Author: Trina

Jarmon: Did you buy our daughter a Juicy Couture track suit?

Me: Possibly. But this isn’t it. This one is from Walmart and cost $10.

This exchange sums up the two things my husband loves (hates?) most about me. My ability to be annoyingly frugal… and stupidly excessive. (To be fair- the Juicy outfit is from TJ Maxx, but still…). Arabella seems to be headed for the same fate. I think I mentioned before how she prefers her Walmart blanket over any of the many she has from Pottery Barn Kids. Speaking of which, the sheets I bought there for $30 a pop? My mother got practically identical ones at Walmart— 2/$10. I feel like I’d probably be at least a little less annoyed with my husband for spilling wine in my kid’s bed if I had purchased the lookalike ones at Walmart. Oye.

Anyway, I’ve been MIA the last week because there just hasn’t been much to write about. I guess that’s how you know you are settling into a routine. And I guess maybe that’s a good thing.

Arabella tried peaches and pears for the first time this week. She doesn’t seem crazy about either (apples are her favorite), but she eats them. I, of course, can’t help but sing the Peaches song every time we open a pack of peaches. Maybe it’s actually my singing that is causing Arabella to make the pained expression rather than the fruit?

Arabella is also starting to outgrow things besides clothing. Call me crazy, but I thought all of these bouncers and swings and related items would last more than (or at least) six months. Not so much. There seems to be a shortage of space in the stroller bassinet attachment– and she is flirting with the weight limit for most of the other contraptions.

Tonight we went to Uncle Julio’s for dinner— Arabella’s first time there. It was significant because it was also the last place we went out to eat before Arabella was born (yes, it’s been a while). She seemed to enjoy watching all the waiters go by and was also fascinated with watching the men making tortillas at the station next to our table. I decided the dinner should be a memorable one for Arabella, so I gave her a taste of guacamole. She was unaffected by it and promptly went back to chewing on her unicorn. Go figure. If only we could all be so unaffected by guac, ha!

When we got home we tried to put her to bed, but she wasn’t having it. We are definitely in the midst of that dreaded sleep regression people talk about. The last two nights she has gone to bed after 10p. I have no doubt we are creating a monster, but when she is tossing and turning I can’t help but get her up to play. Maybe I’m just a softy because I’m a night owl too? Because I remember tossing and turning in my own bed as a child— not tired and wanting to be up with the adults? Oh well. She’s only little once. And if she’s going to be a monster… at least she’ll be a cute one.

Jarmon likes to joke that when I was pregnant with Arabella I only ate two things: salad… and french fries. So today, when Arabella and I were at lunch with Marley and Grace and Marley suggested giving Arabella a fry– it didn’t take much convincing. I thought Arabella’s french fry days were very far off, but Marley has been my number one resource for parenting advice so I gave it go. I tore off the ends, soaked the middle part in water and let Arabella chew at it. Not surprisingly, she was all in. She may look like her dad, but this kid is definitely cursed with her mom’s french fry habit.

When we got home Arabella took a nap and I did some work around the house. Arabella woke up just in time to meet our friends Jackie and David who came over for dinner. She was all smiles for them and even let Jackie feed her a bedtime bottle. We had been trying to get together with Jackie and David for, quite literally, a year– and I’m so glad we finally made it happen. It was a very fun night catching up.

After Jackie and David went home, Jarmon went out to have a drink with a longtime friend who had planned a last minute birthday celebration. It was rainy and gross out so I was pretty happy to be putting on PJ’s and hanging at home. I had grand visions of snuggling on the couch with Arabella and Baxter and reading a book in complete silence. The book part happened, but as it turned out Arabella and Baxter had no interest in the snuggle part. Arabella slept peacefully in her room, while Baxter hung out alone in our bedroom. We had the house to ourselves, and we used every inch of it.

Can you say hot mess? Because that’s the only way to describe the Brooks household this morning. I jumped out of bed shorty after seven to the sound of Arabella crying. My response was probably quicker than it would have otherwise been because the baby monitor amplifies the crying and makes it seem worse. (You can hear it coming from the nursery– and also from the monitor, which is being broadcast at a pretty high volume to ensure that it wakes us up). She was fine, but had rolled onto her tummy and gotten stuck. It’s all fun and games until she ends up on her tummy and is too tired to propel herself back onto her back. For the most part, she is able to roll around pretty freely these days. Honestly, she seems to actually enjoy being on her tummy because she kicks her legs and reaches with her arms in a seemingly desperate attempt to crawl. She has also mastered maneuvering herself in circles and pulling on blankets to reign in toys that are just out of her reach. Slow down, baby girl. Your time to crawl will come.

