a midwest mini-break

We boarded a plane last Friday morning bound for Wisconsin, home of Husband; land of cheese and beer.  Baby S is a pro at flying these days... this was her 5th trip in 10 months of life.  Is it too early to sign her up for frequent flier miles?  And not to pat my own back or anything (okay, yes, I'm patting my back) we seem to have gotten the whole airport-maneuvering-with-baby thing down pretty well.  I mean, I didn't see ONE person in line at security roll their eyes or glare in our direction.  Hurray for small victories.  Other than my bra buzzing for the umpteenth time (and subsequent pat down by female security... good times) it was as smooth as can be. 

A sweet pair

Upon arriving, we made a bee line for frozen custard at Kopp's (a must-do the next time you happen to find yourself in Milwaukee) and headed out to Baby S' great-grandma's house.  It is truly special to see the Little One with our own parents, but with her great-grandma?  Makes me weepy.  

Hustisford, WI

Husband's grandmother lives in the kind of small town where "downtown" is one street and looking both ways is optional.  We are talking quaint with a capital Q and this city slicker always loves being there.  Arriving on a Friday afternoon meant that, of course, we'd head downtown to the local watering hole for a fish fry (Baby S' first, I must note).  Missing a Friday night fish fry in Wisconsin is downright sacrilege and it's a good thing everyone in town was there because I wouldn't want to see the consequences otherwise.

The next afternoon, we said goodbye to great-grandma (this was a "short and sweet" wknd) and headed down to Chicago for a visit with Husband's brother & girlfriend.  I always like Chicago.  However, Husband enjoys pointing out that I've never been there during the winter.  A valid point.  I can barely fathom the cold here, I can't imagine what January is like in the Windy City. 

Ignoring a lonely leopard

On Sunday, Baby S made her first trip to the zoo at Lincoln Park.  I'll be honest, I thought she would get more out of it than just a few photo ops for Mummy and Daddy.  Other than the monkeys and a lone rhino, she wasn't all that impressed.  That being said, it was still fun checking out the park, hanging out with Husband's family and stopping for ice cream along the way.  By Monday night, with Baby S dressed in a Green Bay Packers cheerleading uniform, we were back in NYC again.  Safe and sound.

Happy Friday, one and all.

Side note: such a bummer to miss Blogher.  Unfortunately, the timing of our trip coincided with this "major" (to quote Rachel Zoe) women's blogging event.  I missed out on meeting some favorite bloggers that I secretly stalk love from afar, learning all sorts of useful info (that I'll now have to dig for on the web) and a party on the rooftop of Martha Stewart's offices.  The gods are against me.  Sigh.  OR - maybe we're just TOO popular with TOO much packed into our social calendar, that we just can't choose between everything.  Yeah.  I'll stick with that one.