The Burbs

So far, Isabella is enjoying her new home. I love to watch her run around in the driveway or scoot around on her little car. I don't have to worry about her playing in the alley or a crazy cabbie driving like a maniac. Here are a few pictures of her playing in the backyard after school and also of the flowers she picks for daddy.
After she picks a few flowers for him, we sit on the porch with Baxter and wait for daddy to pull in the driveway. Once he arrives, Baxie goes running with his tail wagging and Izzy races to the driver's side door with a BIG SMILE....

The Red Balloon

Last Saturday, Isabella went to Danny's 3rd birthday party at Rainbow Falls and received a red balloon. She talked about that balloon the whole way home and was so excited to play with it. When we got home, Isabella and I went outside with her red balloon. She let it go out of her hands and away it went into the sky. Isabella was so sad that this happened. How do you explain this to her?
I should have listened to Bob - he told us not to go outside with the balloon. It is now Thursday and guess what Isabella talks about when she wakes up, before she goes to bed, when I pick her up from pre-school and who knows....she probably even dreamt about the RED BALLOON.
I felt so bad (again I should have listened to Bob and not let Isabella go outside with her balloon!) that I stopped today and bought her two red balloons.
She was SO HAPPY. And I am HAPPY that she is HAPPY. Everybody is HAPPY NOW.

Where in the World is BAXIE???

He was sleepin and missed his photo opportunity.....

Their NEW Home

Isabella and Baxter have a new home to roam and run until their hearts content. They couldn't be more happy! Baxie runs and runs and runs with a big SMILE on his face and Isabella roams like a child without a care in the world. I, on the other hand have torn feelings about leaving Chi town. I am excited to have more space, have a backyard to call our own, to garden, to mow grass, to drive my car, to use a chain saw, to have a cup of coffee and read the paper on the deck and the list is endless!

But Bye Bye concrete jungle...bye bye city after my own heart. I am going to miss riding my bike to and from work every morning and evening - which took me all of 5 minutes. I am going to miss my weekend trips alone to Stanley's fruit and vegetable market and the fish market - the same places my father took me to often when I was a little girl. Now that I think about it, it was my very first trip into the city with dad that did me in. The first time I saw that beautiful Chicago skyline, my heart melted and when I bit into that Chicago style hot dog - well - I have been hooked ever since.
Truth is, I have lived in this city on and off for 11 years now. That is a big chunk of my life spent in the city! And now, I am leaving. No more morning runs along the beautiful lakefront or walking out our front door and hitting grant park, navy pier or a baseball game. The trains, the buses, the noise, the excitement, the food (any kind of cuisine within 20 minutes), the adventure, the nightlife, the diversity of all the different people and lastly - the beautiful architecture.
I am trading it all in to watch Baxie smile as he runs. To watch Isabella smell flowers and chase Baxie.
As for me, I just want to hang a big sign up that says WELCOME TO SUBURBIA. Welcome to crappy food. Welcome to Walmart! (I am joking here!) HA!

Who knows, maybe I will finally start that cooking blog that I have been meaning to get going and rock out a zillion new recipes. Maybe I will take joy in watching a bird go in and out of a bird house. Maybe I will learn to like listening to the birdies instead of sirens.
Most importantly, I look forward to creating new memories and adventures with my family! But in my HEART......I will always LOVE the city of CHICAGO..... and the hotdogs!

Atta Girl.....

If there is one thing in life that he absolutely loves....it's the game of baseball. And if you throw taking his girls to his favorite game in the whole wide world, he glows - like a RADIANT ball of SUNSHINE.
Today, Bob took Iz kid to the White Sox game while I was at class all day. While I am sad that I missed out on a good game on such a beautiful day with my two favorites (three if you count baxie, a picture is worth a thousand words. When I saw it, I grinned from ear to ear. My girl chillin at the game with her daddy and a BIG smile on her face.
PRICELESS......

Motherly Instincts

They say that a mother understands what a child cannot say.......

I find this to be amazingly true under many circumstances. Isabella just got an antibiotic for her ear infection and the doctor (our doctor was out, so I had to see a DIFFERENT doctor) told me to give it to her for 10 days. Okay. No biggie, I can handle that. I gave her liquid antibiotic to her for 3 days, and then I couldn't take seeing her be miserable any longer. After crying and screaming ALL day and every diaper being RUNNY for 3 days - well, something wasn't working. Not to mention she was not eating. Upon immediately taking her off of the medicine - guess what. She started eating. No more runny diapers. No more crying and screaming all day.
So I said to myself, I need to call the doctor and talk to him about this antibiotic and her reaction to it.
And you want to know what that JOKER said to me.......?? Well, did you get a GENERIC prescription or the FORMULARY that I wrote out for you? I said doc - I got the generic because Walgreen's didn't have the formulary in stock and he said well that is your problem then - anytime adults or children get a generic prescription - they have MORE side effects. It's common to get the runs with any drug, especially generic. I disagreed and told him perhaps there was an ingredient in the drug that she was allergic to since she has many allergies. So he tells me that if I wanted to talk further about the INGREDIENTS of the drug, that I needed to call the manufacturer.
Are you kidding me!!????

I thank my lucky stars that I was raised properly. Because what I really wanted to say after I took the time to call him expressing my concerns and he pulled out mickey mouse answers was GO FLY A KITE joker......and hang up!
Isabella is beginning to SMILE again and is feeling a bit better!!

What is Isabella's #1 Favorite Drink?? Do you know it?

WATER!! Just like her mother!!