New Home

After a whirlwind trip to Chicago, we finally picked our next home:

We couldn't be happier with our decision, though it was a difficult one. Chicago has so many lovely homes and areas. One of our main concerns was proximity to public transportation (.5 mile walk--Steve currently walks .7). The area we chose is known for being close to the lake, having great schools, being Jewish-friendly, being very family friendly, and having a lot of unique, older homes.

The trip itself was obviously stressful (flying, getting a rental car, getting to the hotel, realizing the hotel doesn't have a pac and play....) and mommy and Dalia spent plenty of quality time together. I managed to feed her every meal in between appointments. She even got to check out a few local parks, lucky girl!

I can't say bye bye to DC just yet... we still have another couple of months, but those months are much easier knowing that we have a place to live and a place to call home.

Moving... AGAIN!

As many of you know, Steve was offered a Supreme Court Clerkship this year with Justice Kennedy. With an offer as amazing as that (really, like no one gets that), we both knew we had to uproot and move to the Washington, DC area. Needless to say, the transition was difficult for me, especially as a new mommy who had just bonded with so many other women who had recently become mommies themselves.

All through this year we thought about where we might move to next. With the average townhouse in our area costing over $500,000, and the general "culture" of the city being pretty, well, not present, it was clear pretty fast that we didn't really belong in the DC area. There is the other places we have lived (Boston and Philadelphia) and of course, one of our favorite places, Chicago. Boston was hardly a competitor--for more reasons than I can count--and Philadelphia firms aren't as ready to fork over a signing bonus. And this isn't the easy way out. We have both spent our lives studying, researching, and working our way through this year by year--each step leading to the next step, everything and every job for a reason... everything in our lives leads up to this point, and it isn't luck, it is hard work and serious planning.

It hasn't taken too much time for us to realize that Chicago is the best choice for so many reasons. And with Steve's academic career really taking off these days (did I mention is newest article is going to be published in University of Chicago's Law Review? As in, one of the top five academic placements in legal academia?) we can't imagine a better place to be. So we are thrilled with our decision.

Now is the time where we search for homes. And there are two lovely, lovely beauties that we have our eyes on. Both are in Evanston, IL, an amazing town (home to Northwestern University) and part of Chicago's "north shore". Both are walking distance to the lake, walking distance to whole foods and yummy eateries, and of course, lots of coffee shops. The decision is difficult as one is on a tree-lined street with gas street lamps and unique homes all well-kept and maintained. The other is more "city-like", though with a beautiful fenced in back yard. It is .1 miles to the metra and within walking distance to everything, including streets of beautiful homes, with much less charm than our other choice (a 100 year old dutch colonial revival).

Either way, stay tuned as we reveal which place we select for the next two to three year stretch of our lives. We aren't settling yet and planting roots--that will come when Steve takes on his academic job, which I know he can't WAIT to do :) Congrats, honey, I am so proud of you!

So that is that. That is what is up with us :) And update on the pregnancy may be next...

MOVIN'

Dalia doesn't seem to mind at all.

Yet another reason why the Ergo is dad's best friend. Just 5 minutes before this photo was taken, Dalia was screaming uncontrollably. Daddy put her in this and she was "a ok" for another hour while he packed and got lots of stuff done!

One of the best baby purchases (buy it by clicking on the left link, my favorite baby store here in Chicago) made by far.

Totally worth every single dollar.

Breakfast at the Doula's House

We loved everything about the birth of our baby, Dalia. One of the best decisions we ever made was to hire a doula, or labor assistant. Our doula came to our house and helped us labor at home in our tub, selected music, and used various techniques to help facilitate the natural birth that we desired (including massage, whohoo!). We attribute much of our success in natural childbirth to having an amazing doula. She advocated on our behalf and provided consistent guidance and support. She told us that we could do it when others around us doubted it. She believed in what we were doing and reminded us that the decision we made was worthwhile. She was refreshing for us. She listened, cared, and was empathetic. She even came by our home on Thanksgiving for our post-partum check-up--now THAT is dedication!

Yesterday she and her husband invited us for breakfast at their lovely condo in Chicago. We had a wonderful time sipping lattes and eating a scrumptious meal. After a lot of solid food talk, sleep schedule talk, and mommy talk, we called it an afternoon and said thank you. Fortunately, they live quite close to Lake Michigan, so our family of three took a stroll to the icy blue water in the Sunday sun. Mommy had her camera in hand: