Filling in for Grey

I find myself here at the computer, forced to write since it seems that my weekly must-see TV (Grey's Anatomy) has been taken over by a hockey match. Can you believe it????

I thought I'd post about the four days Nicholas, Lucas and I had in Chicago before we left on our long-awaited cruise.

We landed in Chicago on Monday afternoon, thankfully a bit early given Nicholas's performance on the plane. After a pleasant encounter with the passport control officer (who politely ignored Nicholas's screaming and communicated with me via facial expressions), grabbing our bags and baby buggy, and turning in the proper customs form, we finally emerged into the waiting area where we were met with warm hugs from mom and dad.

Outside it was a frigid 1 degree Celcius and there was snow on the ground, so we hurried to the car. Dad whisked us to Grandpa's house, where Nicholas had his first meeting with his Great-Grandfather (the photo is from a visit later in the week, though).

This was an emotional moment for me -- my grandfather is one of the most amazing men I know, a man I love for his kind heart, honesty and warmth. I have always respected him and I feel we have grown even closer in the past few years. I treasure every moment I get to spend with him.

Grandpa had whipped up an Easter feast that would have fed the fifth army (of any country), which was enjoyed by mom, dad, Tim, Samantha, Tyson, Lucas, my dad's cousin Stevie and myself. Grandpa ate when he wasn't in the kitchen stirring in his many pots or slicing the ham, but I'm not really sure that he actually ate very much. The rest of us stuffed ourselves Thanksgiving-style with Grandpa's pasta, meatballs, Italian sausage, ham, sweet potatoes, salad, bread, and creamed vegetables. We followed that with cake and fruit salad (as if any of us were still hungry -- still, when Grandpa's cooking, who can resist???!!!!) Forgive me, Grandpa, if my list is missing something!

We then sat around the table for a few hours chatting and relaxing before the boys and I headed off with mom and dad to their house for a good night's sleep. I knew at that point that my relatively (compared to pre-pregnancy) slim figure might be endangered by this vacation, but the next second I threw that thought out the window.

Both Nicholas and Lucas adjusted surprisingly quickly to the time difference. We spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday doing some shopping (Target, Woodfield Mall, Dominick's, etc.) and doing some more eating. Nicholas joined in too!


Lucas spent as much time as he possibly could using mom and dad's OnDemand system to watch his favorite cartoons. Nicholas spent some time catching up with Grandma and Grandpa.


It was wonderful to have a few days to spend at mom and dad's to chat, laugh and relax. Grandpa came up one day and we walked up to a local farm that is open to the public. All in all, we had a great -- but all too short -- time in Chicago.