Well we've been back for just over two weeks now and I have yet to sit down and comment at all about our trip. So here goes. In a nutshell, we had an AWESOME time! It had been almost two years since we'd been back and yet in many ways, it felt like we had never left. It was so refreshing for both of us to be in a familiar place and to be able to spend quality time with good friends whom we have history with. It was especially refreshing for me to have a bit more of a social life, a change of scenery, people to see and places to go! It was a timely visit in that way, giving me a much needed break from the monotony of day to day life in this little two bedroom apartment where I spend most of my time. Zoe was a trooper, and though she missed naps and was stuck in a car for ten hours each way, she did great overall! We had so much fun introducing her to people and sharing our new life as parents with our friends. We long to go back already and are hoping to make it there again sometime in the fall.
Some highlights of the trip(other than seeing all of our great friends again):
1.) Tim Hortons! Woo-hoo! Such a great Canadian staple! Gotta love their coffee, food and prices! Unfortunately, because of Zoe's milk protein allergy, I couldn't indulge in an ice cappuccino (so sad!!!) but to be honest, just seeing a Tim Horton's sign gets me giddy.
2.) Zoe's first marriage proposal. Yes, that's right. Jayden Audige was quite into Zoe and made a point to secure his future with her. She didn't seem quite as enthused. We shall see where this all ends up. I told her not to put all her eggs in one basket - after all, no rings where involved. Just mere words. A girl's gotta hold out for more than just empty promises, right?!
3.) Zoe rolled over from back to front. She is still working on rolling the other way. But she's getting there. Since Toronto, she has finally put her feet in her mouth.
4.) Zoe started grabbing her feet. It's hilarious because her new "resting" position is the "feet in the air" position. This is quite funny when she's in her play pen and I can't see her face but can only see her hands holding her tiny little feet. So cute!
5.) Rexdale Alliance Church. This place is a little taste of heaven on earth. Seriously. Ethnically diverse leadership and congregation. Loving people. Emphasis on the right things. The body of Christ at Rexdale is a small yet beautiful reflection of the kingdom of God -people from every nation, tribe, and language. Part of this is a reflection of Toronto itself - a multi-cultural melting pot. But much of this is unique to Rexdale, as a church. We feel so blessed every time we step into those doors. We would love to move back to Toronto just so we can go to this church!
All in all, it was a great trip! We can't stop singing Toronto's praises and we've realized even more since we've been back that Toronto really feels like home for both of us.
Which makes it harder to be in Chicago...
Not that Chicago is such a bad place. But it's not familiar. We are still carving out a life and friendships here. Things are still somewhat uncomfortable with most people. We are not quite settled, at least, not in our hearts. It will take time for Chicago to feel at home, if it ever does. For now though, we are thankful. Thankful for a taste of home that keeps us longing for our heavenly home. And really thankful that we have each other, too.
June 30, 2008
Toronto Recap
June 27, 2008
I Have an Awesome Husband
Last night before I went to bed I separated three loads of laundry to tackle today. Zoe has been having some rough nights lately and I've been up a lot, so I actually slept in until 8:30 this morning. When I woke up, the laundry was gone! Uche had gotten a head start, and in fact, was almost done with all three loads! All I had to do was fold clean laundry and put it away. I sighed a sigh of relief. One less thing to do today. Thanks for the help, babe.
June 23, 2008
New Things
During our trip to Toronto, Zoe surprised us with two new things. First, she rolled over from her back to her tummy. YAY! Second, she started grabbing her feet. She hasn't quite put them in her mouth yet, but I can tell it is only a matter of time and I can't wait! Here are some cute videos from this morning's play time.
June 22, 2008
Toronto Pics
We just got back from a not-long-enough visit to Toronto -- much to blog about when I have the chance to sit down and write for a while. For now though, click the link on the sidebar for some recent pics from our trip.
June 5, 2008
Mommy and Daddy Shots
These are two of my new favorite shots. I think it's the purple dress. So cute!! Click the sidebar link for the rest of May's pictures.
June 3, 2008
The Finger
This is Zoe's new thing. She used to put her hands in her mouth all the time. Now it's just "the finger." It's very cute and kind of funny that she only really loves to suck on that one finger. Adorable.
June 2, 2008
Exhausted
That describes me right now.
Two steps forward, one step back. I feel like that's what we've been doing over the past month. Things had been going fairly well. I was learning Zoe's tired signals and being pretty proactive about putting her down before she got overtired. Almost like clockwork, she'd go down and have a nice long nap. I felt like we were making progress. She was sleeping about 7-9 hours at night without waking up. We were getting there. Or so I thought.
The past two weeks have been exhausting. For some reason, Zoe just stopped doing all of that. I am doing the same things, but she is refusing to sleep, even though she is exhausted. I put her down and she fusses and cries. When she does fall asleep, she wakes up 20 minutes later. We spend most of the evening hours trying to get her to sleep. When we finally do (this could be a three hour process, by the way) she still wakes up once or twice at night. On top of that, she still wakes up at her normal time of 6 am. What is the deal? I am physically exhausted and don't know what to do. I am also mentally exhausted - constantly thinking about what to do and trying to read about what I should be doing and then trying to sift through every one and their mother's opinions on what we should do. Yikes! I'm having a tiring mom month. Please pray for me if I come to mind. I need strength and grace to get through the days, lately.
