Saturday, December 10, 2016

Thanksgiving in Florida

Thanksgiving was really fun this year.  Morning of, we flew down to Miami super early.  We got in town just in time for Thanksgiving dinner with Dave's parents.  


It got chilly fast in Chicago, so it was really nice to be in the sun.  So much so that Dave and Nico got some swims in at the pool.  The water wasn't heated (LOL).  Nico did not mind.  Dave did, a little.  I was excited to read and relax in a chair in the sun.  


On Saturday, the boys went to do judo at a big judo place down there.  I got to see one of my good friends from grad school (Ursula) who lives with her family in Cooper City.  We got our nails done and had a blast just hanging out.  


We also spent the afternoon with a family that Mike and Gay know.  They have a pretty sweet house with a pool and 4 kids, three of whom were pretty close to Nico's age.  Of course Nico had a blast.  We also got to see Dave's best friend and their family.  They have a son who is about Nico's age.  They hit it off.

It is comforting to know that we can take Nico places and he can figure out a way to get along and even have fun with other kids.



Thursday, November 10, 2016

The Cubs

We've had a bit of a breathless October.  We have been particularly interested in the Cubs this season, because they were on such a tear.  The really good thing about living in Chicago is that all the games were on TV.  Also, one thing that I never appreciated before is how long the season is.  

If your team is good, the season just keeps going.  Which is a good thing as a Cubs fan. It's not great for being a worker, or a parent or a kid having to go to school.  :)

I don't think Nico made it though any playoff game.  He pretty much went to bed every playoff game night on the couch.  It was great. 

Of course this year's costume was a baseball player.  At least, that is how I am choosing to remember it.  He also wanted to go as a candy vending machine (an idea he got from Berger Park).  I am choosing to remember that he went as Kyle Schwarber for Halloween because I was too tired and worn out, with too little patience to make him a vending machine costume.  I really hope that this is one of those things that I think is a bigger deal than it is- and not that I am dooming him to a life-time of cheap, uncreative costume ideas because of this one experience.  

He doesn't seem to grasp the rarity of them winning.  He knows intellectually that it had been 109 years.  In fact, it was funny discussing whether or not they would go to the parade (I had to work and he was off of school).  His attitude was very much, "Let's just go next year when they win it." Which is a very funny thing to think, for any Cubs fans. 

I am loving that he looks up to them as players so much.  They all seem like good guys- none appear to be primadonna jerks.  They seem to work hard and really enjoy playing the game.  It's nice not having to think about what kind of message it sends that my kid idolizes a player who might be a jerk or who has a rough history with the law. 

Some things I think Nico might want to remember:



Friday, September 30, 2016

Belated Birthday at the Lake

So, Dave and I are probably bad parents.  We ended up having Nico's birthday 6 weeks after his actual birthday.  Meh. It is just that the summer got away from us.  Big time.  

So a couple of weeks ago, we had a birthday picnic at the lake. It was fantastic.  We got several of his favorites together at the lake. As you can tell, he had a blast.  


It was a fun group.  The day was perfect, the edge of summer starting to dull a bit.  We had burgers and brats and cake.  The kids split their time between being in the water and on the beach and playing sport.  Really, a lot of fun!

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Fall sports are going again.

We have started a new session of judo. October 15-16, there is a big tournament at the Cohen brothers, which Nico is pretty excited about.  It's funny, but when he cut his leg earlier in the summer, he was considering all the different judo throws that he might or might not be able to do, given the stitches that he was going to have in his leg.  It ended up not mattering- the ER doctor said he didn't have any limitations on physical activity.  But, it was funny to me, because it shows how much the kid is learning about the sport.  


We also started soccer earlier this month.  It is pretty fantastic- because his best good friends from our old neighborhood are on the team.  Their dad (Dave G) is an assistant coach with Dave R.  So, it is pretty fun.  I am helping out by refereeing.  Like I get it, I understand that it is AYSO- so its volunteer run.  Which means that the referees are volunteers.  Its great because there is a lot less pressure than when you're refereeing games that you are getting paid for.  But still- it seems like the majority of the work done in AYSO is done by a minority of people who are involved.  


Thursday, September 15, 2016

The End of Summer

The summer was disorienting, because it went by, both really fast and really slow.  Slow in the sense that childcare for Nico once summer camp was over was kind of a beat down.  And our house is so small... it was tricky with Dave trying to work from the house.  And if I worked from home to help out, it just felt like we were all on top of each other. 



