Archive for the ‘News’ Category

  • 21 Feb

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Letter to Jude: Month 21

    0

    Dear Jude,

    Do you realize how close to being two years old you are? Today you turned 21 months old: that means you’ve been on the outside for one and three-quarter years. Eep! I don’t know if I’m ready for you to be two! Slow down with the growing up, please! Please?

    STA70386

    February brought with it some impressive accomplishments on your part. Your vocabulary has tripled? quadrupled? in the past month. And, while you’re not quite able to say “I want ice cream” with the diction of a college English professor (or that 19-month-old super geeky baby girl), you rarely have trouble getting your point across.

    Near the end of January, you realized that you’re able to clasp your hands behind your back. That trick kept you occupied for a few days. Early in February you learned to “clink and drink”– that is, tap your sippy cup to Papa’s or my cup and then drink from it as though you were toasting to our health– and now you incline your cup towards mine on a daily basis. You’ve been honing your imitation skills this month as well. After watching me run down the hall and jump up and down trying (but failing) to turn off the smoke alarm, you smile, laugh, and mimic my flailing to a tee. You like to dance. You make up your own songs, sing them, and applaud yourself at the end of each one. You’re learning to feed yourself with a spoon and fork, and you’re already doing quite well with each!

    You, Papa, and I were all sick with the stomach flu a few weeks ago. None of it seemed to bother you…I wish I could say the same for Papa and me. The worst thing about you (and us) being sick is that we got (back) into the habit of watching numerous videos each day. Or, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that we got into the habit of watching the same video over and over and over again each day. Jude, you LOVE the VeggieTales movie The Lord of the Beans. And, as much as I hate that you love that video, or videos in general, I love watching you watch that movie. I love seeing your reaction when Larry the Cumber comes on screen. I love it when you laugh at “Randolf” and “Todo Baggypants” at the beginning of the film. I love how you sway back and forth to the VeggieTales theme song. I love everything about you. Have you picked up on that?

    STA70373

    Papa and I got you a Learning Tower earlier this month, and at the end of last week, I was (finally) able to put it together for you. I think I might love this piece of furniture more than you do, Monkey! I love having you at counter-height. I love that you can watch what I’m doing and that I can include you in the work I have to do in the kitchen. You simply love to be in the middle of things. You love playing with your toys on the counter and you love helping me cook and bake.

    You and I have made a few really good friends since moving to Rogers Park in December. We spend a few days a week with our friends Miles and Aimee, and we have a standing date with your friend Stella and her papa, Ian, on Wednesdays. We’ve been getting out pretty consistently, despite the cold weather. We go to Stories with Nadine on Saturdays at The Common Cup and we hit the library at least once weekly. Right now, your favorite books are Hippos Go Berserk! and Snuggle Puppy, both by Sandra Boynton. Next week I’m hoping to pick up a few Mo Willems books from the library because you really love Knuffle Bunny, and I think you would enjoy some of his other books as well.

    STA70376_1

    Winter is on its way out, Baboo. Spring is just around the corner. In just a few short weeks (cross your fingers!) we’ll be spending our days outside, going for walks and playing at the playground. I can’t wait to explore our neighborhood with you…to discover different shops and places to play. I can’t wait for you to be able to play in the dirt and build sand castles at the beach. Only a few more weeks, Jude. The countdown is on!

    Love,
    mama

  • 22 Jan

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Letter to Jude: Months 18-20

    0

    Dear Jude,

    Today is your 20-month birthday. I was too sick to write to you when you turned 18 months old, and we didn’t have an internet connection at home when you turned 19 months old, so today I write to you in honor of those months as well as this month of your life.

    DSC_0112a

    November was a tough month for all of us. You, Papa, and I were all sick at various times. The weather turned cold that month, and we started having to dress you in layers upon layers of clothing every time we wanted to leave the house. For Thanksgiving we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in Galesburg. You had a lot of fun playing with Aunt Kenzie, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Grant, and you had a blast playing with Daizy. However, our trip got cut short by a day because you and I were feeling pretty terrible.

