Trina Orlando

We had two missions for today— and one of them got completed. DD wanted to take Arabella to see the Christmas trees at the mansion in downtown Mount Pleasant and I wanted to take her to see Santa at the mall. In theory we should have been able to do both, but we got off to a slow start and by the time we got out the door it was very clearly a one or the other situation. So, to the mall, it was!

Arabella seemed pleasant on the ride there so I had high hopes she would be in good spirits for her introduction to the big guy (assuming the line wasn’t too long). The line wasn’t a problem. In fact, there was no line at all. I actually had to ask the elf if they were open for business. We walked right up and I handed Arabella over to Santa. I had seen so many photos of kids having meltdowns in their Santa photos that I just assumed she would have one too. Not so much. Not only was she all smiles for her photos, but as I paid for the photos she went on to gaze whimsically into Santa’s eyes while stroking his beard. (It’s possible she was actually pulling on his beard to see if it was real, but why ruin a sweet moment with my cynicism). My cynicism is perhaps fueled by the fact that a photo with Santa is now a sizable investment. We purchased the “digital package”— which means that you get all (in our case 7) of the static photos taken by an amateur photographer emailed to you… for a mere $35.  Ridiculous? Perhaps. But honestly, we got a keeper and I would have paid double for it. And real talk— I probably will pay double (or more??) when I take her to see Santa in Chicago. Oh 2018, you really know how to take the magic out of some things.

After we finished up with Santa we headed to the train. I can honestly say it’s been 30 years since I’ve been excited about the train— and it may or may not be the same one I rode as a child. I rode with Arabella. A single ride taken for the sole purpose of some photos. We thought she wouldn’t really know what was going on, but she loved it. We still only did one ride, but we got some adorable photos.

After snapping a few more photos with the Christmas decorations and running into an old friend from my days at American Outfitters, we headed out.

We were making our way back to Mount Pleasant for dinner— when we got pulled over. No really, DD, the safest driver on the planet, got pulled over. The trooper said he didn’t change lanes and/or slow down for a police car on the side of the road that had its lights on. In my opinion, it was a pretty big stretch— but you’ve got to respect an officer doing his job. He checked all of our ID’s and let us go with a warning. He also got a good laugh when he saw me taking a selfie and I told him it was because I wanted a photographic reminder of DD getting pulled over. Anyway, if you see an emergency vehicle on the side of the road— be sure to change lanes if possible or slow down by at least 15 MPH. It’s the law.

Back in MP we had dinner at Aumer’s. I’m pretty sure people thought we were nuts to have a baby on the bar side of the restaurant, but the dining room was closed. When we finished up around 10p, I noticed the bar had emptied out. I asked the waitress what time they closed— the answer? Ten minutes ago. So, there you have it. On the eve of her 7-month birthday Arabella met Santa and also shut down her first bar. I’m beaming with pride. (And also feeling increasingly confident about that #parentsoftheyear distinction that Jarmon and I are after!!).

Anyone who knows me will tell you, I avoid crowds at all costs. (Long before Arabella was even a thought Jarmon and I were brainstorming ways to avoid Disney… and that brainstorming continues to this day). Unfortunately, my distaste for crowds means I miss out on some really cool stuff— festivals, light up nights, Black Friday deals… and until tonight, Overly’s Country Christmas.

I have many fond memories of Overly’s from my childhood. Back when I was a kid the display was at Harry Overly’s house. You would drive past, Santa would say hi and an elf would give you a candy cane. It was magical. And it also raised money for charity. Well, Harry has long since died and the display has both moved and grown. For the last 20+ years the display has been at the county fairgrounds (another place I avoid like the plague). I remember visiting the Overly’s display in its new home back in elementary school. The addition of food stands and gift shop— added to the holiday magic. In high school, clubs I belonged to would staff the Country Kitchen and I got to serve hot chocolate to revelers. When I worked at KDKA, I did live shots on opening night— and interviewed Henny Hemlock (the talking tree) live in the 6pm newscast. In the years since, I’ve only admired Overly’s from afar— never daring to veer off the main road taking me past.