Nico had a riot with sports though.  Swimming really clicked for him over the summer.  And he ended up *really* liking baseball.  I think we just need to accept the fact that he is going to have to be a two-sport athlete all the time now.  It looks like the fall is for soccer and judo, the winter is for either basketball or hockey and judo.  The spring is for soccer and judo again (or baseball?).  And the summer is for baseball and judo.  I guess.  I don't know.  I used to think I needed a personal assistant to manage my life.  Turns out, I need a personal assistant to keep up with Nico's sport schedules.


Overall a good summer.  They managed to get down to Louisville to see Mike and Gay and Tony and Kathy.  They did a little birthday party down there.  We decided to wait on Nico's birthday party in Chicago because there were so many of his friends out of town, traveling and such.  So, we are going to have a little birthday party at the lake this weekend.  I think he is going to have fun.  


*Interestingly* we are in a fantasy football league.  I say *interestingly* because, if you know how I feel about the NFL, you would say it's odd.  But the league is run by a guy I went to grad school with.  He and his wife and his best friends are really fun people and I really just wanted a chance to hang out with them more.  A by-product of this though, is that Nico is all about it.  He is really into it.  He loves helping me set the roster and thinking and talking about trades.  It is really adorable.  


So far the transition to 2nd grade has been very easy.  Nico has been a jem- he seems to be growing like a weed in front of my eyes.  He lost several teeth this summer.  And seems to be maturing a bit.  Still a sass-mouth, smartypants.  



Monday, September 12, 2016

Little Nicky Blue Eyes

I took these pics of Nico this summer and am really proud of them.  I wanted to keep them on the blog, so here is just a post of pics of my very adorable kid.  



Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Second Grade

This guy started second grade.  Can't believe that I am old enough to have a second grader.  He is in class again with Archie and Alex.  Honestly, I couldn't ask for a better set of friends.  Alex is Japanese-American and is into sport, about as much as Nico is (hockey is his big sport).  Archie is a huge sports fan- including Manchester City.  The three of them play after school pretty much every day.



Sunday, July 31, 2016

Boy of Summer

How about if I don't do the thing I normally do, which is shamefully acknowledge how I have neglected the blog. How awful I am as a mother.  Yada yada yada.  I been busy, y'all.  

The thing is, that I was looking forward to the summer being a slow down from the spring.  It hasn't really been much of a slow down.  Work started pretty hectic, but it has "slowed" down a bit.  I say "slowed" and I mean just the "required" stuff at work.  I have so much that I am working on aside from the things I have to do.  

I am trying to learn R (a computer language and statistical package).  Plus I have several projects I am trying to wrap up.  I have a presentation later this month and next month (in Paris) that need attention.  And the sociology department asked me to teach a class in the Fall- maybe two.  I am trying not to be overwhelmed about everything, which is doable, as long as I don't think too long about all the things I am not doing well.  

We started Nico in Cubs Care baseball this year.  He really likes it.  He is the oldest kid in the class- he is almost 7 and the rest of the kids are either 5 or just turned 6.  So, he is head and shoulders above the class in terms of listening, coach ability, and athletic skills.  His coach seems to really like him- and has set him up with other baseball opportunities.  







He is so tan and so blonde right now.  At camp, he spends hours on hours on hours outside- playing sport, swimming, hanging out.  It is quite remarkable.  Most days at camp, he swims for at least an hour.  Plus, we have him in swimming lessons on Thursdays.  Speaking of which, he is finally turning into a fish.  He has always been a bit apprehensive in the water, but lately, he's going under water and overall much more comfortable.  In fact, Dave even has video of Nico asking his swimming teacher to throw him in the water.  


We started the summer pretty strong in terms of reading, but somewhere along the like, we've dropped off a bit, which is a shame.  

He and Dave are going down to Louisville next weekend.  Mike and Gay are coming up, and wanted to see Nico and Dave.  The plan is to stay with Cathy and Tony, and maybe even get a judo workout in.   Everyone is looking forward to it.  I wish I could make it, but next week is going to be a bit crazy with the camp schedule and I am going to need to get out in front of it.  I never get to have any fun!!


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

3rd Tooth Gone!!

Nico lost his third tooth yesterday.  HIS THIRD!!

It has been getting pretty loose.  Then yesterday after school he got kicked in the mouth (on accident) by a friend.  And it came out!!!

The tooth fairy came last night, and left the boy $5!!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

2nd place judo

Nico's second judo tournament went pretty well.  He got thrown in his first match, but recovered pretty well.  In the second match, he got thrown and the referee called it an ippon, but was overruled by the other judges.  Nico jumped on the chance and pinned the kid.



