Our big fat medical vacation '09...continued...

I thought I should wrap up the summer before I dive into the fall happenings of which there are many. I have so many thoughts/ideas/projects rolling around in my mind that I need to write a bit more often.

So....after our wonderful visit with Bill and Kathryn, we headed into downtown Chicago for our stay at the Hyatt on Wacker. The Toxoplasmosis Study sponsored by the University of Chicago is always so gracious in providing us with our family's plane fare and a night at this centrally located hotel. It just so happened that at check-in we discovered that none other than our favorite president, Mr Barack Obama, was to be appearing in the hotel that night at a fundraiser. The entire place would be locked down early before dinner, so we quickly skipped out with our friend, Margo - who we met years ago during our Telluride Film Festival Days. She and her husband and gaggle of lovely daughters live in Lincoln Park, so we took in the zoo. Zelda wrestled with her stuffed lion, thanks Margo! and Creed whined non-stop about wanting to see Obama. "Why can't I go to the fundraiser?!" Luckily, their attentions were diverted by capable babysitters named Anna, Madelyn and Olivia. That convenient arrangement allowed for the parents to have an evening out at Bruno's latest new restaurant.Margo & Creed waiting for Obama's helicopter...

The next day we were up early to be at the University by 7am. Doctors, nurses, and our favorite: the Oracle - Dr Rima McLeod - to whom we attribute the success and health of our children, were all on hand to put us through the paces. The study should last the lifetime of the children. This was our 3rd trip to Chicago and as the twins get older, the trips will be spaced out a bit but each one involves a developmental assessment, blood work, eye exams, visits with the neurologist, infectious disease specialist, and opthamologists. It's a day's work and despite our exhaustion, we were intent on seeing our friends, Gemma, Rowley and their imp of son named Fin. He is also a toxo baby and we had met them on our last trip to Chicago and immediately felt a bound with this strong, caring and fearless family. The evening was spent at Millennium Park listening to the Symphony and then the entire lot of us descended upon a nearby restaurant. Imagine the delight of the server with 3 toddlers - Fin with his huge smile, crackling and swinging his paper, Zelda needing to get up every 5 minutes to go outside and walk, and Creed demanding his french fries and water and anything else he could get his hands on. It was glorious! And the restaurant staff was extremely gracious...the Toxo Tribe at the Symphony...


We left the next day...as Zelda pushed the double stroller through the airport with her lion in one seat and Creed's tiger in the other...until the next time, Chicago, we love you...

And who is the President?...

It really is the age of the one-liners with these twin toddlers but it's also the Age of Independence. It started with "No" and then on to "I don't want to" and now Creed says "I can't". And so when Creed decides to be contrary, I launch into what I call the 'Obama Game'.
It goes something like this:
-Me: Creed, please take off your shoes when you're on the bed.
-Creed: No, I can't.
-Me: Creed, who is our President?
-Creed: (enthusiastically) Obama!
-Me: And what does Obama say?
-Creed: Yes, we can!
-Me: Okay then, yes, you CAN...now, take off your shoes!

On a related note, have any of you other toddler parents recognized the relationship between the "Bob, the Builder"'s (in French, we call him "Le Bricoleur") motto and that of Obama's?
"Can we build it? Yes, we can!"
A coincidence?
I think not.

P.S. Round #3 of A/C chemo tomorrow. I am dreading the after effects...fingers crossed.

Yes, we did!!!

We celebrated an amazingly historic event last night. We celebrated the overwhelming election of Obama as the next President of our country and we did it at the former home of Barbara Jordan - the first black woman to ever be elected to the US House of Representatives. The twins fell asleep, but they were there and we'll tell them about it when they're old enough to understand. We drank champagne and watched as people around the world danced in the streets.

It's a future filled with hope for our country, filled with opportunities for our children, filled with the re-branding of America...

Go vote...

don't spend your time pulling up my "Yes, to Prop 2" yard sign or mangling my "Obama/Biden" sign. Use you time constructively and go vote for the candidate of your choice...I did.

That's it for today.

O'Puppy...Obama...

Creed's favorite word at the moment is "Puppy". Sure, he says lots of other stuff, but the first word out of his mouth in the morning is "Puppy". When I walk in the house, he points to the outside and says "Puppy". When he goes to bed at night, he says "Puppy." We try to let him see puppies as much as possible. This past weekend in the glorious weather at Town Lake, it was a veritable puppy fest...

So then, the other day he heard someone say "Obama". (Disclaimer: Personally, my heart belongs to Hillary, but I will support whoever gets the Democratic nomination.) Creed then would say "Obama" both randomly and on command with a big smile on his face. The true test came when I asked him who he wanted for president. He hesitated and smiled and replied "O'Puppy".