Chicago Recap

After the crazy Fourth of July weekend, Joel flew back to California and Tuesday and Wednesday my parents and I took it very easy. I was able to join my mom's tennis class all week, so we played tennis in the morning and then in the afternoon I found myself sneaking in a nap and then just hanging around at home. We all needed a mini-break in the action before it all started again Thursday night. 

Thursday night we hosted a wedding shower for my cousin Erin. Erin moved to LA almost a year ago - and is getting married here in LA in October - but, like me, our whole family is in Chicago. The aunts hosted the shower downtown for Erin and I felt so fortunate that my trip aligned to be at her shower and bachelorette party.

My mom and sister Hannah and I got downtown early, had lunch and did a little shopping and then we went to the shower location, Macellos in the West Loop for a drink before the party started. 

The shower turned out perfectly. The weather was great, so we had happy hour out on the patio and then dinner was an Italian buffet (which was fantastic), plenty of time to just catch up with friends and family, and the bride made out with a great haul. I loved the whole downtown feel of the shower too...it was a little different than your typical Sunday brunch.

 

Our family is just growing and growing - we had a special appearance from our newest member Emme - and an announcement that another new cousin will join our crew in January! 

 

We had such a great time celebrating the bride to be! Another reason we are all anxiously anticipating October!!

The next morning, after tennis, I drove up to Door County for Erin's bachelorette party. We stayed at my aunts new lake house for the weekend and it just couldn't have been more perfect.

I grew up having a lake house in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so being back up there was honestly amazing. I hadn't realized how much I had missed the smells, the views, and just the feel of this tiny little area in Northern Wisconsin.

Once all of Erin's girlfriends arrived up North, our group of 12 headed to Sturgeon Bay for Friday Night Fish Fry. 

I'm pretty sure we were the first bachelorette party for this small local restaurant, but everyone was so fun and Erin got lots of hilarious advice and free drinks.

 Saturday we had planned to visit a few wineries, but the weather was so perfect so after brunch and a long walk, everyone stayed at the pool and just relaxed and ate and drank all day long. 

The theme for Saturday night was Hawaiian and we went all out with the themed t-shirts, food, decorations, and games.

 

 

 It was such a fun girly weekend, the house was so beautiful and comfortable for everyone, and I was so glad I got to be there to celebrate Erin...she is such a huge part of my life in Chicago and now LA.

I left Wisconsin before 7am that next morning to get home and spend as much time at home on Sunday as I possibly could before my flight left on Monday. My parents and I were able to sneak in a walk, lunch at the club, and then had a BBQ with some neighborhood friends before Monday morning arrived.

My flight back to LA was easy and quick, and before I knew it my time in Crystal Lake had come to an end. Two weeks at home was such an amazing luxury. I feel like I really, really got to be home and had the time to just enjoy it.

Leaving is always easier when I know I get to go back in just a few short weeks (for my baby shower!!), so for now, I'm happy to be back in LA, back with my boys, and back to our routine!

Bumpdate: 25 weeks

 weeks 5-12 ::: week 13 ::: week 14  ::: week 15 ::: week 16  ::: week 17 

          ::: week 18 ::: week 19 ::: week 20 ::: week 21 ::: week 22 ::: week 23 ::: week 24

How Far Along? 25w, 5d - due October 15, 2015

Gender: BOY!

Weight Gain: 13.5lbs - Steady last week but I'm doing some major damage in Chicago!

Maternity Clothes: Added a hot little maternity swimsuit to the mix.

Nursery: We were gifted our glider from my parents which is amazing, and that will arrive August 17th. When I get back into town, we've got some major movin' and groovin' to do!

Movement: Lots. Cold liquids really get him moving which is pretty hilarious. Plus, this week my mom and sisters got a chance to see and feel him squirm around. Also this week when we were laying in bed,  Joel and I caught the little guy with hiccups!! It was weird because I could see them more than feel them, but it was pretty adorable.

Symptoms: I'm hanging pretty strong right now. The worst symptom is by far the amount of trips I have to take to the bathroom at night.

