Three more sleeps until we leave Chicago for good. I am finding myself homesick for Chicago, and we haven’t even left yet. This past week has been a concluding one - my last day at work was yesterday (although I have to go back in tomorrow to tie up a few last things), work threw a small goodbye party on one of the most humid days in Chicago we’ve had so far (I’m not complaining, as it’s 67 degrees F out right now and decidedly not humid).

There are sixteen boxes, weighing approximately 679 pounds, stacked in our lobby, waiting for the USPS to come and pick them up. I don’t think our regular carrier was working today - he knows we’re moving and is expecting lots of boxes. Instead, the sixteen boxes sit, stacked fairly high. I’ll put a note (and some cookies) out to indicate they’re to be taken away, and our sincerest thanks. We couldn’t do this move without the USPS.

We are being brutal with this move, although I think in some ways I could be more brutal. The majority of what we’re sending are books and other things that are absolutely irreplaceable and/or that I haven’t touched in over a year (so most of my wardrobe is going to be donated). We’ve invited friends to come over and pillage our apartment. There are no plants in the apartment at all anymore; earlier this week they went to find a new home. Tomorrow, I pack up my computer and bring it down to the USPS myself to ship out. Matthew will undoubtedly be annoyed with that; he loves mousing over my dock and making the icons magnify.

(side note: Perhaps Matthew would enjoy this program)

Our apartment sublet situation is THISCLOSEOMG to being resolved. It’s been one annoying delay after another. Ava’s cleared to go, health-wise, from the vet. She’s overweight, but she wears her weight well, I think. Her flight and arrangements will end up costing us more than we anticipated. Such is the case with moving.

We have very few spices left in our apartment now, thanks to Emilin & Brooke. They came over with their daughter, Sanna, and cooked us the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever - pepperjack cheese and cream cheese and poblano peppers and fresh mozzarella - it was all wonderful! Then we made them go shopping in our cupboards. It was so good to finally meet Emilin and Brooke; we initially met online at a pregnancy/parenting forum. And of course, fates align themselves such that they are settling into their new home as we are settling out of ours.

Tomorrow, dim sum with some friends - a goodbye dim sum. Monday, the Brown Elephant is coming over to take our stuff that hasn’t sold. Tuesday, early, breakfast with my former boss, come home, and get ready to fly out of Chicago for good.

Matthew is growing up:

Things he does now that totally cracks us up and amazes us at the same time:

• In bed, he will lift our shirts and gum our bellies - like we do to him.
• If you hand him a phone and tell him someone wants to talk to him, he will put the phone up to his ear and “talk”; although now I think he’s on to us and knows that there’s no one on the other end! And if we do it with an old phone, he doesn’t mimic us at all.
• He is so close to walking. He can stand up by himself, quite strongly, for more than a few seconds at a time, and then carefully sets himself back down again. He still loves crawling, so if he wants to be somewhere five seconds ago, he drops down and scoots like crazy.
• He loves his baba so much - you can totally tell. It is so cute. Anytime Josh goes to the bathroom, Matthew perks up and drops whatever he is in the midst of and crawls over to the bathroom and tries to open the door. And some nights, the only way he’s comforted to sleep is when Baba sings Freight Train.
• He fake laughs - and it makes us laugh for reals!

I might desperately miss what he was like as a newborn baby, but man, I wouldn’t trade these days of him as a (gulp) toddler in for the world.