Baxter wasn’t himself last night, so Jarmon stayed home this morning and took him to the vet. Baxter wasn’t sick, but would yelp anytime we tried to touch him– and also wouldn’t leave our side. Very odd. The vet thinks he just had a bad landing and strained a muscle. He said it was most likely nothing to worry about.

Jarmon couldn’t find his keys, so he took mine when he left to the vet. This typically wouldn’t be a problem except that I needed to run some time sensitive errands. Undeterred, I took my spare key and also a spare set of house keys we recently had made. The problem was that the car keys and the house keys weren’t connected. When I got home I (was preoccupied with Arabella and) accidentally left the house keys in my car and closed the garage door behind me– oops! Locked. Out. Luckily Jarmon was checking out at the vet, but it meant about 20 minutes of waiting outside in the somewhat chilly fall weather that neither Arabella nor I was dressed for. Arabella was not happy– and it was a definite mom of the year moment. Also, this was all happening an hour before I needed to leave to work– and as Arabella’s babysitter was arriving. The babysitter no doubt thinks I’m a hot mess given that on another day she was here a contractor I wasn’t expecting (scheduled by Jarmon) showed up at my house about a half hour before I was supposed to leave to work. One of these days I will get it together. Today is not the day.

By no small miracle, I made it to work on time. It wasn’t as eventful a night as Tuesday (when a Cubs fan kissed me during my live shot), but it was a busy night.

During the evening, I logged in to the ADT app to see if Arabella was still awake. (We keep the camera in the living room where Arabella spends most of her time so that we can see her anytime we want when one of us is away– don’t laugh, but we did this with Baxter too when he was a puppy and spent all of his time in a playpen in the living room). Anyway, to my surprise, I couldn’t see anything. My darling husband– bitter about the fact that I had scolded him earlier in the week for watching Fox News instead of playing with his daughter– had turned the camera toward the wall. I could see nothing. I was mad for a moment, but then started laughing (hysterically) out loud. This (amazing ability to not only match my snark level, but also raise it) is why I married him.

Also, I haven’t posted in a few days because it’s been a hectic week. You see, we came back from our fun-filled weekend in Pittsburgh to find ourselves truly on our own with a baby. Up until this point I was either not working or my parents were in town helping… sometimes both. In other words, we had some really sturdy training wheels. Well, the training wheels are officially off… and we are plowing forward one day at a time. We managed a family night out for Sushi on Wednesday– so I’d like to think we are doing pretty well. We’ll just ignore the fact that Arabella *almost* knocked over my wine.

They say it’s rare to make good friends after college– like really truly life long friends. If that’s true, I’m one lucky girl. I didn’t find just one friend, I found a whole group. And I got to see many of them this weekend when we were in Pittsburgh celebrating one of our favorite couples– Liz and Tony.

On Friday morning we left Arabella and Baxter with my parents and headed to Pittsburgh. I met the girls for nail appointments in Shadyside and Jarmon hunkered down at a coffee shop and worked. It was a fun start to Liz’s wedding weekend (for me, anyway!). We drank champagne and talked about all of the fun to come.

Our nails were finished quicker than expected, so we shopped a bit on Walnut Street before heading to our lunch reservations at Girasole. I’m always amazed at the number of people “lunching” on weekdays in Chicago (a luxury I enjoy often thanks to my unusual work schedule)– and I was even more amazed at the number of people lunching on a Friday in Pittsburgh. The place was packed and we had an excellent meal, per usual.

After lunch Mandy and I made an emergency stop at Banana Republic to pick up a pair of khakis for Jarmon to wear to the rehearsal dinner. Then we headed to the hotel to check-in. (Jarmon was going to meet us there later to save time). Unfortunately, our check-in did not go as planned. Our reservation– which I made over the phone and distinctly remember confirming the days of– was wrong in the hotel’s system. The hotel staff was extremely rude and basically told us to come back the next day. We were already running late for the rehearsal dinner and didn’t have time to find another place to stay. Luckily, Mandy and Will were standing there and offered for us to crash with them. So we had a little slumber party Friday night– the shining moment of which was me pumping in the corner of the room while poor Will inevitably felt horribly uncomfortable. #ThanksOmni

ANYWAY. We met in the lobby about 20 minutes later and took an Uber to St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland for the rehearsal. It was incredibly organized and very obvious that the ceremony on Saturday was going to be perfect.

