Girls' Weekend 2007 (Part Two)

So when we last posted, we left you hanging, wondering to yourself about Baby Day. We're so mean, to leave you all on the edges of your seats like that. You'd think that after leaving such a cliffhanger last time, that we'd get down to business this time and tie up the loose ends. Well, we will, in a minute . . . (another maniacal laugh) Ha-ha-ha!

So Saturday, May 26, was Baby Day. This was a day completely set aside for the Girls' Group to play with babies. You see, Emily has a cousin who was born the week before she & Joseph were; his name is Chase Jay Wright (We know, we know, his name is a sentence. We all laugh about it too, go ahead and chuckle) and he lives in Roscoe, Illinois, with his parents Jay & Karie and his 2 sisters Jacqueline & Kaitline. My Aunt Cloe is Jay's mom and the oldest of the 4 sisters (Grandma Kathy is third) who make up the major portion of the Girls' Group; Cloe lives in Colorado, so this was her first time to see her newest grandchild!!! And of course, who can get enough of Emily? I know that I can't.

Baby Day began with brunch at the Apple Villa restaurant in South Barrington. We took over one portion of the restaurant with the Girls' Group, which now included Karie, Jacqueline & Kaitline, and our 2 token boys, Steve & Jay. (I should mention that the entire group was wearing their Pink 'n Blue Make Two rabbit T-shirts. It was really cute.) We all had a lot of fun making faces and holding babies and eating huge plates of pancakes and eggs. After brunch, it was time to caravan to Grandma Kathy's house, where there is enough room for everyone to spread out and be comfortable. We played with the babies and Jacqueline & Kaitline. We took pictures, told stories, and Emily had her first experience eating cereal. Steve grilled his famous burgers, brats, and yummy peppers & onions, which are a must-have for me, Auntie Mandy & Grandma Kathy. We had birthday cake. Grandma opened her presents. The babies took naps. We took more pictures, played with the babies some more, and that was pretty much how Baby Day continued, until everyone was tired and the babies were asleep for the night. We all thought that Baby Day was the best day so far.

On Sunday, it was time for the Girls' Group, and Aunt Barbie's proxy Steve, to go on our luncheon cruise on the Spirit of Chicago cruise ship that docks downtown at Navy Pier. Emily went to Grandma B's house for a relaxing day where she wouldn't be passed around all day after having tolerated Baby Day like a trooper. Emily had a lot of fun sitting in her bouncy seat, grabbing her feet & playing with her toys. We all had a fun day cruising Lake Michigan, eating a delicious buffet lunch, and watching the entertainment group on the boat. Steve even became a part of this entertainment when he was pulled on stage to be in the Village People's YMCA part of the show. I think I'll be good with those memories for a few years, boy oh boy, that was a funny funny performance. We were all laughing so hard, we almost forgot to take humiliating pictures of Steve . . . notice I said, ALMOST!!! After the cruise ended, Steve & I took Grandma to see the Stained Glass Window Museum that is at the end of Navy Pier while the other members of the Girls' Group went shopping in the little boutiques that are all along the Pier. Then it was back home to pick up Emily and head back to the hotel for snuggles and movie watching.

Monday morning, brought the end to a really fun weekend. Steve & Emily met us for breakfast in the hotel, and we all said our goodbyes to our out-of-town guests. We all went our separate ways, which is always a sad experience after having spent so much time together.

Don't worry, our fun didn't end there . . . Steve, Emily & I stopped to visit Grandpa Bob and then we went to Brookfield Zoo to visit Joseph's polar bear, who has now been assigned the moniker, Hudson. We don't like this name and have decided to just call him "Joseph's Bear." Again, while at Grandpa Bob's, Emily was all smiles. She loves her Grandpa Bob. She spent some time showing him how she can roll over and play with her feet (a new skill, she can even suck on her toes once in awhile now, too.). We had a nice visit, but couldn't stay long, so we'll have to go back again soon to spend some more time with Grandpa.

