Springtime Adventures

The past 2 weekends have been absolutely JAM packed (which are my favorite kinds of weekends) so let me fill you in.

Last Saturday I started the day by attending a resale baby event with my mom. Unfortunately we were one week shy of knowing whether we should be shopping in the boys or girls section but this didn’t deter us too much. We got some phenomenal deals. The whale bathtub I’ve been wanting – for the baby not for myself-some sleepers, books, toys, puzzle, a bouncy seat, a bumblebee lamp, a cute monkey zip up hoodie, baby sweatpants, a boppy, burp cloths, and some other odds and ends. We had a great time and are really starting to make a dent in the baby preparation department. Then as soon as we got home Devin and I left for Chicago where we were planning to look at a Kia Sportage we saw online. We started looking for a new (read new to us – totally used) car back in November and figured that with baby coming it was time to start seriously shopping.

Long story short – we bought the car. Buying cars is the WORST process in the entire world so I’ll save you the laborious details and tell you that we got a decent deal. Actually we had decided on a price with the salesman but then I started having second thoughts so my dad said we should go talk it out. I told Devin I just wasn’t completely pleased with the deal so my dad said we should leave and come back. Luckily, once I said I wanted to leave the sales person brought out the manager who took off an extra $500 which brought it down to a price that I felt much more comfortable about. We are double lucky because not only did we get a pretty decent deal but my dad came and met us there to help us with the entire process. He was kind of like our car buying doula (if doulas also cosigned on car loans). He wasn’t the one to pull the trigger but his support made the entire process so much more manageable.

Then we returned to my parents’, changed quickly, and met up with my childhood friend Dominic for dinner at Flat Top. At Flat Top there was a brand new baby at the table next to us so of course Devin and I both had a hard time not staring. Since I’m still not really showing yet I always worry people will think we are giving them the stink eye for being at a restaurant with their baby, but in fact we are just being creepy because we don’t get to see babies often and it’s hard to imagine one will be living with us in a few short months.

The next morning we started bright and early and went downtown with my parents to explore the Adler Planetarium. I haven’t been in so long, I hardly remembered anything that they had there but we had a fabulous time! We got to see quite a few of the shows they offer and I learned quite a few things , which for a nerd like me is the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Then we ended the afternoon by stopping at my all time favorite ice cream/candy shop called Margie’s and dinner at a family favorite called Father and Son. Their garlic and chicken pizza is probably my favorite pizza in the entire world. That or Giordano’s sausage and mushroom. The crust on Father and Son pizza is simply unbeatable. So thin and crispy I just want to eat until I pop. Then came the long drive back to Iowa. And since we now had two cars to transport back to Iowa I actually had to drive. Ugh. I should remember to thank my husband for driving us back and forth between Iowa and Illinois every few weeks. He says he always reads my blog posts so I’ll just leave a thank you here.

Thank you!

Then came a week of anticipation as we counted down the days till our Friday morning ultrasound. You can find the results and details of our appointment below. Once we arrived in Illinois though we had another jam packed weekend awaiting us. Friday night we went to Chicago for the Death Cab for Cutie concert I debated going to for months. A few weeks ago I finally decided I had to go and bought us tickets on Craigslist. I didn’t want to park near the venue (The Chicago Theater) because prices in the loop are always egregious and given that it was Draft weekend I worried things would be absolutely packed. So instead we parked in Wicker Park where we went to Artermio’s bakery to get the best tres leches cake in existence. I LOVE tres leches cake so I try to get it wherever we go and nothing compares to Artemio’s. So as soon as I secured a slice of the cake, which was the very last one, I opened it up on the sidewalk and dove in as we walked to our dinner location. 

We ate at a place called Link’s Taproom which I am pretty sure is new, because my sister used to live in that neighborhood and I do not remember it. I could totally just have missed it all these times though. Anyways they are pretty much a sausage shop, but I’m not just talking a hot dog joint, I mean delicious interesting and unique sausages. I got a pork one (ok not that exotic) that was topped with onion and pineapple and a special yummy sauce and salsa verde and cilantro. Devin got a Ruben sausage that he gushed over. And we also got these fries to share, which were stupid delicious. Topped with bacon and chorizo and cheese and green onion and giardiniera and magic. Definitely magic.

Then we hopped on the Blue Line and headed for the loop. We got to the Chicago Theater at about 8:20 because even though the show started at 8:00 I knew there would be an opening act and we had assigned seats. But then while we were in line for a drink at 8:30 I heard Death Cab start and ran up to my seat leaving Devin behind. I am glad I didn't wait any longer to get there. The show was amazing! They played for a little less than 2 hours and even played my favorite song, Passenger Seat, which Devin recorded for me so I can relive it later on. Overall a wonderful date night in the city to celebrate the joyful news that started our Friday.

On Saturday my dad and brother left for a boys trip to Minnesota so it was just me, my mom and Devin. My mom and I are refurbishing a dresser we got from a family friend, so we started the day with a little manual labor of sanding and priming. By the time we got done with that the afternoon had rolled in so we cleaned ourselves up a bit and headed out to do some shopping. I was able to find an outfit to wear for my Brown Bag talk this upcoming Wednesday and we also stopped at Once Upon a Child and found some great things for Baby Cosme. My favorite finds include a pair of purple overalls that are covered in white polka dots and a little mint green romper that has pink flamingos on it. By the time we got home we were absolutely wiped, but thankfully Devin had gone grocery shopping and made us an amazing Italian pasta salad and chicken spinach fruit salad for dinner. He’s definitely a keeper.

Sunday brought more painting, and after some finishing touches that my Dad has to do, I will be able to post some before and after photos of the new dresser (spoiler alert - it is Mickey and Minnie inspired). Then we ventured to Costco for lunch and some much needed groceries before packing up the car for a drive back to Iowa. Although our past few weekends have been filled to the brim with activities I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nothing better than a weekend filled with family, good food, and of course a little shopping.