then-girlfriend Heidi. Since then, they got married, they moved out of the building, mike sold us our present place, and we've both started families. Isn't it so cool that we're still friends!?

It was a bit over 2 hrs to get to their cabin, so after stopping in a nearby town for some dinner, AJ took a bath with their son and daughter, Ronin and Remi. They were so cute in the tub, the Butcher, the Baker and the Candlestick Maker! AJ loved having them to splash around with since he loves bathtime and this was even better!

The next day, all the kids woke up really early for some reason. AJ slept in a pack n play in our room, and I tried to get him to lay back down, telling him it was still dark...but it was no use. So after an early start and a run to the nearby grocery, Mike took Ronin, Andy, AJ and I out for a spin on the lake. This was AJ's first ride on a motor boat! Andy suited him up in a little life-jacket and walked him down to the pier. When we started moving, he really seemed to like it! He loved looking out as we sped along. Ronin got to take a turn at the wheel, and he's going to be pulling tubers and skiers in no time!

I'd also like to point out that Heidi and Mike also both have brown hair, just like Andy and I, and look how blonde Ronin is!

Since it was pretty cool out, we mostly stayed around the lake house and that was our only time in the boat. But we had a good time and got to relax a bit while AJ, Ronin and Remi played together and ran around the house or played out front where Andy and Mike played basketball. good times. 

Heidi and I had a good time cooking together and catching up and decided we need to get together more regularly! We only live about a mile apart, so it's not like it would be such a massive effort on either of our parts!

Here is a shot Andy took as the sun was setting. It was so neat to be so far removed from the city. We saw Amish people traveling around by horse and buggy, saw spiders building webs, looked out across the lake behind the house, and into the cornfield in front of it. It was nice to have the change of pace and we look forward to making it up again next year!

Here are a couple more shots from the weekend...

Another Trip to Millennium

 Sept 25th, I woke up and watched the local forecast. The weather was predicted to be warm (high 70's) and sunny, but then to cool off and start seeming more like Fall by the next week. I felt a little twinge of panic to squeeze a little more Summer out of the year, so I called my friend Erin and asked if she was up for a visit to Millennium Park for a picnic and a swim (for the kids) in the fountain. She was game, so we met at the Western Blue Line and headed downtown with AJ, Violet and Jack (Who AJ refers to as Veee! and Dak, Dak)

The day had a couple of issues...first being that when we take the elevator up from the Clark and Lake stop, I sometimes get turned around. I though we were to go left when we walked out of the building, until we reached the Chicago river and I knew that was wrong! So we got a little extra exercise.  ;)  Then once we got there, we set about changing the kids into their swimwear...and AJ PEED all over Jack's shoes and Erin's diaper bag! Good thing both were water-proof and Erin is so kind and laid back. (thanks for acting like you didn't care, Erin!)

The kids of course LOVED running around in the water. AJ couldn't care less where I am when he is splashing around at MP. He is enamored of the place, and runs, stomps, and lies down in the shallow water. He thinks watching the other people frolicking around is fun too, and he has begun to become quite the flirt. He gets close to people, and then when they notice him and smile or say "hi" to him, he smiles shyly and runs away. 

After we pried the kids away from the water, we walked across the Cloud Gate Bridge to have our picnic in a less-crowded area. AJ, Violet and Jack all did pretty well eating their lunches, and then Erin and I got to sit back and relax (!!) for a couple minutes while the 3 of them ran around depositing the walkway gravel onto the grass or down a drain grate. OK, so maybe that wasn't the best thing they could have been doing together, but we decided to leave them be, because they were playing so nicely together and were having such a good time. Here they are in action (don't you think Jack looks like his name should be Pierre in this shot?)

When the weather did get colder and last week we had to break out the sweatshirts and put away the sandals, I was really glad we decided to motivate and got in this one last trip to play in the fountain.

The First Time Away...

