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.
4 comments:
First of all, I don't think it is nice that you called the babies brats. And you grilled them?!?! What kind of horrendous crime could they have committed to require such a harsh interrogation?
I didn't realize that sloth bears are so tall. And Emily is the size of a newborn human! And way bigger than a newborn polar bear - and aren't you glad she didn't gain 70+ pounds in her first 6 months?
Frankly, after tasting chocolate for the first time, I am surprised that Emily is content to go back to chewing on toes. It's just her own toes, isn't it? Or do I have to make sure to keep my shoes on when I come to visit?
First of all, when Christa said brats she was refering to the sausage not the kids, but to be honest all kids do have the potential, well maybe not Emily. As far as the grilling I feel that it is important to establish a tough reputation as it keeps 'em in line down the road.
I never knew that about sloth bears either. What I am not sure about is whether or not it is the top of the board or the bottom, if only I knew how tall Michael Jordan was...hmmmmmm. I know that with my back it is a good thing that Emily hasn't put on weight that quickly, not to mention that we would be going broke. Just imagine the diapers!!
It was with some protest that she has not gone on an all chocolate diet. Toes are currently a poor substitute. So far she is only chewing on her toes but she does pay very close attention to other people's toes, so you may want to stay on guard. Maybe if you covered your toes with chocolate...
Re your comment that people should be aware of the peril to their toes when Emily is around:
Are you saying that people should be on their toes about their toes?
Aaaaaah, thanks for the clarification about the brats. But now I don't understand why you were interrogating sausages. I prefer to eat them.
Perhaps I did not make myself clear about the toe issue - I DON'T want Emily to try to eat my toes, so I will most definitely NOT be covering them with chocolate, especially as that would be a waste of good chocolate and make my socks very sticky.
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