Sleep: Oh my gosh, my mom has this long round pillow....it's like a massive pillar pillow, it has been SO comfortable to sleep with I'm tempted to ship the damn thing back to my house in LA. 

Joel: I think he was really, really excited this week. We told a lot of people the baby's name and we hung out with lots of babies and kids, and I think it helped Joel visualize a lot of the fun that is coming into our future.

 
Workouts:I  got in 3 solid workouts M (gym), T (laps) , W (spin) of last week. Since coming to Chicago I've been trying to get in a walk in the mornings with my parents.

Mood: Overall happy and energetic

Cravings: Giving into every damn little thing I want this week! I think we've had dessert every single day...Oh and for sure I'd like some more blueberry cake donuts...

What I Miss: Not being able to drink with everyone all day and night was hard this week. I do pretty well until a certain point in the night and then at a point being the only sober one just turns annoying.

Random Things: Baby's 1st Fourth of July!

Best Moment This Week: Too many to count. It's been an amazing week at home with our families and everyone is SO excited for October. 

Looking Forward To: Continuing my time at home. Joel left to go back to Los Angeles but I'm looking forward to a few slow days with my parents and then heading up to Wisconsin for a bacheloette party for my cousin Erin.

Our 4th of July Weekend

As soon as we got into Chicago, we pretty much hit the ground running. 

Fourth of July is the weekend that our hometown is at its finest. Everyone we grew up with tries to be back in town, we have the "fest" that rolls into town with rides, music, good food and a beer garden, fireworks on the lake and about 47 BBQs to pop around to.

 On Thursday, my parents had friends from the neighborhood walk over. We sat outside and caught up and then ordered pizzas before everyone left.

 

It's always so fun to catch up with everyone that I don't get to see as much as I wish I did. Every time I leave Crystal Lake after a weekend like this, I pretty much want to cancel my flight and move home.

On Friday my dad and I got in a long walk which was great because it's basically been a food binge since the moment I landed. 

Friday night we spent with Joel's family. It was his brother's birthday so we had a BBQ and got a chance to hang with all of the nieces and nephews that came in from San Diego and Iowa. It's crazy to think back to BBQs just five years ago and see how much they've changed in that house. Now it's full of noise and toys and cute little kids....it's pretty wild. 

After the BBQ, we left the kids with their grandparents and went to the fest to meet up with friends that we hadn't seen in way too long. Of course, I only snagged pics with my sis-in-law and sister Nellie, but we had a ton of fun running into everyone.

 

Saturday morning we met up with Joel's family at the park to play with the kids and sneak in a little visiting before their nap time. It can get really hard to split time with both families on the same busy weekend, but this weekend just seemed to flow effortlessly. We got really, really lucky and I think Joel and I both will leave feeling like we got a lot of quality time spent with both sides.

After the park, we headed back to my parents to load up the boat and enjoy the water.

 

 

When we got off the boat we walked back home to freshen up and get ready for a night of BBQ hopping. 

Fireworks in our town weren't until Sunday, July 5th, so on the 4th we brought out some of our own....

  

plus s'mores and cans of Old Style and I think we did it up right... 

 

 Sunday morning before we had a brunch at Joel's parents house, my dad fulfilled my 26 week craving of blueberry cake donuts from Country Donuts. They were every bit as good as I dreamed they would be. 

 Before the parade started in town, we snuck in a few more minutes with the kids and Joel's parents. 

When we got home the "traffic" was a bit much, so we went the classic way and took our beach cruisers over to my uncles house to watch the parade and see some of my cousins.

 

The parade was long and hot...and sitting in the sun totally zonked me...but it was fun and a good chance to visit with my extended family, and we also got to celebrate my cousin Riley who is going to Illinois State in the fall.

 

We had an easy dinner at the country club that night and then sat on the boat on the dock to watch the fireworks (which were incredible). By the time we walked home from boat, everyone pretty much fell into their beds.

It was a long, busy, and fun filled weekend that I didn't want to end. The weather was perfect, all of our family was in one place, everyone is happy and healthy....it was so, so good.

I'm home for another week...filling my time with more family, a wedding shower, and capping it off with a bachelorette party this weekend.