Enter Arabella.

Arabella LOVES lights. Like honestly, she’s obsessed. How could we not take her to a magical light display that’s a short five minute drive from my parents house?

So tonight we bundled up and piled into DD’s car. The line to get in was significantly shorter than we expected— but it moved SLOW. That didn’t matter a bit for Arabella— for her, it was love at first light. Once we were on the fairgrounds property we cranked up the Christmas music on the radio (the station Overly’s directs you to) and got her out of her car seat so she could take it all in. She was mesmerized. It was like the rest of the world faded away and it was just Arabella and thousands of Christmas lights.

The setup has changed a bit over the years. Overly’s used to be more of a place you drove through— and got out at the end if you felt like it. Now, the getting out at the end part seems to be the main draw.

We made our way through the lights letting Arabella take in every last one. It was especially cool to see the old lights that were part of the original display. The significance of characters that were a big deal to my generation, likely lost on the kids of today expect for the bright lights illuminating them. Heck, there were some characters even I didn’t recognize. To me, the old stuff is the best stuff. I can see fancy lights anywhere— it’s the old stuff that makes this display unique and authentic.

After making our way though the lights (it’s a short ride, but it takes a while) we changed Arabella’s diaper in the car before venturing out. She was cranky, but we were undeterred.

We snapped a few photos in the light castle on the way in. I wanted hot chocolate, but we decided to see what else was around before getting in line— and sadly, never made it back.

We visited the gift shop— which is now much more extensive than I remembered— and bought Arabella a Christmas teddy bear. My mother let her pick between the light brown bear and the dark brown one. Arabella, not surprisingly, picked the one that looked like Baxter. The woman at the register cut the tag off for us and told me she followed me (and Arabella) on Facebook. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t both excited and flattered by that 😊

After the gift shop we hit the restrooms— and then walked past some cutouts that made cool photo opps. We also walked past the manger. It was around that time that we realized Arabella was fading. We decided it was too cold to take her on the train or a horse drawn carriage ride— maybe next time. And the line for Santa was longer than our little princess was realistically going to keep her eyes open. So we decided to head out. We stopped to see Henny Hemlock on the way to the car, but by the time we found her Arabella was sound asleep. Too bad— I know she would have gotten a kick out of the festively lit talking tree. Next time!

After Overly’s we stopped at the Village for dinner. At this point, Arabella got her second wind and was wide awake. She played with her new bear, sipped on her bottle and ate several teething biscuits. She also tried the sauce from my gnocchi— and perhaps more notably, DD’s chocolate pudding. She seemed to be a big fan of the pudding. Oh, and how can I forget the soda. Jarmon suggested giving her a taste of my mother’s soda from a straw. Luckily, she didn’t seem to be a fan– but the taste alone was enough to get us another badge toward the #parentsoftheyear distinction we are so aggressively pursuing.

We we got home, Baxter was happy to see us. Though I’m pretty sure he was also thankful to have had a break. He and I played fetch for at least an hour today, which resulted in him being covered in mud. Not just a little mud, but rather it looked like he had jumped in a mud pit. I gave him a bath in the laundry tub using bar soap (all I had)— and he crashed. Not surprisingly, he was rearing to go once again when we got home. This time, we played fetch inside. It was a good night.

If there’s one thing you can count on at my family’s Thanksgiving table— it’s random conversation. For example, one year we spent so long debating whether baby corn was immature corn or a vegetable of its own that we were literally all in tears. (It’s immature corn, if you were wondering). This year, the topic was toothpicks. Specifically, the assortment of toothpicks my parents apparently keep in the kitchen cabinet for entertaining purposes. I can genuinely say I never needed or wanted to know so many types existed.

We got off to a slow start this morning since we got in from the airport so late. Well, I should clarify- Jarmon and I got off to a late start. Arabella and Baxter were up at 7am basking in their grandparent’s attention.

