St. Louis

All four of us were lying in bed one night after dinner spending some quality time together when Maddie asked to get off of the bed.  Daddy asked where she was going and she said "Saint Woois - Mommy, Daddy...I go to Saint Woois".  Jamie and I looked at each other and laughed.  A couple minutes later I got off of the bed and headed into the living room or "St. Louis" and found Maddie pooping in her diaper.  I told her to come back to Chicago and that we missed her.  We've laughed since then about St. Louis being Maddie's code for pooping! 

But a week or so later during our naptime ritual Maddie asked me if we could go to St. Louis.  She said she wanted to see Carsy (Carson).  This was the first time I realized that she knew St. Louis was a where family was and that St. Louis was far enough away that we had to visit.  I asked Jamie if we could plan an impromptu visit to St. Louis and a couple weeks later we were there.  We drove the five hours in the prius.  I climbed to the back two times to feed Harper so we could keep moving.  We arrived Thursday night.

Harper got to meet BaBa who arrived in St. Louis the same week we were visiting.

Maddie got to go to Sue and Kenny's house to watch Kenny play guitar and piano and sing itsy-bitsy spider with Sue.

Maddie got to spend time with Lilly and Carson at Aunt Nancy and Uncle Shawn's

Mommy took Maddie to her old office to see her former co-workers.  My office was so close to the arch I wanted to take Maddie so she could associate the arch and the Mississippi River with St. Louis so we drove the two blocks to go see.  This was a highlight of my trip.  One on one time with Maddie, showing her something new.  Building a memory.

So much fun even though it was very cloudy.  You can see the river flooded below and coming up the stairs.

I thought Maddie would love the Arch but she wasn't phased by it, she LOVED the river and the boats!

Always pointing with that middle finger! Sitting on the stairs looking at the boats.

My St. Louis girl who asked to come to St. Louis a couple weeks earlier and got her wish.

Touching the arch.

Maddie loved standing on the tree stumps around the arch grounds.

EXHAUSTED!

Asleep before we left the parking garage.

Arriving at the Cardinals game the night after visiting the arch.

Maddie loved the game.  She really loved the "boom-booms" (fireworks) that went off after the  Cardinals hit home runs. She really paid attention to the game for the first time.

Maddie loved Fred Bird (but only from a distance!)

So...the not so fun part of our trip was Maddie running head on into the corner of Aunt Nancy's hutch which fractured her top two front teeth.  I was feeding Harper in the living room when I heard Uncle Shawn say "oh, here's her tooth"  I got up so fast and ran over to grab my baby in dis-belief that her beautiful smile, the smile I had seen so much that weekend alone was changed.  I mourned the loss of her top two teeth.  Everytime I thought of it my heart sank.

At the dentist back in Chicago the Monday after St. Louis to get Maddie's teeth looked at.  I was told by the Dentist on call that if brought the teeth fragments in they may be able to bond the teeth.  The Dentist said otherwise once I arrived with Maddie's teeth in a baggie.  I had to help hold you down and the dentist filed your jagged teeth down.  It's still sad for me to look at your smile, but I am happy you are healthy and that you seem to be oblivious to the fact that your teeth  were fractured.

"Note to self:  don't run indoors like my sissy!"