Once at the zoo, we discovered that Joseph's Bear is now an astounding 77 pounds (remember he was born the same day as Emily & Joseph). They have filled up the pool a little bit, as he is learning to swim. Did you know that polar bears are not born with the ability to swim? They have to learn this skill, so the keepers have to drain the pool and fill it with straw until the baby bear is ready to start learning to swim. They can then slowly fill the pool as the baby bear gets more acclimated to the water. (We found this tidbit very interesting as Emily also was not born with an ability to swim. We will be signing her up very soon for a Daddy/Daughter swimming class at the park district for the summer.) Arki (polar bear mom) and Joseph's Bear were not out when we arrived, so we had to wait 20-30 minutes before they made their entrance.

We tossed around the idea of maybe visiting the new exhibit Stingray Bay that is at the Brookfield Zoo for the summer, but we were there on its opening day and decided that the line looked way too long. We'd go back on an off-day, when the zoo wasn't so busy. We wouldn't mind waiting in line if it was just the 2 of us, but we didn't think Emily would like waiting around all that much. So, once we had our fill of Joseph's Bear, we headed home.

We had a very fun, but busy weekend. We enjoyed every minute of it. Tomorrow we are headed out for Emily's first Great Lakes Letterboxing Gathering, so you'll have to stay tuned to your computer screens for an update on this . . . coming soon.

Yay, the gang's all here! Baby Day is underway! Pancakes, anyone? From Left to Right: Me (Mommy), Steve (Daddy), Emily, Mara, Grandma Kathy & Auntie Mandy.

At the second table you will find: Jay, Cloe, Chase, Joyce (just barely), Grandma Wyland, Jill (also, just barely), Jacqueline, Kaitline & Karie.

Back at home, Grandma Kathy had the honors of feeding Emily her first meal of cereal. She was not too sure about this new thick stuff that was in her mouth, but seemed to enjoy it nonetheless.

After her snack, she was ready for a quick nap with Daddy. . . Lucky Daddy!

Cloe with Chase & Karie with Emily. The babies were enjoying standing up and were easily distracted by the commotion made by Jacqueline & Kaitline running into the room.

Emily and Chase get acquainted.

Kaitline comes in to join the fray. Emily is having a good time playing with her binky. Hey look, "Cow" is not too far away either.

Emily flirts with Jay. (I hope Karie doesn't mind him looking at cute girls.)

Cloe & Chase

Emily was saying "Hi" to Chase by grabbing his arm. He reciprocated by eating her fingers. Aaah, the language of 5 month olds . . .

Look, no hands! I'm sitting all by myself!

This is the mobile on the bouncy seat at Grandma Kathy's house. We don't know what it is, but Emily is fascinated by the "red star". She just smiles and giggles at him all of the time. She loves watching him spin around, and even looks at him when she's not in the bouncy seat. She went to go visit the red star for a little while during Baby Day.

Jacqueline helps Grandma Wyland open her gifts. The take-home containers are too long of a story to get into right now. You had to be at Girls' Weekend last year to truly understand, but trust me, they were funny!

Jacqueline & Kaitline present Grandma with some special treats . . . Custom pink m&m's that say Grandma's Fan Club. They were yummy!

A family picture.

Four Generations are represented in this photo . . . Grandma Wyland (Emily's Great Grandma), Grandma Kathy, Me & Emily. Oh yeah, Steve is there too.

It's the Girl's Group (minus Barbie in abstentia). Front row: Kaitline, Jill, Jacqueline & Karie. Middle Row: Mara, Grandma Wyland & Emily. Back Row: Auntie Mandy, Me, Cloe, Grandma Kathy & Joyce.

The Cruise Group Shot: Mara, Jill, Joyce, Grandma Wyland, Steve (Barbie's proxy), Cloe, Me, Auntie Mandy & Grandma Kathy.

We got in a few shots on the boat before our table got called up to the buffet line.

Hey, even the real Barbie is in this picture . . . Do you see the phone in Grandma Kathy's hand?

Y. M. C. A!

The beautiful Chicago skyline as seen from the top of the cruise ship.

Navy Pier

Meanwhile . . . At Grandma B's, Emily was having a good old time playing in her bouncy seat. She not only has a hold of her foot, but in the other hand, she's got her toys. What a busy girl!

She is such a ham; always smiling for the camera.

On Monday, Emily came dressed in her zoo pants, her "spoiled" onesie and her pink crocs (that match Mommy's). She was all decked out and ready to go see Joseph's Bear.

She managed to get her shoe off and thought that the squishy croc foam was a good teething toy.

Hey, I'm done with these toes, does anyone else want a taste?

