Botanic Gardens

Yesterday, we went to the Chicago Botanic Gardens which amazingly is only about 15 minutes from our place. We went with the Dunn family, including Jenny's parents, Rich and Lydia. It was a cold, windy day (high of 50) so hats were in order. Luckily, Rich and Lydia knew their way around and took us to a lot of indoor places. We even got a nice family picture taken in one of the green houses.

Bryce is getting back into his schedule since the move. For all the mommies back in Birmingham, the crying out method has been very successful. He only cries for 10 minutes max, before falling asleep on his own. He is also working hard on crawling. He isn't quite there yet, but really, really wants to be on the move. (update: Bryce crawled 6 feet on his own this afternoon!)

I've been at my new job for a week now and still really like it. The people are very friendly and my boss is exceptionally laid back. I'm working on designing my own project, but it will probably be something dealing with the differentiation of cardiomyocytes (heart cells). I'll post more as it develops.

Shaun has his first chem treatment tomorrow afternoon. Beforehand, the doctor wanted a baseline CT-scan to compare to later and it looks clear. So no major out growth since his surgery 6 weeks ago, whew! So lets hope the chemo does its job and kills all the cancerous cells!

Apple Fest

One of our goals is to spend every weekend doing something fun. We would like to travel a little but mainly we would like to take advantage of all that the Chicago-land area has to offer. Last weekend we went to Apple Fest in Long Grove. I remember when I was younger going and eating apple donuts, drinking apple cider and taste testing various home made goodies from the area. So I was looking forward to a similar experience this time to share with Shaun, Bryce and the Dunns. Unfortunately, Long Grove has gotten a little too popular. So the crowds prevailed and we tried not to get trampled. It wasn't all bad. We did get some fresh apples and drank some apple cider. It was a beautiful day and we got to spend it outside with good friends and family. Overall, it was a very nice day. On the schedule this weekend, the Botanical Gardens! I'll try to remember to bring my camera this time. Since we don't have pictures or video from apple fest, I will include a funny one taken by Shaun. With the new working arrangement, Shaun gets to spend a lot more time with Bryce and it leads to fun times like the one in the video.

First Week in Chicago

We moved into our new place in Chicago on Monday. It's a little smaller and not as nice as our home in Alabama, but it almost feels like home already. The day after we moved in, Bryce was introduced to basketball, learning the basic dribbling motion in no time at all (see video!). Melissa likes her new job at Northwestern, though the commute is a bit lengthy. Shaun was happy to get through an entire week without a surgery or single visit to a doctor. Everybody's looking forward to having Woody back in the household soon!

Shaun Update

Shaun had a mediport put in this morning which is basically a little disc under the skin on his chest that the doctors can use instead of an iv. I think he is relieved to have it since it took 5 needle sticks to get his iv in today for the procedure. It looks like he has a golf ball under his skin but I think after the swelling goes down, it won't be very noticable.

We have also had a lot of success on the housing front. Shaun flew to Chicago and found us an apartment! We will be moving into the Green at Chevy Chase in Buffalo Grove. It seems like a really nice place and best of all its close to my parents! Move in date is Monday for any in town friends who don't have to work.

Lastly, we have an offer on the house!! They accepted our counter offer so we are under contract. So hopefully everything goes smoothly and the buyers financing goes through and we can close on the house at the end of October. I think that is all for now but we will continue to keep everyone updated. I promise to keep the Bryce videos coming since they appear to be a big hit. Side note, he was with me while we waited for Shaun today at the hospital and everyone commented on how wonderful of a baby he is. They didn't notice the huge blow out from his diaper that went all the way up his shoulder blades. I really liked those pajamas too, now they are in the trash can in the hospital bathroom. Man, wouldn't want to go in there later this afternoon!

-Melissa

Cute videos of Bryce

Just wanted to add a couple of videos taken with my new Flip camera (Thanks mom and dad!!).

Leaving Sweet Home Alabama

As much as we complain about living in the south, we really are going to miss it. We have amazing friends who threw us a surprise going away party last night. I couldn't believe how many people were there. At one point there were 12 kids in one room which I think frightened all of my non-married science friends. They huddled together in the corner to keep their distance. I don't think having kids is contagious, but they were careful nonetheless. I sincerely hope we can find such a great group of families when we are up north. Luckily, we are already friends with an amazing family, the Dunns!! Chris Dunn has been friends with Shaun since 3rd grade (?), well a long time. He came to visit last week and was a tremendous help. He fed, bathed, changed, and played with Bryce. He packed up the majority of the house and sold many items at our garage sale. Best of all, he and his family live 10 minutes from my parents! So we are sure to see them a lot more now.

Bryce is doing well. His top two teeth are about half way in, man they take a long time! He is eating like a horse so I think he is having another growth spurt. Maybe he will be the size of a 2 year old at 9 months. Shaun's been feeling great. He flew to Chicago this morning to find us an apartment. Its a long shot that he will find something we both like in our price range that is available next week, but luckily my parents have offered their house to us until we find a more permanent residence. And lastly, I am doing fine as well. Saying good-bye to my friends last night was tough but I know we will stay in touch and hopefully this blog will help with that.

-Melissa