36

Meeting your neighbors in a big city like Chicago can seem a daunting task. City life tends to make people suspicious, myself not exempt. Who's knocking on my door, what's their intention, should I just ignore it? In our previous apartment and condo we eventually met a neighbor here or there, but it never led to anything more than an acknowledgment of each others names. When we bought our house on a quiet street of old bungalows I longed for something different. Neighbors who we could share a beer with, chat about gardening and enjoy the bounty, and most importantly other friendly families with little ones for Little A to befriend.

The first few months on our block we met no one. It was the heart of Chicago winter, cold & miserable. The occasional neighbor might be seen as they made the mad dash between car and house trying to avoid too great a chill. But spring finally came and with it came the Sues. Yes, two of them, one in the house north of us and one in the house south of us. And with them came my confidence to start seeking out more neighbors and friendships. Most recently I have been in awe of our good fortune in having a lovely young couple two houses over whose son is just a few months older than A. They have developed such a cute little friendship. "Buddy" as they often refer to each other running around the playground. It's so sweet to watch how well they play and interact despite how young they are.

In my own moments of self-doubt I imagine myself unlikeable and wonder who would want to be my friend. Luke finds this absurd, but since he married me I think he is kind of bias. But that being said, I find this new venture into being a good neighbor quite a boost. A few weeks back when the power went out on our block my phone was abuzz with texts and calls from neighbors checking with me to make sure they weren't the only one. Of all the folks on the block I was the one everyone felt comfortable checking with, and that feels good.

Little Buddies

35

The garden is winding down for the year, but we still have a few goodies hanging in there. Grateful when all our veggies for a meal come from our own backyard. These went into a chicken & veggie fried rice.


Already planning for next year's garden. After three years you would think I have it down, but every growing season we've experienced so many hits and misses. Next year I'll get it right, right?

34

Beach day with my boys...

Long day for one little guy. Ended it resting in the sand saying, "night, night."

33

It is warm most every day now. Our time is spent splashing around in the sprinkler, checking on the progress of our garden, grilling & grilling more, and enjoying the first fruits of our labor. The strawberries are in. So delicious, so unlike those from the store.

32

Little A and I had a blast this morning at our playgroup, quite impressed with what the Chicago Park District has to offer for little guys. The afternoon has been spent painting. I knew the first thing A would do is stick the paint in his mouth so I followed the instructions from Wren Handmade and we used food coloring, water, and q-tips. He was completely entertained.

31

I guess it is inevitable that there will be a mommy melt-down occasionally. At least that's what I keep telling myself. Little A has been teething (molars are a bitch) for the last couple weeks and grumpy just touches on his disposition. Earlier in the week he had a particularly bad day which meant I too was having a particularly bad day. While sitting on the toilet I looked up just in time to see my precious boy wielding a large wooden spoon that met with a whack to the side of my face. Before I even had time to process a correct response I hollered for him to "Get out of the bathroom!" He burst into tears which meant I burst into tears. Had I really just screamed at my sweet darling. He sure hadn't seemed so sweet just 20 seconds before. I scooped him up and said I'm sorry. He may only be a year old, but I figure it's better to start humbling myself enough to apologize. I know there will many times when I will owe him one. After a hug and a little tickling all was forgotten for him, but me, well, I'm still beating myself up. I keep reminding myself this kind of thing happens even though most mommies at the playground would never fess up to it. I just had to reboot and put us both down for a nap...

30

A new baby will soon be joining the family. Luke's older brother and his wife are due in June. Such a tough month for a knitter! June! I want to knit fuzzy warm things, but it will be hot, in fact it will be the hot which preludes the super hot in the following months, so...instead I bought a cotton silk blend and did my best to keep it airy. Something a babe might have slipped on them if there is an evening chill. Also a little stuffy giraffe that looks more like a wonky dinosaur, but hey the thought, right?
Can't believe we've waited fifteen years for this little peanut. So excited!