After enjoying some coffee and maple turkey cookies from Delallo’s, I announced the need for a Walmart run. Not that I need a reason to go to Walmart, but I wanted to get a “turkey dinner” for Arabella. DD and I ran out and got puréed turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. We also got a sectioned plate so Arabella could eat a true Thanksgiving-style feast. We also got Baxter some puréed chicken (a favorite since puppyhood) since dog’s can’t have turkey.

Uncle Larry, Aunt Marge and Florence arrived shortly after we got home. We had a delicious meal and good conversation. When Arabella finally woke up from her nap (we put together a makeshift bed in our room since her crib is in the dining room), we put together her puréed feast. We also gave her some real mashed potatoes— and later, whipped cream. It was her first time trying turkey (her first “stage 2” food). She wasn’t very interested in the turkey, but devoured the sweet potatoes (per usual). We gave her some puffs to play with while we all sat around the table. She seemed to be doing a better job of getting them in her mouth today, so that was fun to watch. Speaking of fun things to watch, this was Arabella’s first time using my old high chair. Pretty amazing that it survived all these years. Baxter watched dinner from Arabella’s crib. Sounds crazy, right? Well, the crib is in the dining room and Baxter found it to be the perfect height for snoozing while watching us eat.

After dinner Arabella played with my childhood toys and posed for some photos. First thanksgiving success!

Once Arabella was in bed, Jarmon and I had some drinks and enjoyed a food I’m always thankful to find in my parent’s cupboard— Utz Dark Russet potato chips. Happy thanksgiving to us!

Some people think it’s stressful to travel around the holidays. We aren’t those people. In fact, we think it’s fun.

Today was the day before Thanksgiving— and the day we headed back to PA for the holiday weekend. Jarmon worked a full day at the office— I worked at home on packing and getting our rambunctious baby and puppy tired for the trip.

We got out the door in plenty of time. Traffic was heavy, but avoiding the expressway got our Uber to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We generally arrive at the airport much later than is recommended, but strive to be closer to the two hour window around the holidays. Today, we had the full two. We did curbside check-in, walked straight up to the TSA agent in the pre-check line and were at our gate in no time.

On the walk to the gate, we stopped to talk a photo with the holiday decorations (per usual). Arabella was mesmerized by the lights. So much so that we couldn’t get her to look away from them for a photo.

Given that we were traveling with a baby AND a dog, we decided to find a place to park. We decided that I’d hang with Arabella and Baxter while Jarmon went to find provisions. By provisions I mean food for us, water for Baxter and most importantly— BEER.

As Arabella, Baxter and I watched holiday travelers steam past, several commented that I had my hands full. I, of course, took that as a challenge to enjoy a pre flight beverage and prove to the onlookers that I had the situation very much under control.

In retrospect, we arrived at the airport way too early. But it was better than the alternative. The flight was uneventful. Baxter slept. Arabella drank her bottle and snacked on some teething biscuits. Jarmon watched his iPad and I read a book.

By the time we got to Pittsburgh, Arabella was down for the count. I got off the plane before Jarmon and staged a quick diaper change.

Arabella was CRANKY when we tried to take a photo with the Pittsburgh airport tree— but she was all smiles when she saw DD and MJ. Baxter was delighted as well.

They both slept on the way home. When we got to Mount Pleasant, Jarmon dug into all of MJ’s homemade baked goods while DD prepared the usual late night Delallo’s feast.

DD and MJ also had all of my childhood toys waiting for Arabella— and Arabella (now very much under the influence of her second wind) played with MJ until about 3am. We’ll just chalk this one up to #holidaysonthehomefront OR #parentsoftheyear

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I’ve been slacking big time on the blog posts— but it’s not for lack of activity. We’ve had a fun couple of weeks with visits from family and friends.

Two weekends ago my parents came in for a quick visit. Their only request while visiting— DD wanted deep dish pizza. So, we took them to Lou Malnati’s. The West Loop restaurant is refreshingly (and amazingly) not touristy. We had a delicious meal. Arabella— who has been eating puffs— left her mark on the floor. (It’s debatable whether there were more on the floor or in her mouth). She also got her first pack of restaurant crayons.