On the weekend of Sept 19th, Andy and I went away for our first weekend without AJ. Joe DeFrain, one of the kids I grew up with since he was a baby, got married in Ohio. We couldn't miss his wedding.  Bringing AJ was do-able, but we knew that option was also much more complicated logistically, and selfishly we knew we would have more relaxation and freedom if we went on our own.  So, we asked Andy's mom if she was up for the challenge, and she happily accepted! I left a huge info booklet listing what I'm sure was too much detail, but remember, this was my first time being away from AJ for so long! After all, he was going to be with his grandma...well loved, fed and cared for. (if not a bit spoiled!)

We left on Friday afternoon and made good time to Cincinnati, where we stayed at the home of an old family friend of my dad's side of the family. It was comfortable and spacious, and we were thankful for their hospitality! Sat morning, Andy went golfing with my mom and dad, and another old friend, Brad D. I was invited to go with them, but gladly declined the offer and chose to SLEEP IN, READ UNINTERRUPTED, and PAINT MY TOE AND FINGERNAILS!! 3 things I NEVER  get to do anymore. Of course I missed AJ, but that whole morning to myself was really rejuvenating!  

Here we are right before the wedding, doing the regular posing. My mom took some nice shots of us and it was funny to drive all the way to Cinci and then see so many old friends from "home"! 

This is a shot we took of Joey and his now-wife, Lauren. Joe was teary-eyed as Lauren walked up the aisle and their ceremony was really beautiful.

At the reception, we had a great time. I got to see one of my best friends, Annie after the wedding party was done taking pictures, and my mom took this one of us. (Joey is Annie's youngest bro) The reception was in a beautiful setting - a mansion-grounds-turned-forest-preserve. The band was talented and we all danced and partied and had an awesome time.

Meanwhile, AJ had an awesome time with his G-ma Cheri. They managed quite well without us, though when we came home, he was happy to see us again. What a great weekend, and thanks to Cheri for taking such good care of AJ, to the Bronsil's for letting us stay at their home, to my parents for helping to make all the arrangements, and to Joey, Lauren and their families for including us in such a special event.

The Ever-Evolving Playgroup

When AJ and I started doing a regular playdate with some of our friends whose babies were born at around the same time, we used to put out a blanket at someone's place and chat about our new parenting roles. As long as there were a couple of toys and a few burp cloths, we were set...fast forward to our most recent playdate, where we opted for a park since containing 6 active toddlers happily in our homes is easier said than done!

When  I looked back in my pictures to find this shot of one of the first get-togethers, I noticed how bald our babes were back then, and how sitting up was the big skill. They were so easy to entertain back then, and we didn't even realize it!   

 But even though our little ones are more active and vocal now, they are also so much FUN! AJ  and his friends recognize and interact with each other now, and they can run, climb, talk, and they are working on sharing...that's a toughie! The park was a hit, and the kids ran all over the place, going down slides, hanging out in the swings, playing in the sand, and picnicing on the grass. AJ was very into the sandbox on this outing, and  although he brought a lot of sand-piles with him to the picnic, I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Here are a few shots from the playgroup in action. AJ and his friend Emilio were busy in the sandbox (both playing with toys belonging to other children, and AJ never wants to leave these borrowed or community trucks behind!).

The next shot is AJ checking out how sand falls out of his hand (and onto his overalls).  He was also very interested in piling on as much sand as possible onto the toy du jour (I think it is a Thomas the Train?). I really have had to work on my compulsion to keep AJ clean this summer as he LOVES to get SANDY.  I am not a fan of the sandbox, but it makes him so happy to play there and I do think he's learning a lot by exploring the properties of the stuff.

Luckily we like a bunch of other nearby parks that DON'T have sandboxes, so we do have choices for when I'm not feeling super-patient.
AJ also spent some time running around under the trees with his friends. Here is a cute picture of him with his friend Aliza. They were imitating each other reaching up and clapping above their heads. It was precious!

As all these kids grow and develop, I'm constantly reminded how lucky we moms are to know each other and have such great children. What a blessing it is that all of them can grow up together, never remembering a time when they were not friends. (cue Hallmark commercial)