'wain!!!!'

...as many of you know, the metra (chicago's regional train system) runs right next door to our building. cadence loves to wave as the train passes, squealing 'wain!!!' and 'byebye!' ted took her on a train ride a long time ago when we had to get our car fixed, but she probably doesn't remember that ride. so on saturday, i thought it would be fun to take a little field trip into the bucktown neighborhood, which is near the clybourn station, two train stops (around 6.5 miles)south of us. that was my train stop to and from work when i was single in the city a few years ago.

i knew that ted would be going to the brew supply store, which is a half block from the clybourn train station, after he got off work at 3, so i thought we'd surprise him by meeting him there. now when you have a toddler, you have to plan these things well, or you will fail miserably. for example, i thought that 20 minutes would be plenty of time for walking to the train station from our home, since it normally takes me less than 10 minutes. well, we'd only gone down one step when i caught a whiff of cadence's diaper (which i'd changed 5 minutes prior to walking out the door). great. she pooped in that brand new diaper. i dragged ourselved back inside, changed her as quickly as i could, washed up, and ran back out. 12 minutes left. cadence ran for the first block, but then i carried her last 3 blocks so that we'd make it. it turned out the train was running behind schedule anyway, so we would've had plenty of time.

fortunately, cadence got a real kick out of riding the train, so it was all worth the trouble. she marveled at the homes whizzing by and even recognized our neighborhood, although i doubt she could've picked our actual building.

...once we got off the train near ashland and armitage, we walked a couple blocks south to walsh park, which has a pretty large playlot. cadence chased butterflies and other kids and just ran around and around.

...cadence actually surprised me by showing an interest in the big slide. normally, she's a bit wary of going down the slide, at least while she's with me, since i've let her fall off of them a couple times.

...what i was NOT expecting was just how much static electricity going down that slide would generate. her hair was going just absolutely crazy! i mean, she totally looks like she stuck a finger in a socket. i have never seen anything like it. i couldn't stop cracking up. you can see a little video clip here if your computer lets you.

...anyhoo, we wandered the neighborhood a bit, got some juice and water, and finally ted drove up to the brew supply store. he was pretty surprised to see us, since i'd called a couple times and had pretended to be home. it was a happy family reunion, but i was pretty exhausted by the time we got home. so was cadence, but we kept her awake until bath time, and she went right to sleep afterwards so that we could watch the first half of harry potter #4, which we won't watch while she's awake for fear of triggering nightmares in her sponge brain.