Last weekend, Brooke came to visit. On Friday, we did what we do best— drank champagne until we finally made our way out to lunch at The Boundary. Arabella and Baxter thoroughly enjoyed having Brooke in the house. In the evening, we planned to all go to dinner together, but Brooke and I ended up going alone to keep things simple. We went to Via Carducci. Dinner was good, but the cannoli was exceptional— quite possibly the best I’ve ever had. Our other friend Becca was also in town for work on Saturday so we all got to hang out. We did a little shopping on Michigan Ave then stopped at Trump Tower for drinks. Randomly, we ran into Jarmon’s Uncle George and cousins Jason and Greta who were staying there. A fun coincidence since we were already planning to see them that evening for dinner. We had a drink at the upstairs bar— then headed to Rebar when it opened at 4p. We had dinner at Formento’s in the West Loop later on the evening and it was excellent as usual. Arabella somehow managed to stay awake the entire time— far be it for her to fall asleep and miss any of the action.

Brooke and I also lucked out getting a last minute reservation for Sunday at Duck Duck Goat. Becca has gone to Girl and the Goat, so I got the idea to see if we could get a reservation at my favorite of the Goat establishments. Amazingly, we got in at 8:45p– not ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers. The meal was excellent. I’m not the type of person to make reservations three months in advance (which is necessary to eat at a normal dining time at Duck Duck Goat)– but I get why people do.

Today was Friendsgiving at Sam and Caitlin’s house. I declared that we needed to do some cleaning before we left— and thank goodness I did. We are seriously lucky our house didn’t burn down. Remember the mess in the trunk of my car? Well, let’s just say there was a similar mess in our back foyer. Much of the mess was created by painters who tossed our stuff out of the way when painting back before Arabella was born (honestly, I can’t even tell you the month— but it was a while ago). One of the items that was tossed was a Brooks Brothers’ garment bag— and it had landed neatly in the heat vent… where it was melting and burned. And that’s not all— my old running shoes were also sticking out of the vent, charred and melted as if they had been sitting next to a camp fire. Oye. We spent the afternoon trying to get some tiny amount of organization in the foyer. It’s much improved but have a LONG way to go. At least for now a fire seems to have been avoided.

Friendsgiving was fun. I always say you know you have a good friend when you can hang out with their other friends and have a blast— and that’s exactly how it is when we hang out with Sam and Caitlin’s friends. They had a beautiful spread of food and we had a great time with a fun group of people. Arabella got passed around and seemed to have a genuinely good time. She hung out with Sam’s parents and sister— and also our friends Tat and John. They were all SO good with her. She was also pushing herself up onto her knees for the first time when laying on the couch, so that was an exciting development. AND- she had her first taste of mashed potatoes. Not as exciting as French fries, but it’s up there. Maybe on Thursday she’ll be ready for some puréed turkey!

And finally, my two favorite Arabella stories as of late. In the morning (up until now), I would put Arabella in the boppy pillow on the couch while I made her breakfast. I stress *up until now* because the carefree days of the boppy are over. In the thirty seconds it took me to walk to the kitchen and hit the button on the Baby Brezza, Arabella managed to scoot out of the boppy and flip onto her tummy. Thank goodness she flipped on the couch… and not off of it. I about jumped over the counter when I saw her. Any guesses what she did upon seeing my panic? Yep. A big fat (incredibly adorable) grin. She was so proud. And who can be mad at that??

So now, I put Arabella on the floor– on her tummy– while I make her breakfast. She gets in a workout and I (at least for the moment) don’t have to worry about her moving. Unfortunately, not moving doesn’t necessary mean not getting into anything. Arabella somehow managed to mistake Baxter’s rawhide donut for one of her stacking rings– and was chewing on it. I discovered this when I heard Baxter scratching at something and looked over the coffee table to see my human child and fur child face to face. **Cue more panic.** I quickly separated them– but didn’t take the rawhide away. Whatever germs were on it had been transferred at that point… and I wasn’t going to miss the Kodak moment. Later in the day I found Baxter with Arabella’s pumpkin teddy bear. I decided to forgo photographing that one and took it from him as quickly as possible.