Emily & her Great Grandpa Bob

OK, this is another picture that you have to click on to fully appreciate. You need to read the markings on the ruler. We got lots of looks and comments from the people walking by. Everyone loves Emily, she makes an impression wherever we go. She's such a charmer!

Hi, Mommy!

OK, this face comes with a noise that is half growl, half Donald Duck voice. It is really funny all by itself, but then throw in the toe grabbing, what could be cuter?

Cow, did you have fun at the zoo today? Me too.

Girls' Weekend 2007 (Part One)

All of the girls began to assemble on Wednesday, May 22, 2007, for Girls' Weekend 2007.

I guess I need to back track a little bit (cue the flashback music & finger wiggling . . . Doodoodoo, Doodoodoo, Doodoodoo), Girls' Weekend began in 2005, when Grandma Wyland (Christa's Grandma) turned 90. All Grandma wanted for her birthday was to have all 4 of her daughters together for a fun weekend, so that's what they all did, because when you live as long as Grandma, you can have whatever you want. Since my Aunt Cloe lives in Denver, all of the girls decided to assemble there to hold court for Grandma (who lives in Minnesota and needed a fun trip) and help her celebrate her 90th birthday. Last year, Girls' Weekend was in Minnesota and was extended to ALL girls, even the granddaughters; a very fun time was had by all . . . OK, flashback over (cue the music & finger wiggling again . . . Doodoodoo, Doodoodoo, Doodoodoo) . . .

This year, Girls' Weekend traveled to Chicago and was hosted by my Mom (who all of you know as Grandma Kathy), my sister (Auntie Mandy), and myself. We planned a lot of fun events, most of which I would miss out on since I was out of sick days from my maternity leave. This year, Girls' Weekend got even bigger, because Mara was able to come!! (Mara was an exchange student from Italy who lived with my mom and her family during my mother's Junior year in High School.) . . . and let's not forget the newest girl, Emily, was also able to take part in the fun.

Wednesday was the day that brought Mara to the states from Monaco; and Aunt Cloe & her daughter Jill from Colorado. Emily had spent her day with Grandma Kathy and Auntie Mandy getting things ready for their arriving guests and all the fun things that were planned for the following few days. When I was finished at school, I joined them at Grandma Kathy's house. Mara's plane had arrived in Chicago around noon and so she was already there. It was really fun to finally get a chance to meet her after having heard about her all of these years. Emily, having been there from the start, was already making quite the impression on Mara. When Steve got done with work, he met us there, too, and we all went out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant in town. We had so much fun at dinner and Emily was quite helpful when Daddy needed help cutting his Chimichanga. She also got to try some water from Grandma Kathy's glass. She thought this was soooo much fun!! Around 9pm, Aunt Cloe & Jill's plane finally landed, 2 hours late, because of all the wind we were having here in Chicago. Steve and I went to pick them up and bring them to Mom's. Emily said her hi's and goodbye's to everyone and we packed it in for the night. There would be more fun tomorrow.

On Thursday, The Girls' Group went downtown to the Sears Tower & spent a very small amount of time on Michigan Avenue; which is to say that they went to Bennigans for lunch before heading back to the train. Emily spent her day with Grandma B. After school, I picked her up and we met everyone at the hotel where we would be spending the remainder of the week. Grandma Wyland & Aunt Joyce had arrived from Minnesota, and Emily was on the edge of her seat about meeting another Great Grandma. (Have we mentioned that Emily has 9 Grandparents? 5 of them are Great Grandparents. This kid is Grandparent rich!) (I should also probably interject that Aunt Barbie, was not able to come to Girls' Weekend this year due to the fact that she is in the hospital with a staph infection. We were all bummed, and missed her. As a result, there were many phone calls to Aunt Barbie in her hospital room to fill her in on all of the details.) Emily was also excited about seeing her Great Aunt Joyce again, as long as she kept her distance. (For whatever reason, Emily would start crying whenever Aunt Joyce held her. Not anybody else, just Aunt Joyce. We think she pinches babies.) Mom made a really good buffet dinner at the hotel and we stayed in, got caught up, and ate the buffet food. After dinner, Mom pulled out a bag of "Emily's" Strawberries that she found while shopping at Target. These were a dark chocolate candy with a strawberry filling in the center. She thought that they were funny because the bag said "Emily's." We all enjoyed the chocolate, even Emily. (OK, wait a minute before you all panic and call DCFS . . . Emily didn't actually EAT any chocolate, she only had a small amount rubbed onto her tongue so that she could taste it.) She really enjoyed her first taste of chocolate and is looking forward to getting some teeth so that she can actually eat a piece of chocolate. A little while later, Emily started fussing because she was tired, so Auntie Mandy & I started to serenade her with a medley from the Sound of Music. She really enjoyed this and quickly calmed down and then fell asleep. (Wait, now that I think about it, maybe this was an editorial comment on our singing.)

