An interesting week...

Friday morning Chandra and her son, Cooper, left Chi-Town and returned home.  I am so grateful that they came to stay while Andrew was out of town.  It made what would have been a very lonely and slow paced week, very interesting!  Chandra and I knew that we would have some challenges with the kids because of the small apartment I live in, but we didn't expect it to be quite as hard as it was!  It turns out that this was a good learning experience for Chandra and I as we prepare to one day be mother's of two. 

They arrived Monday afternoon and we spent some time playing with toys and letting Addi and Cooper get acquainted.  Cooper had fun exploring her toys, while Addi enjoyed observing him in action.  After dinner we took a walk down to the riverfront.  Cooper liked the fountains and getting to run, Addison liked to watch the boats pass by and climb the stairs.  We decided the best way to handle bath time would be to let them bathe together.  They both seemed to enjoy it, which surprised me, but I was thankful.  Addi was more than happy to share all her bath toys and loved watching Cooper play with them.  Bedtime was a little rough.  We set up Coopers bed in Addison's room and we put them to bed at the same time.  Mistake number one: when two young toddlers are sharing a room, you should not put both of them to bed at the same time.  If you do, you will hear the oldest one screaming for a back rub, then the youngest one crying at the scream, then the oldest one shushing the cry, then more crying from the shushing, then the oldest one demanding the youngest to "stop crying", then the youngest one crying even louder at the demand.  Not a good cycle!  Reflecting back on it, we realized that we should have put Addison down first, since she 1) sleeps a little longer than Cooper and 2) takes longer to fall asleep.  Once they fell asleep, Chandra and I enjoyed some ice cream and conversation.

On Tuesday, we went to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier.  Both Cooper and Addison really had a good time.  They enjoyed playing in sand, water, going "fishing", and looking at their shadows.  After their nap we went to the playground.  Addison loved going down the slide with Cooper and was amazed that he could climb back UP the slide! Bedtime went a little smoother that night.  It was a really good day, probably the best day of the visit.  

The next morning, something was off.  I spilled my entire cup of coffee, Cooper refused to eat breakfast, and Addison was extremely sensitive to any loud noise, namely Cooper.  Despite the chaotic morning, we continued on with our plans.  Mistake number two: when walking more than a few blocks with toddlers, bring the stroller!  We decided to bring only one stroller this trip because we wanted less to lug around, but Chandra ended up doing her fair share of lugging!  We took the train to Millennium Park, which was a good idea because Cooper really loved it!  Once we got to the park we ate a snack, but Cooper was not interested in eating again.  So we saw the "bean" and headed for the Crown Fountain.  We all enjoyed the cool water as it was a VERY hot day.  About an hour into nap time, Cooper woke up and got sick.  We will never know if it was a bug that he caught from Addi (she was sick a few weeks ago) or the museum, or if was something he ate, or just the heat and exhaustion, but it was so sad.  He got sick one more time a few hours later, and rested the remainder of the day.  That night everyone slept pretty well. 

Thursday morning, Cooper was better and luckily no one else seemed to get his sickness.  We decided to continue on with our plans to go to the zoo.  Mistake number three: don't take long, busy vacations, with toddlers.  We should have just stayed at home this morning because both kids were exhausted.  It rained a little at the zoo and Addison wanted to be held the whole time.  She did not want to be in her stroller at all.  Cooper did enjoy seeing the animals though.  There was one loud monkey in particular that was fun to watch.  The bus ride home was a bit miserable because it was packed and we each had our bags, strollers, and child.  About this time of the day, I saw that the 5 mosquito bites that Addison got while in Florida were huge, red, swollen, and hot, which was probably one reason why she was cranky.  The doctor said to just bring her in the following morning for a check-up.  We spent the rest of the afternoon playing at home.  You know, coloring, play dough, tea parties, piano.  That evening we made breakfast for dinner and homemade dark chocolate raspberry ice cream that was so rich and tasty!  I don't know if Chandra and I could have survived this trip without ice cream and coffee!  After dinner we went to the lake front to check out the cityscape...it was windy and beautiful as always.  We had to separate Cooper and Addison for bedtime as they were doing that scream/cry cycle again!  But alas, they fell asleep and Chandra and I watched a movie and prepared for her departure in the morning. 

All in all, it was such a blessing to spend the week with one of my best friends and it was so good to get to know her son.  Cooper is "all boy" as they say, but he is also a sweet heart and he loves his mommy very much!  Chandra is so patient with him, consistent and fair with her discipline, and also loving and fun.  I will never forget our time together!  The craziness was worth it : )  To read Chandra's take on "our brilliant idea" check out her blog.

PS, Addi's bug bites are getting better!