Also this week, Arabella saw snow for the first time! She didn’t cry, but she also didn’t squeal with delight. My assessment? Arabella (much like her mama) was born to live somewhere warm.

When people hear I got married on Halloween, they assume that I’m really into Halloween. Not so. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth. When I was trying to convince Jarmon to go along with the Halloween wedding date (the only remaining fall date that our church and venue were both available) I used our shared indifference to Halloween as a selling point— “If it’s our anniversary, we’ll be eating steak dinners on Halloween rather than wearing crappy costumes in crappy bars!”

This year, the steak will happen on Saturday. Jarmon had to slip out of town for work on short notice, so Arabella and I were on our own for her first Halloween. For previously stated reasons, not a big deal. We went to a special Halloween edition of music class. It was also Arabella’s first time attending the big kid class. She’s still a little too young for it, but our friends were going to the big kid class so we happily joined. Arabella was falling asleep before class even ended, so I didn’t get as many fun Halloween photos as I’d hoped. But that didn’t stop us from lunching with friends after.

I was hoping to keep Arabella in her costume until Jarmon came home to pack for his trip— but she wasn’t having it. So I put her in her Halloween pj’s and called it a day.

She woke up late evening ready for dinner. Then it was time for the meticulously prepared Halloween gifts my mother sent to both Arabella and Baxter. Baxter knew one of the bags was for him and sat at attention waiting to be granted permission to dig in. Arabella, on the other hand, dug right in. I was shocked to see her pull over the bag and start to pull at the contents. Not going to lie— she loved the Halloween bear inside, but may have been even more excited by the sparkly gift bag. We wrapped up the night by reading all of the Halloween books that have now been added to Arabella’s impressive library (that has already run out of shelf space). Once Arabella was in bed, I had a glass of my favorite wine and a Halloween smiley cookie my parents mailed to us from Eat ‘n Park. Perfection. If you can’t spend your third wedding anniversary with your husband, this is about as good as it gets.

If it looks like Arabella has a lot of Halloween attire, it’s because she does. She’s been wearing Halloween clothing (purchased by my mother) all week.

Jarmon and I also got some treats– photog Ozie whose birthday is on our anniversary got us an especially awesome anniversary gift.

Baxter is always a little crazy when Jarmon is out of town— it’s like he senses my uneasiness at being home alone at night and feeds off of it. At precisely 3:30am, Baxter started barking like a mad man… which of course awakened Arabella. I’m not complaining. I appreciate his watchfulness, but if he could learn to be watchful without waking up his sister— that would be ideal. We had a middle of the night snack before all heading back to bed.

One last thought before putting Halloween to rest– family costumes. You know, when mom, dad and the kids all dress up in theme. I don’t remember this being a thing when I was a kid? We briefly talked about being a shark family… a lobster and chefs… three pigs and a wolf… but ultimately decided against all of it. My annoyingly rational side prevailed– who are we dressing up for? Arabella won’t remember it! If we don’t leave the house– who will take our photo? And if there are no photos– why are we even dressing up? So my question– were family costumes a thing when YOU were growing up? And, did you do one this year? If so, please share… I’m already stressed about next year and brainstorming ideas!

This week marked a big milestone for Arabella- six months! She is growing fast at  27 inches (89.68 percentile) and 20.94 pounds (98.43 percentile). She is also making great strides in her development.

On Tuesday- I walked into kids club at the gym to find her sitting up in Bumbo seat. I’m told that prior to the bottle she was happily watching the big kids and pretending to be one herself.

On Wednesday we had lunch at Yolk with Felix, who was in town for the week. It’s kind of ironic that I see him more now that he doesn’t live in my city- but I’m not complaining. Time with good friends is always a welcome treat.

