Sweet Home Chicagoland

We're not going to make a habit of it, but on Friday night Bruce and I went out and acted like we had money to spend. It was my friend's 30th birthday and we went to the city to celebrate with her. When she said, "Do you guys want to check out the new bar next door for a drink?" Bruce and I didn't have to exchange worried glances. It felt good.

Driving in on I-290

The mussels and frites at Reservoir in Uptown

Emmie stayed home with her grandparents.  We are fortunate to be able to go out as a couple without the annoyance of arranging a babysitter.  When Bruce was little, his maternal grandparents watched him every day so his mom could go back to work.  He always says he shared a special bond with them because they spent so much quality time together.  I can already tell that Emmie will have a similar bond with Bruce's parents - she's crazy about them.

 

It's so important to me that Emmie gets plenty of time with my parents, too.  When I was growing up, I had one set of grandparents here in the States that I knew quite well.  My other set of grandparents were on the other side of the earth, literally.  I visited them a only handful of times before they passed away.  I wish I could have known them better.

 

Yesterday we took Emmie to a little country festival near my folks' house.  My mother met us there.  Emmie got to see goats and cows and even a turtle and an owl.  We rode on a wagon through the prairie and took a tour of an 1800's farmhouse.  Everything was new and interesting for the baby.  We all enjoyed ourselves!

 

We stayed until the cows came home

In the evening Emmie got to go from country mouse to city mouse when we went back out to Chicago.  We were visiting a couple who have a daughter, too.  These friends are great.  Some people avoid the whole living-with-parents thing.  I think acknowledging our difficulties can be uncomfortable for them, or they feel sorry for us, or something.  The really good friends always ask, "How's it going?" And then they listen.

 

We ate pizza and wings and talked and played games.  Their daughter played with Emmie, who crawled all over the hardwood floors of the apartment without restraint.  When we left, we walked down Addison toward our car with Wrigley at our backs, the neighborhood buzzing with nightlife.  On Friday it was Bruce and me in the city with friends, just like our life a few short years ago.  This time, it was Bruce and me in the city, with a sleepy baby in my arms.