    DSC_0009

    December was colder and snowier than November. We spent a good portion of our playtime in the church nursery playing with your friend Annabel and her mom Helen. One cold, snowy night in December, you, Papa, and I and Helen and Annabel walked to the Lincoln Park Zoo and took in their display of Christmas lights. You seemed to really enjoy our time there, despite the icicles that were forming on your eyelashes. During Advent you made your theatrical debut in the annual Church of Our Saviour Christmas Pageant. You were a sheep, and everyone was impressed by how well you wandered around during the play.

    STA70270

    On December 20th we moved into our new apartment in Rogers Park. Though it was a tough move to accomplish because of its timing, Papa and I really wanted to be in our new home in time for Christmas…even if it meant we wouldn’t have time to put up tree. On Christmas Eve you opened your special gift from Papa-a new pair of pajamas! Normally you would have also received an ornament to hang on the tree, but this year we didn’t find one for you until after the holiday. On Christmas morning you opened gifts from Mama and Papa; Grandma Rose and Grandpa Mike; Great Grandpa; and Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Troy. You received blocks and books and clothes and a puzzle…a good haul, indeed!

    STA70319_1

    Early in January, we traveled back to Galesburg to celebrate (Orthodox!) Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa and all your aunts and uncles on Papa’s side. Not only did you receive some pretty awesome clothes, books, and toys, but you were also gifted (well, we all were!) the news that you’re going to have a baby cousin later this year! How exciting!

    Last night I went to an inauguration party with Dr. Meggie. I was only gone for about four hours, but I missed you terribly. When I got home, you gave me so. many. hugs. It was incredible. I don’t like being away from you, Monkey, but I do love it when we reunite.

    Since my last letter to you, you’ve grown by leaps and bounds. You can actually get your feet off the ground a bit when you jump. You can say “ball” and “shoe” and “bye-bye” now, and you’re learning how to sign “book.” You’re even more willful today than you were yesterday, and that’s saying something. You like to pretend that your Larry the Cucumber magnet is a phone…actually, you like pretending that most of your toys are phones. When you wake up in the morning, you like to get your slippers off of Papa’s night stand and say “shoe, shoe” until either he or I puts them on your feet. You sing and dance along to The Terrible Twos. You’ve nearly grown out of your size medium Fuzzi Bunz. Your hair is getting so, so long.

    STA70350

    This winter has been tough for us, Jude…we’ve been stuck inside a lot. It’s hard getting bundled up and it’s hard facing the subzero temperatures Chicago has been experiencing over the past few weeks. I’ve lost my temper more than I would like to admit, and I worry that you’re bored having to play with the same old toys day after day. I long for spring and for the chance to play outdoors with you without having to dress you in 15 layers of clothes plus a snowsuit. Soon though, Monkey. Soon we’ll be visiting the local parks and going for daily walks just like we did when we first moved to the city. Before you know it, the sun won’t be setting until 8pm, and I’ll be struggling to convince you that it’s night time. I promise. It’s right around the corner. Until then, I’ll do my best to make the rest of the winter more bearable than the first part of it has been. Do you think you hang on until the cold weather breaks, Jude? Can we try… together?
    Love,
    mama

  • 20 Jan

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Menu for January 19-24, 2009

    0

    Like the Weekly Menus?
    You can subscribe to them by RSS or by e-mail!

    After more than two months, What’s For Dinner? is back! This week I’m trying one new recipe and am filling in the gaps with some tried and true favorites. Enjoy!

    Breakfast
    Oatmeal with ground flaxseed, raisins, cinnamon, and honey

    Lunch/Dinner
    Roasted Tomato Soup     with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Green Beans
    Penne with Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
    Frozen Pizza (WholeFoods 365 Brand-4 Cheese and Spinach and Feta)
    Rice and Bean Burritos with Chips and Salsa
    ALTs with Hummus on Spelt Bread
    Eggs and Bagels
    Vegetable Stir-Fry over Rice

    Snacks
    Multigrain Blueberry-Orange Muffins

    Want more? Check out the Weekly Menus archive.