Six months means that Arabella is definitely teething. Poor baby is chewing on everything. We have been trying to get her interested in her chilled teething ring, but she seems to be more into her teething biscuits— and also chewing on our fingers.

Six months also marks the goal I set for myself for breast feeding/pumping. I had initially said four months (at back to work time), but as it worked out my supply didn’t dwindle right away so I decided to push for the six month mark. The whole breast feeding topic could be a post of its own, so I’ll just say this: I’m very happy to have made it six months— and even happier to be done. Arabella never showed much of a preference on formula versus breast milk. And honestly, she’s so excited about real foods these days, I don’t think she’s going to miss breast milk in the slightest.

We took Arabella’s six month photos this week. Baxter of course didn’t want to be left out and insisted on having his photo taken too. He also tried to get between Jarmon and Arabella when they were playing airplane on the couch. It was kind of adorable.

Halloween costumes could also be a post of their own, but bottom line— Arabella is dressing up as a pumpkin for her first Halloween. We ordered three costumes— the pumpkin, a pig and a bunny— but ultimately the traditional pumpkin won out. We ordered a pumpkin costume for Baxter too but it was way too small. We took a photo before packing it back up to return. Boo!

On Saturday, we went to Goebbert’s pumpkin patch in South Barrington. There is a ton to do there, but we went for two reasons: cider/donuts and pumpkin photos. Arabella was the only kid there in costume but she didn’t know the difference— and we got some adorable photos of her next to the giant award winning pumpkins (cue the long list of annoying pumpkin puns!). We also got some ridiculous caramel apple cider with whipped cream and sprinkles and glazed apple cider donuts. It was all delicious. Unfortunately, it started to rain as we were finishing our cider and even though no one else seemed to mind— we decided that the precipitation was our family’s cue to go. We are not outdoorsy people, but we took our kid to a suburban pumpkin farm— and by golly, we have cute fall photos to prove it!

On the way home from the pumpkin farm we stopped at Target. At one point I turned around to find Arabella holding a new toy. She obviously hadn’t picked it up herself so I asked Jarmon where it came from. He said that he was looking at it and she reached for it, so he thought she wanted it. And that folks, is how easy it’s going to be for Arabella to get things- “She looked like she wanted it!” She’s a lucky kid. (And she loves the new toy.)

I had seen this shirt before. And while I appreciated the attempt at humor, I wondered under what circumstances the shirt would actually get purchased. On Saturday, I learned— though I didn’t buy it myself.

When I got up to go to the gym, I passed Arabella off to Jarmon. Before I left, he brought her back into the bedroom to proudly show off the outfit she was wearing.

Jarmon: Baby, look at this cute outfit I put together!

Me: It’s adorable, honey! Hold on, let me take a picture.

*Takes photo*

Me: And it would be even more adorable if the onesie wasn’t on backwards.

Jarmon: But it looks good this way!

My dear husband had put an adorable flowered onesie on our daughter— BACKWARD– which allowed for a popped collar effect since he didn’t snap the snaps. If it wasn’t on so obviously backwards, it actually did look pretty cute. He was apparently comfortable with his bold fashion move too because it was still on backwards when I got home.

Anyway. The plan for Saturday was to drive to a pumpkin patch in the suburbs where we would take the obligatory fall family photos and buy giant pumpkins to recreate a photo I had seen online of babies sitting in pumpkins. By the time we got from the city to South Barrington, the sun was a distant memory and the temperature had dropped about twenty degrees made even worse by the whipping wind. We stood outside the car for about 30 seconds before we realized an outdoor activity was a bad idea. Plus, it wasn’t just a matter of buying pumpkins and going home— this festival had an admission fee, so once we were in we would be staying for a while.

We had planned to hit Ikea after the pumpkin festival to pick up one of their cheap, yet highly rated, high chairs. I was adamant about an all plastic chair and IKEA fit the bill. But we never made it there. We went to Buy Buy Baby first to look at jumpers and we hit the jackpot.