Dave has been working with him on his osoto gari.  In the first tournament, he would go in trying to throw it, way off balance and got countered pretty easily.  Well it worked, because in the next three matches, he quickly threw it and got ippons.




I was so proud!  He ended up taking second in the tournament, in his weight class.  There were a bunch of kids there, including some from the Cohen brothers. It was a lot of fun to watch!

I think it ended up being a great experience for Nico.  Dave and I were both a little worried that if Nico had a bad tournament, that he might not want to keep going in judo- only because it is kind of hard to keep going when you're not sure you're improving.

In any case, judo is done for now.  We will start back up again in the fall.  Maybe even try to sneak into a few camps this summer.

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Spring

So much big news this spring!  We should probably start with Nico's first Judo tournament- the last Saturday of April.  He did pretty well- he fought against a couple kids who have been doing judo for much longer than he has.  He went 0-4 in the tournament, but managed a couple of really good throws. We agree that one of the main things that we he needs to work on is to not be overly committed to and off balance for a throw.  Most of the times he was thrown came about when he was off-balance trying to do something.




He had a really good time and paid attention for pretty much the whole day.  He was a champ- he didn't seem to be bothered too much when he got thrown.  


We also have been in the process of moving.  We decided in January to start looking for a new place, since our last landlord was raising the rent at the old place.  Given that there there was a lot we didn't like about the place (how far from public transit, lack of a dishwasher, overall junky appearance), it wasn't a hard decision to make.  Also, with only one dog, the backyard calculation changed a bit.  

We had been kind of discouraged about places in Chicago- it seemed near impossible to find anything in a safe neighborhood on the north side- we were thinking that we might have to move out to the burbs (and take Nico out of his school) or do something else we didn't want to do.  Dave (yeah, I am throwing him under the bus), because he reads DNAinfo every day, had heard about Rogers Park being real sketchy.  It is one of the few "pockets" on the north side of Chicago where there is some violence.  So, we (read: Dave hadn't really ever considered it).  

But then we started looking at places (in earnest) and ended up driving through Rogers Park.  It is really near Loyola- near the lake.  And Dave was like, this neighborhood is kinda cool.  Because some parts of Rogers Park (further west) are kinda of a shit hole- rents are fairly low here.  But there are several stops on the red line, which stops next to my office.  So, we focused our search here. 

We ended up finding a place in a building that has mixed use units.  That is, the first floor has a pet salon, a massage therapy place, and a theater.  The second and third floors are residential.  The back side has decks and wooden stairs and walkways.  There is also a little courtyard which is nice.  There is a place for grilling (if we did that) and a place to sit outside.  The back deck is big enough to maybe have some plants and such- and I am going to be putting my deck planters up soon.  

The residential spaces used to be a doctors office or dentists office.  So the layout in the common areas is fairly open.  The unit is three bedrooms and two baths.  Hardwood and tile throughout.  One of the bedrooms  is *much* smaller than the others- but that is where we've stuck JJ- its a little hidey hole.  The other two bedrooms are pretty big.  It's on the third floor- so we almost always have a nice breeze going.  Its all new- so the AC works like a boss- which is something I have never experienced.  It also has a dishwasher.  A dishwasher. 

Very happy with it.  Pictures to come!!

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

The Nico Sport Life

Nico's reading is really taking off.  He will read just about any book about sports.  Double bonus if you're talking Chicago sports.  In fact, this past weekend, he and Dave were playing "All Star Team of All Time-Cubs edition" which is where you name who you would have on a team, if time wasn't an issue.  Nico drafted obscure historic era catchers and short stops- guys he learned about in books.  
It was pretty great.

  

He really would do all of the sports, if we let him.  We're tying to keep it to 1 sport at a time, but sometimes we get a little overlap.  For example, he was in a hockey skating session while also playing basketball.  We're also in the middle of another hockey skating session- which will overlap with the return of spring soccer by a couple of weeks.  


We've also been on a mission to find a new judo club.  The problem with the club that Dave has been working out at (in Evanston) is that the practices are so late (starts at 730).  This means that if Nico is going to attend, he's not going to bed until almost 10pm, which is no bueno.  So, Dave has been looking around.  He found a club that practices in the late afternoon/early evening- so Nico has tried it out a few times.  Really likes it.  So that is his club now.  He is set to do a club tournament next week.  In conjunction with it, he has a Throw-A-Thon happening- where he is trying to get pledges for every throw he does in 2 minutes.  Maybe some grandparents want to kick in some money for such a worthy cause?:)



Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Spring is for Moving

Where do I even start?

