Second Time's a Charm!

A couple of weeks ago we took Jaxon to Victoria Gardens, a local outdoor mall which has been designed to look like the days of old in the 1950's. There is a great kid's train, playground, and park area complete with a water fountain that the kids can play in.

The first time we took Jaxon to play in this fountain, he was with Michelle and Tenley. Although Tenley loved it, Jaxon was a bit more cautious and stuck to the outside with the smaller jets of water. He refused to get his head or face wet.

So, this trip I did not pack a towel or change of clothes since I automatically assumed that he would go nowhere near the fountain and have little interest in running through it. Mom's can be wrong sometimes, not often, but sometimes.

After finishing a nice lunch with our visiting friends, Brian and Christine, I took Jaxon outside to stretch his legs and run around the park. He immediately made a beeline for the fountain and marched right in without hesitation. For the next 30 minutes he frolicked in the water and even went into the center of fountain and drenched himself with the large water jet. Needless to say, we were up a creek when it came time to drag him out. His shorts, made of heavy cotton khaki material got so wet, they were falling off his butt. I ended up stripping him down to his diaper and sandals. He enjoyed this and only left the fountain with much coaxing. In the meantime, I hightailed it over to Gymboree which was conveniently located right next to the fountain (I think it is a conspiracy between Gymboree and the designers of the mall) to buy him new shorts and a t-shirt. Luckily they were having a sale and I came out spending less than $15.

I dried him off with a handful of paper towels from the closest bathroom and a pair of my socks (clean) that I keep in his stroller for Gymboree sessions. After taking off his 20 lb, water logged diaper and drying him off. He was a happy camper and I was happy that my son finally took to water like a fish. So, we've learned that with toddlers, the second or third time really is a charm.

Reunion in the Windy City

At the end of July, we ventured to the mid-west in search of long lost family members and to reunite with some that weren't so lost to us. We flew into Chicago's Midway airport and needless to say, after 4 hours on a non-stop flight with a 21-month old, we were ready for a break.

Much to our relief we were greeted in baggage claim by my aunt Nora, Uncle Al, and cousins David and Marissa. All were happy to see us and the J-monster. Jaxon quickly decided to make laps around the baggage carousels while being followed by my beloved uncle. My dad, grandpa, brother, and dad's fiancee arrived soon after and after a short walk we loaded ourselves into a Ford minivan and headed to our hotel.

We were all booked at the Double Tree Suites in downtown Chicago. The upside is we were staying at a very nice hotel right off of Chicago's Magnificant Mile with all the possible retail outlets you could want and then some, the downside is that we were staying at a hotel off of Chicago's Magnificant Mile. :) The traffic (for those of you who have never been to Chicago's downtown area) is attrocious, especially on Michigan Avenue. As luck would have it, we were also arriving on a Saturday (prime shopping day) during a Gay and Lesbian Olympic week. Who knew that the gay and lesbian community had their own olympic games? At any rate, after creeping down Michigan Ave and finally making it to our hotel, we unloaded and headed up to the rooms. We were scheduled for dinner at my dad's cousin's house but there was no way we were going to make it by 6 pm. Lucky for us, we are of the Nakayama clan which always has endless supplies of food. We could be in the Great Depression era and there would somehow still be a plethora of food around.

My dad's cousin, Herb lives in a nice suberb of Chicago and a really cute neighborhood. We got to see people that I hadn't seen in 20 years (at least) and catch up with them. All the while, stuffing ourselves on ham, Italian beef (wonderful stuff), salads, and desserts. Jaxon enjoyed helping himself to the beer and wine tub conveniently placed on the floor in front of the buffet table. :) He also charmed every adult in the room and convinced them that he needed potato chips or another cream puff. Rule #1, never let your kid wander around a room of family members that he's never met and contains copious amounts of junk food. We learned the hard way after getting back to the hotel and dealing with a strange room, strange crib, and most likely a stomache ache from too much junk food. He finally fell asleep around midnight (central time).