We were a bit terrified of suburban Buy Buy Baby given our feelings on the city location, but our fears were unfounded. The store was huge and practically empty– SO different than the claustrophobic city experience. First stop was the jumpers. There were plenty of great options, but they all had weight limits around 25 pounds. Given that Arabella was 17.5 pounds at her four month appointment two months ago, we were hesitant. We decided to go for a walk to see if we could find a scale in the store. We never did find a scale, but we found something so much better on the way— the “as is” table. We ultimately got a $90 jumper for $35 (who cared if she outgrew it for that price??) and a $300 Baby Bjourn high chair (all plastic!) for $60. They didn’t come in boxes because they were floor models, but that meant we also didn’t have to worry about putting them together. Jackpot! We decided to put Arabella in the jumper before buying it just to make sure she liked the concept. It was like the rest of the world faded away. She was mesmerized. And when we went to take her out to put it in our shopping cart? She screamed! Like, really truly sad we were taking her toy away tears. It was a first— and we realized we are totally screwed when she realizes how helpless we are to her perfect frown.

So, as if our house wasn’t full enough already, we came home with as much as our car would hold– a high chair, a jumper and a walker. Perhaps these items can take the place of some of our other big ticket items that have already passed their prime— the stroller bassinet attachment, the regular bassinet, the swing, the bouncer and the mobile. Yes, don’t forget the overpriced mobile that we had to have for the crib she just started sleeping in less than two months ago— and pulled down on top of herself on Saturday morning. I’m choosing to just be glad she a) didn’t get hurt, and b) seemed to be finding great entertainment in the stuffed bunnies she had pulled down. And we probably got an extra half hour of sleep out of it— so I guess maybe the mobile wasn’t a total loss after all.

After Buy Buy Baby we went to the mall to kill time before our “early” dinner. We scored a $500 comforter for just $150 at Macy’s. We were really on a roll with the bargain shopping. Thank goodness our car was full and we didn’t have room to buy more. At about 5pm we headed to Olive Garden— a special place for Jarmon and I. So on Saturday at 530pm, the three of us spent 45 minutes waiting for a table (as it turns out, 5:30p is not an early dinner in the burbs). But dinner was delicious and Arabella got to experience her first time at Olive Garden— sadly, she’ll have to wait until next time for breadsticks.

If it’s bad luck when a black cat walks in front of you, what does it mean when a black cat that was eating a freshly killed bird scurries away and leaves the bloodied bird in your path? I ask because that’s how my week started— at 7:30 Sunday morning as I was walking out the door to work. It takes a lot to make me queasy and this did the trick. I legitimately contemplated going back in my house and going out the front door, but because of where the bird was positioned that wouldn’t have helped. I was trapped with nothing to do besides hop over the mutilated bird (and hope Jarmon cleaned it up before I got home). Gross.

On Monday, I started at a new gym. I was perfectly happy at my old gym and especially adored my trainer, but it just wasn’t working from a childcare perspective. So Monday brought a new beginning— and the new beginning meant Arabella’s first time at the Kids Club (ie- gym daycare). She was all smiles when I dropped her off— and all smiles when I picked her up. They say she loves watching the big kids— I’m not surprised. I find it kind of awesome that she is oblivious to being handed off to people that aren’t me, but I also selfishly wish she would care just a little bit. My kid definitely inherited my independence.

On Tuesday we went back to the gym, then stopped at Target. This would be unremarkable except that the power was out. We went in anyway because I desperately needed a hard drive. I figured the store would be empty— who shops in the dark?? Not so much. The number of people shopping sans lights was incredible. It was dark. It was eerily quiet. Honestly, the store was creepy. I can’t believe it wasn’t stopping anyone. But I guess when you are in need of a Target fix you do what you have to do. Arabella didn’t mind a bit. (Perhaps because I was carrying her through the dark store since the elevators weren’t working and there was no way to get a stroller or carrier upstairs (besides carry it– which I’m not really strong enough to do).

On Wednesday, we introduced Arabella to another one of our favorite sushi spots. It’s very close to our house, but the restaurant is very small so we weren’t sure how it would work taking Arabella. We were delighted that it worked just fine.