How about, do I even blog anymore?

I know.

2016  has been pretty crazy so far.  I started the year by teaching two courses at the same time.  That was a first for me.  Yeah, its not like what regular tenure track faculty deal with (because they do it year round), but was a big deal- since I still had all my regular work duties to do.

I also had a perfect storm of things come together right at the end of the quarter: two work trips with prep for a conference sandwiched in between.  It was pretty crazy.

We're also moving.

The moving bit is bittersweet for me- mostly because it means we're leaving our neighborhood, which we like.  We like being as close as we are to Nico's best friends (and soccer).  But the neighborhood isn't ideal.  Despite the fact that we live in a city with good public transit, we rarely take it.  It is actually more of a bother to take it than it is to drive.  Plus our neighborhood, while great for families and friends and soccer, isn't great on other things (like being close to coffee shops and public transit).

Also, our house is kinda shitty.  Let's be honest, friends who have actually visited it- it is kinda shitty.  Like most landlords (as it seems), ours isn't really interested in keeping the place up.  The windows are old and drafty, the ac is weak, the floor in the basement is a mess, the dryer just developed a *new* squeak.  We try to get the handy man guy to give the place some attention, but he doesn't respond to our texts.  It also doesn't have a dishwasher.  And our landlord raised our rent by $100 this year.  That is huge.

So we started looking in February and found a place last month.  We have paid the move-in fee and are going to sign the lease next week.  Its in East Rogers park, just north of Loyola University.  Rogers Park has some tough spots, but it looks like they are mostly west of where our place will be.  Its a definite bump- I think I will be able to take public transit to work almost every day- which gets me reading and knitting more.  In the summer I will mostly be commuting by bike- which will likely be easier.

The place is in a multipurpose building.  Some shops are on the first floor, then apartments on the second and third.  All the places for shops aren't filled up yet- I am crossing my fingers that one will become a coffee shop, quilt shop, craft shop, candy shop, stationary store, or crossfit gym.  That would make this place perfect.  As of now, there is a boutique pet store/salon(?) and a massage therapist place.

The actual living space is a 3/2, all on one floor.  It is smaller- it looks like I will be losing the girl cave.  But it has more closets than the place we have now.  And a dishwasher.  At the age of 36 I will finally have a dishwasher.  What will I even do with my life???  Nico's school is a magnet school- so it won't matter that we are moving (since we are staying in the city).  Which is good- we are kind of in love with his school.

So now, we're just packing and thinning out the stuff.  That takes a lot of time.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Sport

Nico had his last skate of this skating session last week.  It is a pretty cool set up.  The classes are pretty short- 30 min.  This makes sense if you know how much time the kids spend falling on the ice or getting up.  My guess is that its better done in 30 min spurts.  
But Nico has improved 1000% since he started- which is basically just a testament to how quickly kids learn things.  We think we're going to keep him going... we're going to sign him up for the next session.  

I am okay with him playing hockey.  Basically I am trying to run out the clock on football.  He  *really* wants to play football.  And I don't like the idea of him playing a sport with the culture that football has.  And the injuries that football has.  Also- if he were in the 99th percentile for size- it might be worth it.  But he isnt.  There is a decent chance that he is going to be 5'7" or 5'8"- and I am sorry, but when you're O-line is 6'+, you can't have a quarterback that is 5'7".  Plus, hockey and soccer lend themselves to each other. 

But the kid wants to play lacrosse, rugby, baseball.  My guess is that when he actually sees wrestling, he'd be into that too.  But apparently, this is the way to do it.  Those kids that came of age in the late nineties and early aughts whose parents poured tons of money and time into playing competitive soccer year round- a lot of them ended up losing seasons when they are 16, 17, and 18 to ACL and MCL injuries.  Theoretically the way to ensure you don't become a walking bag of injuries is to keep playing other sports- don't specialize.  At least not until you're 14 or 15.  
So we will see.  

But hockey is cute. Especially since he is such a huge fan of the Blackhawks.  I think he would be perfectly happy with a Blackhawks jersey to wear every day of the week.  This weekend we got him a Toews jersey.  Its hard because he adores Patrick Kane.  But then there was the whole sexual assault charges that happened (last year?)- so we're not actively encouraging the Kaner love.  






Friday, February 19, 2016

Gordon the Good


I haven't wanted to write this, but I have needed to.  The four people who read my blog regularly already know (from the Facebook and from texts and phone calls).  Gordon died at home on Feb 6.  