After rehearsal, we headed to dinner at Casbah. The food was excellent. I thought the salmon was especially good. The pasta– chosen because pasta fest at Casbah is one of Liz and Tony’s favorite date nights– was also on point. When we got back to the hotel we had a few drinks in the lobby and called it a night.

Saturday was all fun from morning until night. Mandy and I hit Starbucks before heading to the bridal suite for hair and makeup.

Thank goodness for Mary steaming our dresses, which were VERY wrinkled from traveling in our suitcases.

We took some photos in the beautiful floral robes Liz bought for us before eating lunch and slipping into our dresses.

Once everyone was ready we took some photos in the bridal suite and by a fountain across the street from the hotel.

The ceremony and reception were both beautiful. The reception was at Oakmont Country Club. I had been there a few times for work, but never socially. It was cool to be there for fun. Liz and Tony got to take some spectacular photos on the golf course. The bridal party was in a few of them too. It was fun to see everyone piling into golf carts in their evening wear.

After the reception we headed back to the Omni where we partied late into the night.

Jacqui gets the VIP award for finding a pizza place that was still open (Cafe Milano) and ordering enough for all of us.

Jarmon and I didn’t do too bad for two old parents– still smiling at 2am!

On Sunday morning, we attended the farewell brunch before hitting the road back to Mt. Pleasant to see Baxter and Arabella.

Weddings are (almost) always fun, but they are especially fun when it’s one of your very best friends getting married. Getting to see good friends start their happily every after is a very special treat.

The photos in this post were all taken by me. Why take so many photos you ask? When I got married, some of my most favorite photos were taken by guests on their cell phones. Perhaps most notably, Jarmon’s sister’s mother in law (not sure how to simplify that). She took hundreds of photos during my wedding weekend and I cherish every one of them. My photographer was wonderful, but Diane caught things the photographer never could have. I’ll never be as good as Diane, but I do try to pay it forward by taking photos that I might want to have if I were the bride. I always hope amateur photos will be as special to others as they were to me.

Oh and in case you were worried what Arabella and Baxter were doing while mom and dad had so much fun– they were getting spoiled rotten by DD and MJ. Weekend activities included, but were not limited to– a visit from Uncle Larry and Aunt Marge, a visit from cousins Pammy and Debbie, a visit from neighbors Lisa and Ellie, endless time in the jumper, countless new toys and games of fetch AND Arabella’s first parade (the Glass Festival parade… where I’m told she also enjoyed her first taste of a snow cone). This was our first time legitimately away from Arabella overnight– and we all rocked it.

When Jarmon and I got back to Mt. Pleasant we got a visit from another neighbor whose mother I went to high school with. She brought us a giant pink bunny for Arabella that was printed with her name and birthday on it’s huge floppy ears. I was a little concerned about how we were going to get it back to Chicago on the plane (after all, we were traveling with a baby, a dog and a large evening gown) and jokingly suggested that maybe it should be Arabella’s special stuffed animal to look forward to at DD and MJ’s house. MJ put an end to that idea quickly telling me she would charge us rent if we left it behind, ha! So we carried it on the plane– and I’m so glad we did. Arabella LOVES it and so do we.

I’ve said this before and I know I’ll say it again— my favorite part of blogging is the notes I get from people sharing thoughts or experiences that relate to my own. I truly love it. This week I got a note from a friend who shared her own experience with the baby shark video— and also a link to a really cool remix for big kids. If you thought the kid version was catchy, wait until you hear this one. ( https://youtu.be/8yZSM4_-sgA ) My husband and I were on a plane tonight and talking about the remix when a guy across the aisle chimed in to tell us how much his son loves the song too. So basically it’s not just a song loved by kids— it’s also an icebreaker (point of commiseration) for parents.

We were on a plane tonight because we are in Pittsburgh for Liz’s wedding. I hesitate to gloat about our travel experience, but we are getting pretty darn good at flying with a kid and a dog.