Other memorable moments from the week included Arabella’s first two times eating vegetables. If you know me, you know I love my greens— so naturally I picked green beans (I couldn’t find broccoli or Brussels sprouts as a purée, ha!) as her first veggie. Arabella seemed indifferent to them. She ate a few bites, but also wasn’t begging for more. The problem came a short time later when I was getting her ready for the babysitter to arrive and couldn’t identify the foul odor in the house. Was food rotting in the kitchen? Was the dryer leaking gas? Was plastic melting in the microwave? Was there a dead mouse somewhere? Had Arabella left me an epic present in her diaper? Then I realized— it was the green beans. A tiny bit of the dried veggie was on her clothing— and on mine. We both smelled downright offensive. I think green beans are going to have to wait until she can eat them whole. Sweet potatoes were a little more manageable.

Also this week, Arabella showed signs of becoming a night owl. I’m not sure why I’m surprised by this— Jarmon and I are both night owls. But she woke up every night, without fail, shortly after I got home from work. I’d be lying if I said I minded. She’s only a baby once and we both thoroughly enjoy our late night dance parties. We sing a few songs and Arabella shrieks with delight until… she’s not delighted anymore, begins to scream and wants to be back in bed IMMEDIATELY. Problem solved. One night we tried reading a book, which she also seemed to enjoy.

We ended our week with a trip to the burbs that didn’t quite go as planned… it went even better. But that’s another story for another day.

I’m a firm believer in choosing your battles. You’ve got to consider— is this a battle worth fighting? What happens if I don’t fight this battle? Can I win this battle? What will be the cost of winning this battle? What does winning even mean?

These are questions I’ve pondered at length over the last month while deciding whether I should pick a fight with my husband for taking our daughter to Durkin’s on Sundays while I’m at work. Durkin’s, of course, is a Steelers bar in Lincoln Park, where Jarmon has watched every Steelers game (that he hasn’t flown to Pittsburgh or elsewhere to attend) for the better part of the last two decades. He lives for Durkin’s. It is (for reasons I’ll never fully understand) his happy place.

The byproduct of Jarmon’s loyal attendance at Durkin’s is that when I’m not working on Sundays— I’m a football widow. For this reason, I’ve never really minded working on Sundays. We get such limited time together that I may as well be off during times we can actually spend together. The strategy worked beautifully— until we had a baby. Now, Sundays are Jarmon’s day with Arabella. His old love and his new love are competing for his time and attention.

So, the obvious solutions here are 1) Jarmon could not go to Durkin’s, or 2) we could get a babysitter.

If you know my husband, you know that option one isn’t really an option. If you don’t know my husband, I can’t really explain it to you. (As he likes to point out- I knew what I was signing up for). Option two completely defeats the purpose of me working. So that leads us to option, 3) take Arabella to Durkin’s. Before you judge, hear me out.

I’ve been to Durkin’s many times (back when we were dating and spending Sundays together was what you did). Nothing bad is going to happen at Durkin’s. It’s a bunch of really big Steelers fans watching a football game. Would it be appropriate at 11pm? Of course not. But is watching a daytime football game really all that different from taking your baby to brunch at any restaurant in the city that also has a bar? Brunch is an event in Chicago— and one that babies regularly attend. The difference? Parents are eating eggs instead of wings. Also, Jarmon knows pretty much everyone at Durkin’s (his regular attendance has earned him a reserved table in the coveted back room). I’ve met many of these people and they are lovely. They also send me cute of photos (and more recently videos) of my baby spending the day with her daddy while he beams with with pride over the two things he loves most.

So, is taking Arabella to Durkin’s appropriate? Probably not. And a year from now, it definitely won’t be. But in this particular moment, I’ve decided it’s a battle not worth fighting. If my baby spending a few hours in a Steelers bar with her adoring father is the biggest problem I have, I’m a lucky girl. And like I always say— if no one is getting hurt, it will make a great story later.