Sunday we met all of the relatives at a local banquet hall and had a great time catching up and eating (again). My dad and aunt Nora also put together a great DVD with photos, narration, and some old 8 mm movie clips from all of families. It is a wonderful tribute to my grandpa's family and definitely a keepsake.

Monday we cruised over to the Museum of Science and Industry where they have many hands-on exhibits and a real, honest-to-goodness U-boat. We saw a lot and Jaxon's favorite thing was probably the kid's area that had a long series of tubes that had a suction running through it. He found great delight in putting brightly colored balls into one end and watching them run through the tubes. I had to lead him away kicking and screaming so we could explore the rest of the museum. The other highlight of the museum was this ginormous model train set-up that you could walk around and watch all the trains. Jaxon kept wanting to go back and watch. This exhibit was another one we had to pry him away from. In the end, a very well spent $5 by Grandpa Jerry to purchase a small yellow metal train engine placated the need to go back and watch trains anymore. To date, this has been his favorite toy and I shudder to think of the day when we will have to shuck out hundreds of $$ to buy him the full Thomas the Train set. :)

After leaving the museum my uncle suggested we go back and tour the south side of Chicago. For those of you who aren't familiar with the south side of Chicago, it isn't the nicest part of the city and can be downright rough. However, I figured we were in a rented minivan and probabaly safe as long as we just kept driving and didn't stop for anyone or anything. The other thing I didn't mention is that we were packed like sardines in a can and had my youngest cousin sitting on the floor in the second row. Lucky for us, Jaxon passed out as soon as the van was in drive so we didn't have to worry about him. The tour was interesting and we were able to see the house that my dad and aunt lived in, the cemetary which contained a pond that my dad and his cousins tried fishing in, and an empty lot which used to hold a 3 story house where my grandparents and some of my dad's aunts and uncles lived. The neighborhood has changed since they lived there but the memories were certainly alive and well.

Tuesday we headed to the Shedd Aquarium in the morning before our flight home. The Shedd is a Chicago landmark and is located right on Lake Michigan next door to the Field Museum and Soldier Field. The original building is very old and feels like you are in one of those old museums with hall after hall of glassed exhibits. Monterey Bay Aquarium it was not but interesting nonetheless. The newer section is quite stunning as it has been recreated to look like the wilderness of the Pacific northwest, complete with hills, trees, wild animals, and running streams. The centerpiece is a huge open auditorium that overlooks their dolphin and beluga tank. Behind the tanks they have floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lake. Quite the piece of real estate, I must say. They do short educational shows with the dolphins to demonstrate their training techniques and to dispell myths about dolphins. It was entertaining and Jaxon seemed to enjoy watching the animals. After the trip to the aquarium, we headed back to the hotel to pack up, get Daddy, and head to the airport.

The flight home was eventful, as things tend to be with an almost 2 year old. The first 2 hours of the flight Jaxon proceeded to be as hyper and annoying as I have ever seen him in all of his 21 months alive on this earth. He was literally climbing the seat back of his seat and visiting with the 2 kids seated behind him. He was also playing Mommy and Daddy Jungle Gym and yelling at the top of his lungs in protest if we tried to stop him. We were just beginning to think about breaking our window and pushing him out with a parachute (some nice people would surely find him) when he passed out cold laying across our laps. So, for the next 2 hours, neither Zak or myself could move for fear of waking the beast. Luckily, he roused from his slumber as we were landing and behaved for the descent and landing. Needless to say, we are rethinking our trip to Hawaii with him next year. Zak refuses to take him anywhere that requires more than a 2 hour plane ride.

Chicago is a very nice city and we wouldn't mind going back and seeing more. My relatives are exactly as I remember them and probably the most generous people on earth. I guess that's where my dad gets his generosity from. We had a great time and even though Jaxon won't remember a thing from the trip, we have pictures and some great memories to prove it.