Home!

Well, after eight nights and nine days split between Chicago and New Jersey, I'm finally back home! I'm going to attempt to run through all that has happened but I think it will probably take a couple of posts, because I'm going to put up a couple of picture slide shows (and I don't know how to do it yet) and I have the Downtown Chicago Day From Hell and the New Jersey Baby Shower stories to run through, and that's quite a bit of material. And yes, a 24-week picture of the baby gut will make an appearance soon as well. :o) So, here it goes....

--Saturday, Sept. 15th--
Arrive in Chicago around 8pm or so. Stop in to see the grandparents, then go to Portillo's (woohoo!) for chili cheese dogs. Home, hang out with the parents for awhile, go to bed.

--Sunday, Sept. 16th--
To church with mom (Elgin Bible Church), then later in the afternoon it's off to a family birthday party for my Uncle Bill and cousin Andy. My great-grandmother died a year ago this week and both of my brothers are in Florida now so family gatherings are REALLY small. Ah well...more cake for those who show up... ;o) It's good to see everyone as usual, since the last family gathering I was present for was last Thanksgiving. (This Thanksgiving will be interesting...I'm going to look like I'm walking around with the turkey stuffed under my shirt.)

--Monday, Sept. 17th--
Hanging out with mom...we just ran around to different places like Trader Joe's and the pumpkin farm. Note to self: pumpkin farms, prior to the last week of September, totally suck. Better luck in October when I go back, I guess.

--Tuesday, Sept. 18th--
Hanging out with Kathie...we explored the little shops in downtown Geneva, and I managed to fight the urge to buy the most beautiful little trunk for Ava's room...it was antique-looking, painted pale green with light and dark pink roses on it. Kind of wish I hadn't fought the urge because it was very reasonably priced. Argh. We came across a number of really cute baby shops--of course totally out of my price range--and we laughed at some of the weird crap they have for babies. Yes, there are pictures. We also went out for Greek food, yay! I've been dying for some good Saganaki....opa!

--Wednesday, Sept. 19th--
The Chicago Trip from Hell. More on this later...the first part was fine, Mom and I went to the Museum of Science and Industry; but the events that transpired thereafter kind of screwed up the day for us, and caused us to not be able to get together with Anna as planned. Luckily I'll be able to see her in October. But still...I'm very bitter about Chicago right now. (I took a picture of myself giving the Chicago Tribune the finger but have since deleted it. The Trib didn't do anything wrong, I was just flipping off the word "Chicago.")

--Thursday, Sept. 20th--
Exhausted from the Chicago ordeal and pretty much out of ideas of stuff to do, I just hang out in the house all day with mom and read a book. Towards the end of the day we left the house so I could pick up a box of Fannie May candy (means nothing to you unless you're from the Chicago area.... ;o) and we stopped by the cemetery to visit the gravesite of my great-grandparents. I felt absolutely nothing while I was there: I didn't feel sad, nor did I feel any closer to them...I know sometimes people visit the grave and talk to the person but that would have felt absurd for me. This is all good though...it's because I know that they are in heaven, and the bodies buried under the ground are not the people they were in life.

--Friday, Sept. 21st--
Relax at the house, lunch at Portillo's, hang out with mom and the grandparents, and then it's off to the airport...time for New Jersey! Pat and Don (Craig's mom and stepdad) pick me up, we get home and have a snack and talk for a bit but it's really late so bedtime follows before long.

--Saturday, Sept. 22nd--
I manage to sleep pretty late (woohoo!) and then wrestle with straightening my hair for about an hour (it was humid out of course...) then off to the baby shower...more on that later. Dinner at Bahama Breeze, then home and bed.

--Sunday, Sept. 23rd--
Brunch with Pat and then I'm on my way home! After Craig picks me up from the airport we grab some food at Cheesecake Factory and then hit the Apple store to have my iPhone checked out, the battery basically sucks. They swap it out for a new one (which takes forever, but the workers at the store are super-nice so it's okay) and all is well. We get home, I unpack and do some laundry and get settled in just in time to turn on the Bears game so that I can watch them lose miserably to the stupid Cowgirls and totally break my heart. Two words: Rex Grossman. Dude...you are KILLING us! Come ON!

And that's about it! While I was visiting my parents, my mom and I tried to use a stethoscope to listen to Ava's heart, but we couldn't seem to find it. Something funny though...every time we pressed down the stethoscope to listen, she'd kick it! It was pretty entertaining because it wasn't once or twice, it was almost every single time. I still love the kicking, and now I can feel other movements too, not just jabs...I can feel if she turns, or if a limb drags against the side of my uterus. Very interesting. Oh, and Craig is still looking at me like I'm a mutant. I really kind of thought that while I was pregnant he'd look at me with some kind of loving expression or something because I'm carrying his child, but not so much. I get the "holy crap, my wife has mutated into some kind of freak" look from the corner of his eye. I've thought about it and maybe it's because he's seen me at mealtimes, and he's afraid I'm going to eat him. ;o) Anything is possible.