We had decided to leave to the airport at 330p for our 545p flight. At 115p I was still sitting in my living room with nothing packed. Luckily, I work best under pressure. I tried my best to keep my bridesmaid dress from getting wrinkled, zipped up my suitcase and headed to the airport. Traffic was pretty nasty but we got there in plenty of time. We decided to try a new approach this time with me carrying Arabella in my Boba wrap and Jarmon handling Baxter. Game changer. I’m not sure why, but me transporting Arabella went MUCH better. We even had time to grab some food at Billy Goat Tavern in the newly remodeled part of midway. We changed Arabella’s diaper at the gate and gave Baxter some water- we totally looked like pros (at least in our head).

We were hoping to get AB some wings on the plane, but alas they had none. I pulled my usual trick of holding her up to deter seat mates and it worked.

When we got to Pittsburgh Baxter was yelping in his bag which was very unusual. Then we realized he needed to poop and pee (of course he did- he hadn’t been out in hours. We are awful puppy parents). So, we hauled it to the puppy relief area (thank goodness for the Boba wrap!) and Baxter went. The relief area was pretty impressive— grass (turf), a fire hydrant, a hose to wash away dog waste and a flusher to flush it. Baxter was terrified, but overcame his fear long enough to pee.

There was a big backup on the parkway but we eventually got home to the Bud Murphy’s pizza my parents had purchased. Delicious! What a great start to the weekend.

Finding things to blog about now that I’m back at work is tough. In theory I should have tons to write about, but the fast-paced nature of being a working mom doesn’t allow as much time for creative thinking.

Tuesday was Arabella’s 5-month celebration. We of course took photos on her blanket from Mandy to mark the occasion. She is now thoroughly enjoying apples. She also LOVES to touch her toes. She is such a happy baby… except when she’s hungry or tired (sound familiar?).

Tuesday was my last day of work before a quick trip to Pittsburgh for Liz’s wedding. Fall is my favorite time of year in Western PA, so I can’t wait to get there for a multitude of reasons. It will be our first time truly away from Arabella (and by away I mean 50 miles away for two nights, but still) and my parents have volunteered to do the honors of watching both Arabella AND Baxter. They are very excited about it, though I fear the 24/7 chaos that is AB and BB may wear on them quickly. Perhaps I’ll turn off my phone 🤔

Tuesday was also an exciting day for me because I figured out childcare for Arabella. (With no time to spare considering that my parent’s three weeks of commuting from PA was ending on Wednesday).  I took a very laid back approach to all of this because I didn’t want to force anything and was open to all alternatives. I feel very good about how it worked out.

Since Wednesday was DD and MJ’s last day in Chicago I took advantage of the childcare and made a “stock-up” run to Target. Buying all the big stuff— diapers, wipes, toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex and dishwasher detergent (the latest thing we hoard thanks to bottle washing)— is MUCH easier to buy without a baby in tow. It’s also much easier when one has an empty trunk. The fact that I operated for most of my adult life without a trunk is hilarious. What a game changer.

Later we went out to lunch at Epic Burger and then did a little fall shopping at Baby Gap and Nordstrom Rack. And by shopping I mean looking because we didn’t buy much.

DD and MJ said their goodbyes to AB when we got home (you would think they weren’t going to see her for 24 months rather than 24 hours, by anyway) and headed to the train station.

Wednesday night we had dinner with our friend Felix, who was visiting from San Francisco. We had some delicious Thai food from one of our favorite places.

Now, it’s time for the dreaded task of packing. A task that I’ll likely be writing about again tomorrow— because there is zero chance of me actually doing (or even starting) it tonight.

I used to be so good about working out on work days. It was part of my routine. I loved it. My whole day was out of whack if I didn’t get in my workout. But since returning to work that has changed. Arabella goes to bed before I get home, so the morning is the only time I have with her. And when I workout, not only do I lose an hour+ of that time, but it also takes me longer to get ready. (ie- more lost time). This is all to say that I’ve been slacking. And also that I didn’t work out today.

During my time not working out, I got to see Arabella eat apples for the first time. She’s really getting into the baby food thing. She now reaches for the spoon— and when she’s really hungry it’s impossible to feed her fast enough. This is a good problem to have. I mean come on- is there anything cuter than a baby eating apples? Don’t answer that. Because yes, of course there is. But I thought it was pretty cute in the moment.

The Steelers has the Monday night game this week which would have meant my husband going to Durkin’s and taking advantage of my parents being in town to watch Arabella. But he’s still sick so he stayed home. (How do you know your husband really feels like poo? He skips Durkin’s AND goes to the doctor). Arabella and I are still standing on that front- and I’m eating ALL the Airborne I can get my hands on. The best offense is a good defense, right??

