Trip to Chicago

Sunday morning was an even earlier morning than expected. We knew there was the 7 AM mass we planned on going to, but the expectation was that Will was going to be up at 6 AM (based on his 3 hour sleep schedule and when we put him down). Well, now he throws in a 5+ hour sleep period after we first put him down, so Catherine is up with him to feed at 5 AM. She ended up staying up and playing with him until we went to mass. It’s not that we’re complaining about the longer sleep period, just that we are still coming to terms with the fact that we really don’t control much of anything. He’s in charge; we are working off his schedule.

After mass and breakfast, we loaded up the car and took off for Chicago. That went pretty well, as Will slept like he normally does on car rides. However, this was a longer car ride than he’s ever done. The plan was for Catherine to pump on the way, so that we could feed him a bottle while he was in his carseat and not have to stop for a feeding. Good plan, except if five minutes after you start pumping and he’s hungry then. Lesson learned: pump and make a bottle before leaving on the drive.

Other lesson learned: don’t complain about Seattle traffic. I forgot how awful at a seemingly random time (noon on a Sunday) Chicago traffic can be. Coming up the Dan Ryan we crawled to a standstill just past Comisky Park (yeah, I know, old name, but I have no idea what the Sponsor/Field name is now). No problem. It’s clear to exit on the Stevenson and head to Lake Shore Drive. I know Chicago, just take Lake Shore Drive to the Eisenhower and we are home free. Except that Lollapalooza was taking place downtown. Oops. That and more random traffic on the Eisenhower put us 1 hour late. We made it though. It worked out fine though as Great-Grandma (Babcia) Konopka was at a bridal shower and didn’t get home for a couple more hours. It gave us a time to relax a little, allowed Grace to leave, and Catherine and Will to take a nap.

Bubcia, Auntie Alice, and Auntie Frances all arrived and got to meet Will. Our friends John and Brooke also stopped by on their way through Chicago. It was good to see them again. We last saw them about a year ago when they were visiting the Pacific NW. They had just been in Wisconsin, so they brought us some Spotted Cow from the New Glarus Brewery. Yum. We can't get it in Seattle, so that was nice to get to have one of our favorites again. Unfortunately, through all the visits we were so busy talking and adoring Will that we didn’t get any pictures at that time. Plenty to come though…

Party Time

On Saturday we celebrated Madelyn’s 5^th birthday. It also was a great opportunity for the great grandparent’s on Catherine’s side of the family to meet Will. They had to wait in line though as Madelyn wanted to spend any moment that she could with Will. Once again she did a great job holding him and helping to keep him content.

Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma Schowe drove down from Muncie for the party. That gave Will a wonderful time on the sunroom swing. So much so that he was ready to box anybody that tried to take him away.

Great-Grandma Fieber drove over from her farmhouse in Pittsboro and had Will contemplating how wonderful it is to have some many willing family members to hold him.

Overall, a very wonderful day.

Visiting Nana and Poppa

We've made the trip to visit Catherine's parents and other family. It was chance to introduce Will to Poppa for the first time and he received a warm welcome.



Nana visited Will in Seattle already, but that doesn't mean she didn't enjoy getting a chance to hold him again and take a nap together.



Will also met one of his cousins for the first time. Madelyn really enjoyed spending time with Will and would follow him wherever we took him. She was very gentle and did a good job holding him on the couch.



She even helped me feed Will from the bottle for a little bit.



The real fun came though when we went for a walk around the neighborhood. Madelyn really enjoyed pushing the stroller and holding on to Will's pacifier.

Will loved the trip and stayed content the whole time. Perhaps it was Madelyn's driving (both on- and off-road), perhaps the buzz of cicadas in trees that calmed him, or a combination of both. All I know is a content baby is a happy baby and that makes for happy parents.

Out at the Ultimate fields

Will has come with us a few times to the field to watch me play Ultimate. Catherine isn't playing yet, but will start again in the Fall. Not quite an Ultimate shirt, but this is as close as he has.



We are sure that this won't be the last time he's out with us at the fields. And who knows how long until he has a disc in his hands...

Will working out

Will has been working on some belly time. We make sure he gets a little time each day and we enjoy watching him practicing to keep his head up/pushing himself up.

A Saturday out and about...

Last Saturday we had a fun day traveling around King County. We started out visiting Catherine's cousin Erin and family for brunch. She made a delicious dish of eggs poached in tomato sauce with plenty of bacon on the side. Who doesn't love bacon?



After brunch we went to pick up some wine and do a tasting at one of our favorite wineries in Washington: Adams Bench. We really enjoy the wines that Tim and Erica make. They focus mostly on Cabernet Sauvignon, although we were picking up a Sangiovese that we had ordered from them. We are wine club members there and recommend that anybody who is in the Seattle area schedule an appointment to taste at their winery in Woodinville. It doesn't hurt that Tim is a fellow Hoosier (from Warsaw, Indiana). We got a chance to taste their 2007 releases, which I had before, but Catherine hadn't since she was pregnant with Will when they were released. She got a chance to this time though... The 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon “V” was our favorite.



After picking up our wine, we went on a short hike. We went to Twin Falls, which was just short of 4 mile round trip. Will did quite well, although he needed a snack about halfway up. He really enjoyed the sound of the rushing water. It helped to keep him nice and calm.





All together it was a great day, although we were exhausted by the time we got home. We look forward to doing it again though.

What Will Likes...

Just a few things that Will likes...

His new hat





Doing the "Sprinkler" dance




Being "Super Will"




Posing for Strongman competitions

Taking a bath