On Friday, Emily had a Daddy Day during the day and they really had a lazy day and enjoyed each other's company. . . Something that they both really needed. The Girls' Group spent their day at the Chicago Botanical Gardens, which Grandma loved. When I got home from work, I had a terrible headache, so I got started a little late to meet everyone. The rest of the Girls' Group went to Benihana for dinner. I opted to stay home and play with Emily after having a long day at work stuck in a conference room for a meeting. I then took a long refreshing nap and then Steve & I went to dinner, with Emily of course, before going to the hotel to meet up with everyone. Even though this was Girls' Weekend, Steve was really looking forward to seeing Grandma Wyland, and giving her his birthday wishes. We had a nice visit in the hotel on Friday night and we were really looking forward the what was in store for Saturday . . . Baby Day!

More on Baby Day later on, in Girls' Weekend (Part Two) . . . Gotta leave you all wanting more, don't we? Ha-ha-ha (a maniacal laugh).

Emily decided that she needed some play time with Auntie Mandy before we headed out for dinner. Mara watches the fun.

Here she is, the model herself, modeling off her newest ensemble. Just perfect for a hot summer day.

Here she is, helping Daddy cut his Chimichanga. What a good helper!

After dinner, Emily enjoyed making some faces at Grandma Kathy.

A nice group shot, taken by our very cheery waitress.

Emily tries taking a sip of water from Grandma Kathy's glass.

After a little bit of fussing, and a lot of trouble falling asleep, Auntie Mandy and I serenade Emily with our medley of Sound of Music tunes.

Emily is fixated on this bag of Emily's chocolates.

She could NOT keep her eyes off of Grandma Kathy's chocolate. Everywhere the chocolate went, so did Emily's eyes. She was fascinated!! Grandma Kathy was cracking up at Emily's level of concentration.

Grandma Kathy decided that it would be okay to rub a little bit of the chocolate on Emily's tongue so that she could taste it. This face says it all.

When Grandma Kathy began to lick the chocolate off of her fingers, she left her pinky unsupervised. Emily took advantage, she LOVES chewing on everyone's fingers.

Here, Emily is modeling her new sweatshirt that was embroidered by Jill. Jill had made everyone hoodie sweatshirts like this one last year (our Girls' Weekend theme was 91 Years of Love in honor of Grandma's 91st birthday). She is also smiling because she loves her Great Grandma Wyland.

Dancing with Mara to an Edith Piaf cd.

Emily is smiling at Aunt Joyce, as long as Joyce keeps her distance.

Everybody Loves Emily

After the Mother's day extravaganza Emily was ready to take a break. She spent the beginning of the week hanging out with Grandpa Ray & Grandma B. She spent a lot of time outside with them, listening to the sounds of the birds and smelling the beautiful flowers that are beginning to bloom in Grandma's garden. Then following her usual schedule, she spent Wednesday with Auntie Mandy & Grandma Kathy. Here she spent most of the day playing with her toys and taking naps. In the afternoon, the Stanley Steamer guys came to clean Grandma Kathy's carpets. Emily decided to supervise this process and was intrigued by the noise that the machines made and had a lot of fun watching the men walk back & forth as they cleaned the carpet. These three relaxing days had Emily ready for the excitement that was about to begin!

On Thursday morning, Grandpa Ray picked Emily up and went downtown with her and Grandma B to the Knickerbocker Hotel to see Uncle Michael. He was in town for the big restaurant show at McCormick Place and this was his only free time for the week. They had a great time at breakfast and from what I hear, despite saying his name numerous times, he failed to pony up the dough. He did, however, give her some great tips on interviewing and lots of belly tickles and ear rubs. Uncle Michael spends a lot of time with dogs, especially little Yorkies (who are smaller than Emily).