Here’s a photo of Arabella in one of her many Steelers outfits. I lobbied for the tutu, but my parents went for the pink instead. I’m told Arabella happily chewed on her pink terrible towel until about half time before going to sleep. She has now officially watched more Monday night football than I ever have.

She and Jarmon were also treated to game time snacks prepared by my parents. #spoiled

Poor Baxter— he wore his Steeler jersey too (as is the game day ritual in our house as mandated by my husband), but no one took his photo. (Pretty sure he DID get some snacks). Here he is earlier in the day looking appropriately sad. Or maybe just sleepy.

I went to bed early last night, but didn’t get the best night’s sleep since the hubby is sick. Once I got some coffee in me I was good to go for work. It was a pretty busy day meaning we didn’t really have time for lunch, but we did grab some great food to eat on the go. My photographer’s buddy from high school owns a restaurant in Hyde Park and we just happened to be driving by when we were ready to pick up something. The jerk chicken tacos were on point.

Tonight I introduced DD and MJ to a place I’ve been telling them about for years- Twin Anchors. My parents like simple food, so finding casual places to take them isn’t always easy. Twin Anchors hit it out of the park. We had ribs and onion rings and it was all delicious. Jarmon stayed home to nurse his cold and we brought him takeout. Arabella was a little angel. I think she was just wondering how much older she has to be before she gets to try the BBQ sauce. Sorry, baby, it’s going to be a while… But this week you graduate from bananas to apples!

Today was kind of a bust in the sense that we didn’t do most of the things that we planned, but we did take Baxter to his obedience class at Morgan’s. We had a private lesson with Joe, who out Baxter through his paces and worked with Jarmon and I on how to appropriately give commands.

After obedience class, I had a hair appointment. I was kind of digging my hair the way that it was, but it was very long thanks to my summer off and needed to be reigned in to a more professional look. Pat at Edit didn’t disappoint. Pretty sure I have the same cut just a bit shorter. He never ceases to amaze me with his blow drying skills. TWO blow dryers are always better than one. (And yes- I have THAT much hair!!)

When I got home we were supposed to look at more cars before my friend’s fundraiser tonight, but jarmon wasn’t feeling well. DD has had a nasty cough all week and jarmon and MJ seem to be getting it. So, jarmon tried to sleep it off on the upstairs couch. Around dinner time it became apparent that he wasn’t getting off the couch tonight, so I had dinner with the parents and called it a night. We leave to PA for Liz’s wedding on Thursday, so I can’t really afford to have a sick husband. MJ seems to be getting it already too. Here’s hoping Arabella and I can avoid it!

Speaking of Arabella, she got her first taste of fall weather tonight. There was quite a chill in the air— and she wore a sweatshirt jacket for the first time. Poor baby girl has no idea what’s to come.

I knew DD and MJ would be impressed by the music class I’ve talked about going to with Arabella, but I had no idea the extent. I think it’s possible that they enjoyed it even more than her. (No really, they’ve been watching the songs on YouTube since we got home).

We arrived at class just in time for the “hello song” where the class leader sings the name of every child. (He sang hi to “grandma and grandpa” too!) It really is a cool concept— and luckily it’s a good tune, because (as with most kids songs) you end up humming it for days. DD and MJ sat on chairs behind us and took it all in. They took a ton of candid photos which of course are fun to have.

This was my third time taking Arabella to the class and I’ve been amazed at how her reaction changes each time.

The first time I took her she was probably a bit young. The lullaby put her right to sleep and she stayed that way the entire class— and the entire lunch outing that followed (at the time, I considered that $15 well-spent). Last time, she was much more alert and engaged. She was smiling at me and seemed to also just generally enjoy what was going on around her. This week was another step forward as she began to interact with things around her. At one point she was reaching for the little girl next to her and at another time she was rolling over to look at the little boy on the other side of her. She seemed pretty enamored by teacher Tim too. Girl knows how to find the excitement!

DD and MJ being there also meant some staged photos, which were of course embarrassing but nonetheless cool to have.

Class is at Monica and Andy on Halsted, so after class we went to lunch at Blue Door Farm Stand. We ran into our friends Marley and Grace who had been at an earlier class for “older” kids. (They get to play with instruments and fun stuff like that!)

In the evening we planned to go to a fundraiser that was organized by a friend— but when we looked up the address on the event invite realized it was actually tomorrow. (Thank goodness I looked!) So we changed back into PJ’s and called it a night.