  • 17 Jan

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Cold

    2

    Why didn’t anyone tell me that Chicago is COLD? Seriously. What the hell is up with these subzero temperatures and mind-blowingly cold wind chills? Jude and I haven’t left the apartment in four days now, and honestly, it’s wearing on me just a bit.

    This morning we were supposed to go to story time at a semi-local cafe. I was really excited about it because it meant I would be able to get out of the house and do something fun with Jude all with minimal time spent outside (two block walk to the el from our place and then another two blocks from the el to the cafe). Unfortunately, Jude took his morning nap at about 9:15, and story time started at 9:30, so we missed it. There are (at least) two other families with children around Jude’s age in our building, but I’m not quite comfortable enough to go up there without notice and ask if they want to play. Fortunately, we’re having a good day, despite being trapped inside.

    I have to say, in the beginning I was apprehensive about moving to Rogers Park. I had heard a few stories about the quality of the neighborhood, and while most people agreed that RP was in the midst of big improvements, those same people still felt it was a pretty dicey area to be moving to.

    Since moving here at the end of December, I’ve found out that RP has a great parents’ group on Meetup.com. The families that we’ve met have been kind and hospitable. RP is home to quite a number of growing mom and pop shops, including (but not limited to) The Pig Pen, a children’s resale shop. The moms that I’ve met, by in large, have similar interests and similar parenting styles as mine. It’s really wonderful…Next week, I have play dates set up for Tuesday and Thursday next week, and am waiting to hear back from another friend about playing on Friday!

    Take that, Winter!

  • 17 Dec

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Packing

    0

    Have I ever mentioned how much I hate packing? I have moved five times in the past six years, and honestly, I’m SO OVER IT.

    Since moving to Chicago, we’ve been living in the church’s rectory. We were supposed to stay here until mid-January, but since we’ve already lined up an apartment, and since we obviously don’t have enough to do, we’ve decided to move on Saturday. The 20th. Less than four days from now.

    God help us.

    Our new apartment is in Rogers Park. It’s a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom garden level apartment. The building has been totally rehabbed, and Josh, Jude, and I will be this unit’s first occupants. I’m really excited about the move. I’m excited that we’ll be in our new, permanent dwelling in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, the likelihood of us putting up a tree is slim to none, but at least I’ll be able to put out a few decorations in time for the 25th.

    So, as much as I’d like to say that I’m going to get back to posting daily (or near that), the truth is that the next week or two will probably be subject to sporadic posting as I should be spending all of my free time packing, moving, or unpacking. I do, however, miss writing, so as soon as things get settled, I’m going to get back in the writing saddle.

    … fair warning.

  • 09 Dec

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Tag… You’re It!

    1

    Red, over at The Naked Redhead tagged me to participate in one of those blog tell-all posts. (Memes, perhaps?) She’s a dork, but I’ll bite:

    5 Things I want to do before I die…
    1. Go to Ireland

    2. Learn how to quilt

    3. Find an ounce of creativity somewhere in my body

    4. Get out of debt and have an honest-to-goodness savings account

    5. Figure out what it is I’m really good at

    5 Things I can do…
    1. Sustain life with my breasts

    2. Make inappropriate comments at really inappropriate times

    3. Name that song/artist in 3 notes

    4. Pitch

    5. Be totally wasted after 2 drinks

    5 things I can not do…
    1. Web design

    2. Skate backwards

    3. Beat the original Mario Bros

    4. Sing

    5. Cut a bagel in the proper, safe fashion

    5 things that attract me to my significant other
    1. His eyes

    2. His creativity

    3. His gentleness

    4. The way he loves and parents Jude

    5. His laugh

    5 things I say Most Often
    1. “That’s what she said.”

    2. “Jude, we do not pull the cat’s tail!.”

    3. “Feel me.”

    4. “Boo.”

    5. “Are you okay?”

    5 Celebrity Crushes
    1. Ed Norton

    2. Jake Gyllenhal

    3. Daniel Craig

    4. John Krasinski

    5. Milo Ventimiglia

    Peeps I’m tagging
    1. Josh

    2. Jen

    3. Louise

  • 09 Dec

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Correction

    0

    The author of andothertimes.com apologizes for the errors she has recently published and wishes to correct them.

