So we're in Chicago...

We drove up last weekend for a wedding (Jaime was a bridesmaid). Since we had another wedding THIS weekend (Jaime's grandpa is getting married), we decided that Jaime and Noelle would stay here while I flew back to Nashville for to Nashville for the week.

MY week went okay, hanging out at home alone, mostly being bored, cooking for myself, and going to sleep at midnite or later. Jaime's week on the other hand was a little rougher. Even though she stayed with her parents and they both helped out with Noelle, it was tough. Noelle is apparently heading straight into the terrible twos and Jaime was the "catcher" for it this week.

I'm sure part of Noelle's behavior was compounded by the fact that she's out of her element, away from her normal routine and such. Hard to think of my darling little girl being a terror, but according to Jaime, she has been (at least a portion of the time). From throwing things, to disobeying, to being sick; my poor baby is just having a bad week.

Jaime's already informed me that I'm on duty from the minute Noelle wakes up which is fine for me. I missed both of them quite a lot and I'll be happy to see Noelle again

I'm so out of shape...wait...round is a shape right? It is, but it's not the shape I want for myself. So I've been thinking, and talking, more and more lately about getting in better shape. Mostly for my own good, but a lot for Noelle and Jaime too. I don't want to have a heart attack by age 36 or anything. Not to mention I don't want to end up as one of those guys that gets so fat that his loving wife has to sponge bathe him in bed because he no longer fits through the bedroom door.

But I digress...I've been wanting to get in shape, that's what I was talking about. So I've got a bicycle that's been sitting in the garage since Jaime and I got married. I've also wanted to start riding that more often. I thought it was a good idea to sort of combine those two desires, and add into the mix some time spent with Noelle. So I borrowed a tow-behind baby stroller, more like a rickshaw than anything else, and headed out to our local greenway.

Essentially a path through protected marshland, it's a paved trail that winds it's way through grassland and forests right next to the Cumberland river. All total I think the trail is about 6 or 7 miles long and it's very peaceful. Since this was my first time riding the bike in 4 years or so, I thought it wise to keep the workout to a minimum, and made it to the 1.5 mile marker before turning around.

The entire time Noelle was just talking to herself, talking to me, playing with her helmet, etc. I mostly sweated and panted. I made it back safely though. I'd really like to do this again, especially since it's finally starting to cool down. If I can do it regularly, even if it's only every few days, that'll help me out a lot. Who knows...I might even start to like it.

Me: (at the grocery store) Noelle, do you think we got everything we need?

Noelle: No.

Me: What else do we need to get?

Noelle: COKE!

What a goofball. I swear I could write 100 of these kinds of stories every day. I think I just get overwhelmed by her cuteness (and precociousness) and don't write about much of it at all. I know I'll wish I had more of it written down later on, though. Maybe I should start keeping a journal. Kind of like a bl...oh, wait a minute! I have high hopes of using this blog more frequently, but sometimes it just dips down in my priority list.

We have some new pictures up on our Picasa Web Albums page, some from Andy's mom visiting, some from my parents visiting. Two weekends in a row that I don't think I changed a single diaper!

Noelle is in the middle of what looks to be her second failed attempt at a nap today. Earlier, after she had been in the crib a while she started saying "No sleepy, mommy." Then she called out for me to "Check a diaper." At least she can tell me what's going on! One of my favorite things she is doing right now is giving herself a play by play of what's going on. I accidentally left the bathroom door open yesterday, and I heard the toilet lid fall closed, then heard her say "Ouch. Hurt finger." When my parents were here, they slept in her room. They said one morning while it was still dark, she woke up and started talking to herself for a while. She said, "Mommy sleeping. Daddy sleeping. Water cup." Then they heard her drinking from her cup.

Noelle can count to 11 if she's in the right mood, and it's fun to see her get so excited about it. Of course this past weekend I was trying to get her to do all her tricks for my parents, and she sang a few songs including Baa Baa Black Sheep, and then we asked her to count, and she said, "1...2...3 - BAGS FULL!"

She's also started doing some imaginative play, like grabbing an empty bowl and offering me peaches from it, or checking Mickey Mouse's diaper (he is ALWAYS poopy, that one!), and delivering me mail. And even though she is currently fussing her head off in the crib because I dare to ask her to nap, I love her dearly.