Destination Chicago: Babymoon for the Morses

One of the perks of getting married on a holiday weekend is that you'll always have that extra day off to get away and celebrate your wedding anniversary as a couple.  For Eric and I, that getaway has been Chicago the last couple years.  We like to stay at a different hotel every time, and of course try new restaurants, but we also have some pretty strict traditions as well.  Here are the highlights!

Friday Night: Texas de Brazil  (NEW!)

For those of you who have not been to a brazilian steakhouse, the format is simple.  Giant salad bar buffet followed by all-you-can-eat meat, by which you indicate to the server by a chip next to your plate flipped to green or red.  They served several types of steak, pork, chicken, lamb... all on giant skewers which they carve at your plate.

We went for a little stroll down to the river after dinner.  Beautiful night for a walk!

Saturday: Cubs Game (TRADITION!)
We spent a few hours (and I mean FEW- short game) in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, with Marji (also pregnant and due 2 weeks before me) and her husband Tony.

We had awesome seats in the first row of our section, which meant maximum leg room and since we were under the awning, we never felt the sprinkles that came through towards the end of the game.  Sad to say the Cubs played terribly and the game was over in a quick two and a half hours.  We still managed to get our eat on... check out the helmet full of nachos!  Yup, we did pretty good!  I guess if you're going to go crazy on food, no time like pregnancy!

Saturday Night: Giordanos (TRADITION!) and Room Service (NEW!)

One thing we always do the night of a Cubs game is go find deep dish pizza.  Last year it was Gino's, but this year we had Giordanos.  There is really nothing like it.

After dinner, we tried to go see a movie, but the one we wanted to see was sold out, so we opted to go back to the room, where I took a lovely bubble bath in our grand tub and we ordered some FABULOUS chocolatey room service.  MMMM...

Sunday: Grand Lux Cafe and Navy Pier Dinner Cruise  (NEW!)

We woke up to dark and stormy skies on Sunday, so we made the most of it and had brunch at the Grand Lux Cafe, where we ate the most delicious beignets I've EVER tasted.  We took it easy that day and did a small amount of indoor shopping, and relaxed in the room.

 Luckily the skies cleared up and we were able to go on our dinner cruise!!!  We had a lot of laughs and I have to say this was the highlight of the trip.  We were greeted with Happy Anniversary wishes, and a window seat table with rose petals.  Eric even got to enjoy two glasses of champagne in honor of the occassion!  :) 

 The sunset, the food, and the views were spectacular. 

A perfect end to a perfect BABYMOON!!

All photos from our trip are at this link: Chicago Babymoon Pics!

Presenting... the NURSERY!!!

After a weekend of painting, assembly, and surprises, the nursery is now open and ready for business!  Eric and Grandpa Mike spent all day on Saturday painting and doing all kinds of odds and ends (chores not safe for a pregnant lady).  Here they are getting the paint on the wall.

  And a friendly pose for the fans.  :)

Then they went to Suite Dreams to pick up our crib!

I'm sure the neighbors are all gossiping now - "Did you see those Morses were bringing a CRIB into that house??"

After the paint was dry, they started loading in all the furniture.  Here is a LazyBoy recliner we decided to re-purpose and put a slipcover on and call it good! 

Two great minds set out to assemble a crib...

Looking good, guys!

It's beginning to look like a baby could live here!

Now at this point Julie had gone mysteriously missing.  Mike didn't seem to be concerned, but I started to wonder what was up.  After she got back, our suspicions were confirmed.  She had snuck out to buy our mattress and entire bedding ensemble!!!  After a few tears and hugs later, on went the mattress!

And here we are with the new bedding and crib!  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Morse!

Here is the changing table, complete with a little craft project on the baskets - yellow polka dot ribbon and bee buttons to keep things in place.  We also got a hamper in the mail from my Aunt Karen which has found it's spot in the room.

Here is the crib with the new sheets on.  I haven't figured out the bumpers yet but I think I've still got some time to get that done.

Here are the curtains that match the set - and the walls!

Here is the view from the door so you can get a visual of the full floorplan.

 And here is my "nursing nook"!  VERY comfy rocking Lazy Boy chair, with a side table for bedtime books.

There you have it!  Still have some decisions to make about what to put on the walls, and after an upcoming trip to IKEA next weekend, perhaps some accessories and more storage.  I can sleep peacefully now knowing if the baby came tomorrow, she has a room ready for business!  Thank you to Mike and Julie Morse for all their help and tireless work this weekend.  Today was more exciting than Christmas!