After taking Friday with her Daddy to relax from her Uncle Michael visit, Emily was ready to see her Great Grandma Pauline, Great Aunt Kate and Great Uncle Ron. They decided that they were going through withdrawal and really needed to see Emily, so they made the trip from Minnesota just to see her. They weren't all that interested in us, but then who really is? We had a terrific visit with everyone, and Emily was very happy to see them. Emily had a lot of fun posing for pictures and giving and receiving lots of hugs. We were also very happy to see everyone, we are hoping to make a trip up to Minnesota later this summer.

Since Monday & Tuesday were both warm and beautiful days, Emily wanted to spend a lot of time outside. She noticed that Grandma B's Rhododendron was beginning to bloom.

On Wednesday, Emily was busy playing with Auntie Mandy and her toy "Bugga Wugga." Emily likes Bugga Wugga because he wiggles when you pull on him and he is all black & white on the bottom. Notice, she's still in her jammies, that crazy baby!!

(Make sure you click your mouse on this picture. It can only be completely appreciated on a large scale. Look at Emily's "smile.")

By the time Grandma Kathy came home from work, Emily had finally decided that it was time to get dressed. Grandma read a book about colors to Emily, who was listening while she was playing with "Giraffe."

Emily loves it when you lay on the floor with her and smooch her face. She thinks that this is a really fun game!

After all of that goofing around, Emily was exhausted. She fell asleep on Auntie Mandy's lap. Cow did a good job of being a look out while Emily slept.

Emily found Grandma Kathy's stress spiral on the table and was playing with it while Grandma gave her a manicure. This quickly became one of Emily's favorite toys. It is so much fun to hold and is a little squishy when she gums it.

On Thursday, Emily got to go downtown Chicago with Grandma & Grandpa to have breakfast with Uncle Michael, who was in town for the big restaurant show. Here she is examining one of the spoons that Uncle Michael sells to hotels and restaurants.

Then she and Uncle Michael made faces at each other. Emily LOVES to make faces.

Look, I'm a big girl now. I can sit in this chair all by myself.

Uncle Michael decided to help Emily with her job search by giving her some advice about her interview techniques. Here they are during their mock interview. (Emily needs to work on not pulling her dress up & chewing on it during an interview.)

Emily, like her father, can never give a serious answer to a question. Michael lost his composure for a moment or two after one particularly silly answer and tickled her belly in retaliation.

Emily thought that this was great fun!

On Saturday, Mommy & Daddy were busy doing some housework to get ready for Great Grandma Pauline and Great Aunt Kate & Great Uncle Ron, who were driving down from Minnesota for a visit. Here Emily helps with sorting the laundry. (She was really just pulling things out of the basket and eating them.)

After helping Mommy sort the laundry, Emily got dressed and went to Grandma & Grandpa's for a little while to let Mommy & Daddy concentrate on their cleaning. While there, she found all of Aunt Susie's wedding things and decided to look into the possibility of maybe becoming a wedding planner. She's still mulling that one over, because it looks like a lot of fun, but also looks very stressful.

She went with Grandpa Ray to the Platt Hill Nursery to help him pick out tomato plants and some flowers for his garden. Here she is consulting with one of the Platt Hill specialists about which tomato plants would be best for her Grandpa's garden.

"Hmmm . . . maybe I'll become a botanist and work in a plant nursery."

Emily told Grandpa that she needed to inspect the flowers before he could buy them. Here she is doing her job; Grandpa waits for her final word.

Back at home, Emily decided to help mommy with a little vacuuming.

After dinner at the Olive Garden, Emily was posing for pictures. Great Aunt Kate had first dibs. Emily had been smiling at the camera, until the chandelier caught her eye.

"Ooo, something shiny!"

Again, while posing with Great Aunt Kate and Great Uncle Ron, Emily was distracted by something in the middle of posing for her pictures. This time the culprit was Auntie Mandy. That crazy Auntie Mandy, always misbehaving.

I was finally able to keep Miss Emily's attention long enough to snap a really nice picture of her with Great Grandma Pauline.

Emily then found herself in the arms of Grandma Kathy.

"Hey, what's Auntie Mandy up to now?"

Here she is with Auntie Mandy, playing another one of her favorite games . . . Flying Baby! This always puts a smile on her face.