the blackmons in chicago

Nana and Papa Visit

Last Thursday, Brad's parents came for a visit and we were looking forward to this visit for months! Baker took right to them with no problem, practically pushing mommy and daddy out of the way. All of our Skype webcam calls have obviously worked in keeping him familiar with them so he knows exactly who they are! We had a great time with them, as always, and felt this trip was a lot more relaxed due to the space we have in our new home. It's not nearly the cramped quarters that we're used to...they even had their own room! Most of our time was spent playing with Baker and having him entertain us.

Andy, Patty and Brad after lunch at Le Pain Quotidien.

Mommy and Baker on the other side.

Baker enjoyed my mint lemonade, so much that I didn't really have any left over to drink!

Sour lemon face - He loved the lemons! You can't really tell by the look on his face here but he devoured it!

Enjoying a ride from Papa on our walk back home. This was the first time he has taken a ride on someone shoulders and he loved it. I was a bit nervous though! I'll have to get over that!

Love this - Papa and his boy

Sweet profile

Later that day, we took a walk to the park to enjoy the weather. Baker was fearless...

He was all over the equipment like he was a big kid.

Saturday, we took them to Eastern Market, our local market in Capitol Hill, so they could see all of the cool booths and food stands. We had lunch at our new favorite spot and had shrimp rolls! I love how Nana and Papa are playing follow the leader with the smallest one of all!

The three Blackmon boys...Baker was not happy about this picture! Love that pouty face!

Scrunching up his face with his daddy.

We made a stop at Turtle Park (We don't know if this is the real name of the park or not but there are stone turtles throughout, so that's what we named it!) for Baker to have some free time out of the stroller. He loved it! He ran straight to the dog when he got there and as he does with everything he sees for the first time, he said "hey!"

Nothing like running a stick through pebbles...so much fun!

He made a friend at the park but then they both wanted the same stick and it became a war of strong wills...I think Baker may have won!

Saturday night, we had dinner at Good Stuff Eatery. It's chef Spike from Top Chef's restaurant and it is yummy! Baker liked his Nana's hamburger! We even saw Spike while we were there...so neat!

The toasted marshmallow milk shake was a hit with all of us, but especially with Baker. He went wild for it and kept signing for "more"!

Mmm mmm good!

He made such a mess that day he needed a bath. Brad gives him these crazy curls when he washes his hair! He looked like he was from Whoville.

Happy Birthday Nana!

Sunday was Nana's birthday so we celebrated with cake for breakfast! We were so happy we were with her on her birthday. We never get to see our families on their birthdays

so this was a treat!

Baker got trapped in his stroller when he decided to climb on it. He wasn't bothered though...just played with the straps.

Baker was content to sit with his Papa, highly unusual to keep him settled for that long but he stayed for some time...very sweet. He clearly loves his Nana and Papa and was not afraid to give them kisses during their entire stay.

They sadly left on Monday and we miss them already!

Video: Baker drinking my lemonade and loving it and then chowing down on a lemon.

Video: Baker having his first milkshake. He loved this stuff and I think we could have put it in an IV and he would have been happy. At one point, he took his index finger, shook it at us, and said "Dji dji dji dji!" very strongly but with a smile on his face, as if he was saying "Why did you wait so long to give me a milkshake?" Of course we all laughed and wanted him to do it again and again and he did it a few times. That was my real goal in taking a video but it didn't happen. There is a very brief shot of him doing it quietly at the beginning but that's it. Oh well! You have to act fast with little ones!