This weekend was a pretty quiet one, and that’s exactly what we all needed. Lots of cooking at home, walks around the neighborhood and incessant photo-taking of Hudson. In other words, perfect 🙂

On Friday J got home unexpectedly early and I practically ran out the door for a walk on the lakefront by myself. Hudson is doing SO great with napping lately, and sleep in general, but the price for that consistency is a lot of time at home. And as much as I’m loving being a homebody these days, I was more than ready to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Ugh, scenes like this one 100% confirm how much I LOVE this city, and that we’re never, ever leaving.

On Saturday morning, J got Huds up for some quality Dad time. I spent about an hour with my neglected cat-child, heckling the Food Network cooking shows (someone please, please explain to me why they’re featuring C-list TV stars… Tia/Tamara Mowry? Bring back Ina!) and drinking coffee before getting going on this illustration.

If you’re ever wondering what to get a new mom, I’m pretty sure you could NEVER go wrong with a pedicure. And someone to watch the baby for an hour. Thanks J 🙂 45 minutes of Sex and the City, a massage chair rub-down and a Pumpkin Spice Latte later, I left a new woman.

Plus, I get adorable pictures like this one sent to me when I’m away. That tum is the best.

The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent at home hanging with my boys, making stuffed peppers for dinner and watching the Fall on Netflix, which freaks me out too much to continue.

On Sunday, Hudson and I embarked on a big adventure after his morning nap got cut short. Living in Streeterville, I walk on the lakefront all the time but almost always head north. Crossing the river to go south at the moment involves a long, really crappy sidewalk underneath Lake Shore Drive. The city is working on a flyover that will allow pedestrians and bikers to cross the river on their own elevated path, and I can see the progress from our window. It’s going to be a hugely positive change for the lakefront and I’m so excited for it to be done, but that’s apparently not for a few YEARS yet. So we decided to brave it and head south for a change of scenery.

So worth it! I used to live near the Belmont Harbor and would go walk by the boats as often as possible. There’s something so calming about seeing them bobbing away in the water. And the views of the southern half of the Chicago skyline are incredible.

In years past, we’ve gone to this little harbor-side cafe called Friendship Cafe for Sunday afternoon drinks. It was a lovable and bizarre combination of great live jazz and mediocre Chinese food. They changed it up this year and it’s now a more normal cafe serving brunch, fresh juice and cocktails. I’ll miss the crab rangoon and live music, but I’m glad it’s still there in some form, and I loved my green juice for the walk home.

Also, I will always be a sucker for a juice bar with a decorative magnum on the counter. Going back ASAP.

Sunday afternoon was filled with lots of snuggles and playing with this hilarious face. He’s so alert and funnier every day. He’s most awake in the early morning and early evening, and I’m so excited for when we can really play with him…. but I don’t want to wish away these days! The cutest.

J played grill master Sunday evening while I test-drove our new baby carrier, which earned two hands-free thumbs up from me. I ordered this one online for $20 from Amazon because I was convinced he wasn’t going to like it, but needed something to get us through the pre-bedtime hours. The “witching hour” doesn’t hit us too hard in terms of tears or total freakouts, (knocking on wood as I type) but he definitely likes to be held or entertained and naps are a joke. He was immediately calm and passed out after about 10 minutes, so I got to enjoy Hudson cuddles AND a glass of wine. Huge win, and definitely the best $20 I’ve spent in a while.

When I was pregnant, I remember having a first-trimester, hormonal fueled meltdown, crying and asking Jason how we’d maintain our lives with a baby in the picture. In all his wisdom, Jason assured me that we’d find a new normal and I wouldn’t feel like I was missing anything at all. As always, he was right and I’m surprised by how content I am doing “nothing” most days. We did make some dinner reservations for the coming months so that we have them on the books, and I’ll always look forward to getting out and enjoying the city’s restaurants and bar scene. But in between those days, I hope we have a lot more weekends just like this one.