3rd Trimester - Making it happen!

Well, the countdown seems to be flying right by, so we're definitely getting on the ball making preparations for Baby Morse to come into our lives!  We've signed up for the rest of our classes at the hospital, and we're well on our way to getting the nursery set up.

Eric spent Saturday putting primer up in the baby's room, so that when his parents come to visit next weekend, they can get the rest of the painting done, and we can start putting things in place!  While he was painting, I was sent out of the house to a pre-natal massage.  It was WONDERFUL!  The baby even got a little bitty massage.  :)

After my massage, I went and bought my first item off Craigslist!  I found a changing table, complete with baskets, in a matching wood color, at the bargain price of $50!  I think the baskets alone are worth $50, so I feel like I got a GREAT deal, not to mention it is very sturdy.  Only small snag was that it was too large to fit in my car, so I called Leslie's mom, Dana, who lives nearby to help me load it up and get it home.  Thank God for Dana!!

In other news, Eric felt the baby kick for the first time this week!  The excitement on his face almost brought me to tears, and that connection between the three of us is already something so special I can't even describe it.  I feel so lucky to have a husband as excited and loving as Eric is.  He's already a great father.  Stay tuned - we should have a fairly put together nursery in a week!

One weekend - three celebrations! Baby Shower, Baptism, and Mother's Day!

I'm still coming down from the high this weekend of all the celebrating we did.  I'm also on neice/nephew withdrawl, but luckily I got a lot of great photos. 

Baby Shower
Saturday night, my family threw a small couple's shower/bbq at my parents' house.  We had burgers and all the fixin's, and it was a great time.  We played a few games, which I won (imagine that - I won a game purely on the basis of identifying smells)!  Then the kids went outside with some of the guys and the rest of us did gifts and one more game inside.  I got some really great gifts but the most special moments were getting belly kisses from my nephews.  I can't wait to give Lauren a play buddy - she is definitely outnumbered!!

Baptism
Sunday morning we had a wonderful baptism where Eric and I became the godparents to Lauren Kathleen Godsill, my one and only niece.  It was quite an experience sitting through the service with Adam, who is 3, and knows a LOT about Jesus.  Perhaps more than me.  He professed "Jesus is alive!" and I could hear him quietly singing Jesus Loves Me during mass.  Lauren was an angel the whole time and didn't make a peep during the baptism.  We had sandwiches and cake after the baptism in the same room Julie got dressed in at their wedding!

 

Mother's Day

After the baptism, we exchanged Mother's Day cards and some of us even got flowers!  Eric gave me a really perfect card and a pre-natal massage, which I am to use while he is putting up primer in the baby's room on Saturday.  That explains the suspicious activity at the ultrasound last week.  He was hiding an envelope from the doctor, and I finally learned that he was getting a letter of permission from my doctor for me to have the massage.  That guy thinks of everything!!

All in all, it was a VERY special weekend.

Garage - done and done!

Well Jack's guys finished up our garage today and man do they do good work!  I even saw evidence that they took a rake through my soon-to-be garden!  Now if that's not service, I don't know what is!

Here is a "during"photo taken the Saturday morning of Relays weekend.  Fun to see the progress...

Here is our perfect looking garage now!  Just need to decide what to do on the moldings.  I think it's a perfect opportunity to have our trim repainted on the whole house in a color that better suits us.  Going to have to see a quote on that though.  I seem to be able to think up new projects a lot faster than I should, and I'd be lying if I said we didn't already have swatch books in the living room... all in good time, I know.  Good thing we bought a house in good shape or we'd be in a mess of trouble. 

 Oh!  And here is our latest bloom on the side of the house.  Purple allium.  Just gorgeous!  The funny thing is I've had fake Target versions of this flower on my desk at work for 6 years now!  At least now I can say "I've got the real thing at home".  :) 

Garage siding - 70% done!

Check another one (almost) off our to-do list!  We have a nearly completed newly sided garage!  It was in rough shape, see Exhibits A, B, and C.  We either needed to re-paint or rip down the wood siding and put up something more durable.  So we decided rather than paint every 4 years, to go with the new vinyl siding, and while we were at it with our #1 contractor, Jack Olson, we threw in new windows.  Might as well do it right the first time!  And as soon as they are done, it will be perfect timing to plant my garden!  Couldn't have planned it better myself.

Here are some before pictures.  Stay tuned this week for after pictures - it's almost done!

Exhibit A - View from the house

Exhibit B - closeup of some problem areas

Exhibit C - rotting windowframe