What I learned in Chicago

Forgive me for the lack of posting lately. I said I'd share about our trip to Chicago so, a little late, here are some things I learned on our trip:

*Flights with a baby are much easier if they sleep the whole time. Tyson did just that. Both ways. Seriously.

*Fancy bars/restaurants are not the best place to tote your 4 month old and his stroller, but you can make it work, especially if you're in good company and the food is yummy.

*The two hour time change actually works really nicely with a baby.

*The Shedd Aquarium has some pretty cool exhibits, like the Wild Reef (I think that's what it was called), but skip the shows. They were lame.

*It's really fun to connect with family members you haven't seen in awhile, or maybe have never even met.

*There are some pretty amazing amatuer artists in our country, as exhibited at the Old Town Art Fair we went to on Saturday morning.

*Planning things with 8 to 12 people, plus a baby, in mind never goes quite as planned and I need to be a little more flexible sometimes. :/

*Baby boys are really cute in argyle.

*The Adler Planetarium was probably the best spot in Chicago to have an evening wedding. The view of the city was spectacular!

*My brother- and now sister-in-law throw a great party.

*My husband actually drinks alcohol. Yes, Bryce had two cocktails and I believe a glass of wine at the reception. This is the same guy that has never had a beer and only ever drinks water.

*Nursing a baby while wearing a halter dress is REALLY awkward. Don't try it. But if you do, make sure to cover up, even if you're in an empty, secluded classroom on the bottom floor of the planetarium. You never know when a worker might waltz right in to get something.

*When I doubt what direction my hubby is taking something, I just need to let him go for it. The entire time he was giving his toast, I was nervously watching and saying things to myself like "just read what you wrote..." He had the crowd laughing a lot and was complimented on his "amazing" toast more times than I could count.

*Babies can sleep through anything. But even so, it's still probably not a great idea to take them to a loud wedding reception.
*It can rain (lots) in Chicago in June.

*Airline travel to and from Chicago can be a little "iffy." We experienced this on our way home when our flight was delayed two hours, causing us to miss our connecting flight home. Once we got to Seattle, we rented a car and drove the rest of the way, pulling in at approximately 3:00 AM. It beat spending the night in the airport...