It was weird, he hadn't been himself for a while.  It had been hard for him to move around, and he hadn't been sleeping upstairs with us.  Since the back step has been icy and slippery, I had been trying to walk him around the block, because it is easier to get down the front steps.  


I came home from work on Friday (2/5) and Dave said that Gordon didn't move much all day and he just layed on his dog bed wimpering.  So, after dinner, I carried him upstairs and gave him a bath, which has ALWAYS perked him up.  Afterwards, he RAN downstairs and then took turns pulling Dave and me around the neighborhood.  So we figured this was just him being sore from the arthritis and being old.  But the next morning, he wouldnt move out of the foyer, even as we came and went from the house.  This is very strange for him, because he doesn't like people stepping over and around him.  He usually finds a place to hide from all that.
  
I had grading and stuff, so Dave took Nico to hockey and I ran an errand, when I came home, he had moved to a dog bed, but had an accident on it- which is completely uncharacteristic of him.  So, I picked him up and carried him to the front door, thinking I could get him to go outside.  He wouldn't/couldn't.  There is a person in a our neighborhood who posted a photo of a vet making a housecall, so I tried to get in touch with her so that he could come look at Gordon,who at this time was breathing hard.  I got him settled onto a dog bed in the living room and settled in next to him.  
On their way home from hockey, I texted Dave to let him know that Gordon wasn't doing great.

They had stopped to bring home dinner and Dave had the conversation with Nico about how Gordon wasn't doing great.  About two minutes after they got home, Gordon started shaking (maybe a seizure?).  Nico came and sat on my lap and was there when Gordon died.  

I have talked to a couple of people about it, and the conclusion is that it seems like Gordon might have been hanging on, for one last look, which is stunning, if you ask me.  He was a really good dog- and he had a really great life.  I am just so thankful that we were there when it happened.  

Drake is okay, I think.  There were a couple of days early on when he wasn't all that interested in eating.  But I think he is getting used to the idea of being an 'only' dog.  He doesn't have to share bed space or couch space- so I think he is okay with that.  



Monday, February 1, 2016

Hockey Skating Lessons


So this happened this weekend.  We promised Nico skating lessons for Christmas and the session started this weekend.  Before kids can play hockey, they have to start to learn to skate, because aint nothing more dangerous than a bunch of kids who can't control their bodies on ice trying to play hockey and swinging sticks and such.

Nico had a blast.  He had to work with the little scooter sled for a while before they ditched the sleds for skating without.  I think its only going to be a few lessons before he is buzzing around like a little hockey machine.

Despite our better judgement, this is going on during the same season as basketball.  We didn't really want to be the kind of family where our kids' extracurricular activity runs things.  But here we are.  The good news is that when he starts being a little monster, I can threaten to take away more things, to get him to fall in line.  There was an incident at Legos a couple of weeks ago and I suspended Nico for one lego practice, you would have thought the world was coming to an end.  It was awesome.  It sucks while it is going down, but I would much rather have a kid who cares passionately about things like legos and basketball and skating lessons than a kid who DGAF.


Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Not too much longer



Occasionally, when I take Nico to school, the drive goes by quicker and we get a few minutes at his school, before there is supervision (read: before I can leave Nico).  Often he climbes into the front seat and cuddles on me before he goes.  He's really getting too big for it, it requires quite a lot of gymnastics to get into the front seat when you're starting to get tall.  

Definitely going to miss these days when he is a rotten teenager and I have to put the muscle on him.  

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Hockey Gear

One of my favorite things that Nico is doing lately is wearing a vest under his clothes.  He does this so it looks like he is wearing hockey pads.
The kid is actually quite smart.  He knows that we wouldnt let him wear his actual hockey pads to school.  But that no one is going to fuss about a vest under his clothes.  

Seriously- it makes me laugh.  

Monday, January 4, 2016

New Years

New Years was so much fun this year.  We went over to the G's House.  The kids played hockey against the dads.  It was pretty intense.

M and D made crab cakes for dinner.  And they were amazing.  AMAZING.  Easily one of the best meals I have had in a while.  In fact, I can't remember the last meal I had that was even on this level.  


The other moms (2) and I put away four bottles of champagne.  Let's just say that I was nervous for a hot minute that I was going to barf.  A 36 year old mother drunk enough to barf!  THE SHAME!!

Friday, January 1, 2016

Chicago Boy

So, is this kid a Chicago boy or what?