    Ahem.

    • The total number of preggo friends I have is actually eight (8!), not six or seven. I don’t know who I kept forgetting each time I made a mental list, but I do apologize for the mistake.
    • The recently posted pictures of my amazingly cute son were not, in fact, taken by either his Aunt Erin or his Uncle Grant. In truth, Jude’s Aunt Makenzie snapped both photos. It was a silly mistake to have made. Makenzie oozes artistic creativity from her every pore. I should have known!

    My sincerest apologies!

    ~Jillian

  • 04 Dec

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Jude ‘n Daizy 4Ever

    1

    Jude is a dog lover. Whenever we’re out at the park or walking around the neighborhood and he sees a dog, his eyes immediately light up and he says “Bow wow,” over and over again.

    My sister-in-law and her husband have a dog named Daizy. Daizy stayed at my parents-in-law’s house over Thanksgiving, so Jude got some much desired dog time. I was really worried at first because Daizy is still a puppy, and well, she can be a big hyper. I was amazed at how well she settled down and how gentle (or kind of gentle) she was with Jude. Daizy loves giving kisses, and lucky lady that she is, Jude LOVES getting (doggy) kisses, so they got along famously.

    Exhibit A:

    DSC_0023

    This scene kept occurring over the two days of our visit. Jude would approach Daizy, lean forward, and wait for Daizy to lick his face. Daizy was happy to oblige. I’m happy that someone’s trigger finger was quick enough to catch this photo op. (Grant? Erin? Which one of you got this shot?)

  • 04 Dec

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    Action Snot

    0

    Jude loves blowing his nose. He’s not picky. Kleenex, toilet paper, a cloth hanky…anything will do. He’s what we call an equal opportunity nose blower.

    Take this picture, for instance:

    DSC_0018_2

    Here Jude had chosen to use a used dryer sheet as a hanky. I know… he’s a bit different.

    Tanks to Uncle Grant for snapping this great action snot, er, shot!

  • 02 Dec

    Posted by
    Jillian Frank


    Category

    How’ve You Been?

    0

    Hello, internet. How’ve you been?

    Me? Well, I’ve been sick…sicker than I’ve been in a good long while. I’m not sure if I had the honest-to-goodness flu or if I had some other virus with influenza-like symptoms, but whatever the true diagnosis, I was sick, sick, sick. I was unable to do much more than nurse Jude for a full 48 hours, but since then I’ve been slowly getting better. Jude got sick the same time I did (though he fared far better than I), so, despite having an attentive and helpful husband at home, I wasn’t able to rest much during the height of my illness. Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to rest much at all since I got sick, which was more than a week ago. Perhaps that’s why I’m still feeling fairly crappy.

    Jude’s 18-month birthday has come and gone, and I (due to illness!) never got around to writing his letter for the month. Check back near the 21st of December for a combined 18/19 month letter to Jude.

    In other Jude news, the boy refuses to have a good night of sleep. For more than a week now (yes, I realize it coincides with him getting sick) he has been waking up nearly every hour during the night; sometimes for just a few seconds or minutes and other times for a lot of minutes. I’m sleep deprived, as is Josh, and I’m praying for an end to this madness.

    We spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws. The trip was cut short by a day because both Jude and I were feeling pretty terrible. Thursday was a miserable day for both of us, but Friday was much better. Jude had a great time playing with his Aunt Makenzie, Aunt Erin, and Uncle Grant, and had a great time visiting with his grandma and grandpa. I think the most memorable part of the trip was Jude continually trying to kiss Erin and Grant’s dog, Daizy. Stay tuned for pictures!

    All in all, things are going well. I’m really exhausted and have felt like quitting (quitting what, I don’t know) a lot lately. I’m sure once Jude’s sleep gets back on track and I get some rest, I’ll have a much brighter outlook on life. Until then, say a prayer for me if you’re the praying type, or sacrifice a small animal in the name of my good health if that’s your gig.

Page 1 of 1212345»10...Last »