My Trip to Chicago

Over Memorial Day weekend, mommy, daddy and I went to Chicago to visit Auntie Katie (who I call "Auntie"). We had such a wonderful time. We stayed at Katie's condo in Chicago. We did a lot of site-seeing. I am going to be posting a lot of pictures of my trip.

In the above pictures, I am playing in a fountain in the heart of Chicago, right off of Navy Pier. It was hot that morning, and all of the kids were playing in the fountain. I could not resist it, either! It seems like such a classic thing to play in a public fountain on a hot day in the middle of a big city.

Chicago Fountain (Part II)

More pictures of me at the fountain. This was certainly one of the high-lights of the trip. That is the great thing about being in a big city---some of the most memorable events are free.

My First Tattoo

I am a little nervous.

"You know what you are doing with that airbrush, right?"

And there it is---my seahorse tattoo.

On my first full day in the windy city, we went to the Shed Aquarium. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood to look at fish or any other sea creatures for that matter. I enjoyed the aquarium for about 15 minutes. I became quickly bored until Daddy said that I could get a tattoo. We picked out the seahorse tattoo. I sat very still in the chair while a guy airbrushed the tattoo on my hand. I was a little uneasy, but certainly intrigued by the whole process. After about 3 minutes, I had my seahorse tattoo. I was still a little uncertain about my tattoo. But, over the next few days I grew to love it. In fact, if I saw other kids, I would show them my tattoo and say "sea-horse" in case they could not figure it out. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few days but I still have these great photos.

Katie, Darrin, Daddy and Me

This is picture that mommy took in Katie's condo. We had a gourmet lunch. The guy on the left is Katie's boyfriend Darrin. He was really fun, and let me borrow his two twin daughters' toys.

City View on Navy Pier

Here we are on Navy Pier. It was a beautiful morning.

Cell Phone

I usually called my Green Bay Grandpa and Grandma everyday while I was in Chicago. It was a fun thing for me to do in the morning. Here I am in Katie's condo talking on the phone. Here is a typical conversation from me, "Hi. How are you. Good. Luv you. Kiss. Hug, too. Nice. Bye."

Lincoln Park Zoo

We walked through a beautiful park to get to the Lincoln Park zoo. This park had a great view of the downtown buildings.

This is a picture of me and another Sophia we met at the zoo. We are sitting on a cooper baby hippopotamus. It was just our size.

Mommy, me and Katie enjoying a snack on a park bench at the zoo.

Daddy and me in front of the lions. They looked so happy napping in the sun.

Katie, me and mommy relaxing in front of a fountain in the park outside of the zoo. What a great day!

Public Transportation

During our stay in Chicago, we used Katie's car and public transportation. Katie's condo is conveniently located a few blocks from the "L" (the subway). Here is a picture of us walking to the L one morning.

Here we are on the L drinking coffee and eating a bagel.

This is the bus we took from the Navy Pier. I am all wet in this picture because I had just finished playing in the fountain.

Memorial Day Picnic at Lake Michigan

Katie and Darrin had the fantastic idea to have a picnic at a park near Lake Michigan. Darrin and his friends went to the park early in the day to get a good spot and start the BBQ. We went after my nap. Unfortunately, everyone had the same idea that we did. Police officers would not let us drive into the park because it was so crowded. After aimlessly driving around looking for a spot, we illegally parked and walked to the park. Luckily, the police must have been busy because we were not ticketed or towed. We ate hamburgers, potato salad, and Katie's famous key lime pie. I also played in the sand and stuck my toes it the water. It was a great way to end our trip.

Children's Museum

"Daddy, these eggs look real. Are you sure I cannot crack them? Darn."

"What do you mean I can't fry hard-boiled eggs?"

"..and your breakfast will be $500."

"Jump, jump, jump."

I love the children's museum!

One Cool Toddler

I am a little obsessed with Mommy's sunglasses. I look like a bug in the first picture! Finally, mommy and daddy purchased a pair for me, but they are not as great as mommy's. FYI: I put those sunglasses on my head like that. I see mommy doing it all of the time and I wanted to copy her.

On another note, I started daycare one morning a week so that mommy can get some work done with the law firm that she is working for. I am not so thrilled about the daycare idea. Teacher Amy is really nice and the kids are nice, but I miss my mommy and daddy. The first time mommy dropped me off, it was not too bad. In fact, it was an interesting experience. I never suspected that I would have to go back! The last time that mommy dropped me off, I screamed and cried. I stopped crying shortly after she left and had fun playing with the other kids. Mommy came back after a little while, as promised. I think that I will get used to it and maybe even like it, but I am sure that I will scream and cry for awhile. Nobody takes care of me like my mommy and daddy.

TV Time

Even though I really like books, I would not want to give you the wrong impression. I have recently discovered the television. I posted a picture of me staring at the tv with the remote in hand. My favorite (and really only) show is Sesame Street, which I call Elmo. If I am watching Sesame Street and Elmo has not made an appearance for awhile, I start shouting "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo" until Mommy or Daddy fast-forward (with t-vo) until Elmo appears. Usually, Mommy or Daddy snuggle with me on the couch and watch Elmo, too.

Books

Reading a book with Auntie Lindsay

Reading a book at the Children's Museum

Reading a book with Daddy.

I really enjoy reading books. We always read books before nap time and bed time. I cannot wait to learn to read, too. Sometimes, I will pretend to draw the letters "A B C" on the chalkboard. They really do not look like the letters, but I say that I am drawing them anyway.

Yesterday, I learned how to pronounce my name. Up until now, I have been calling myself "See-ah." But, yesterday my friend Chloe came over, who is 3, and she was really excited to see me. She started to shout, "Sophia, Sophia, Sophia!!!!" I joined in the shouting and said, "Doh-phia, Doh-phia." Today, I am a little better at pronouncing the "S" sound. Mommy and Daddy are a little too excited about this development.

Dinosaurs

Last weekend I saw dinosaurs! We were downtown Minneapolis. Mommy and daddy had just purchased some new froggy rainboots for me that I was wearing, even though it was not raining. As we were walking, mommy tripped and in the aftermath my boots fell off! Mommy and daddy did not notice because their attention was focused on two people dressed-up like aliens handing-out advertisements for visiting New Mexico. I thought they were dinosaurs.

One of the dinosaurs came up to us. She looked really strange, but I was not scared. The dinosaur said, "You lost your boots!" Daddy said, "Thank you" and we went back and found my boots. I was totally spell-bound. I wanted the dinosaurs to eat out of my hands like the goats at the zoo, but they would not do it. We decided to go inside to Barnes and Noble. Inside the store on the second floor, I stood by the window and could see the dinosaurs. I waived to the dinosaurs, but they could not see me, which was okay because they were beginning to look a little scarey. I still cannot stop talking about the dinosaurs. Here is how I tell the story to people:

Dinosaurs. Lost boots. Thank you. Mommy fall floor. Dinosaur eat hand. Dinosaur window. Wave. Too scarey.