Chicago

Way back in June (sorry, it's been so hot in our little attic/third bedroom, which is a crappy place to keep a computer, that I haven't been up doing photos lately..)

we went to Chicago for a two day trip. Maya is an awesome road tripper, in between talking our ears off she would quietly play by herself. She would put her princess dresses on her fingers and "talk" them to each other. Even in traffic, she was fine..it was mommy that can't handle traffic.
Our first stop was Shedd Aquarium for their "free week." If you have a fear of hot and crowded areas, or are two years old and bored by fish, this is not the thing for you. Maya really wanted to see the penguins but they were not free, and eventually after crying and hating the aquarium exhibits, she enjoyed the gift shop and forgot all about the penguins. This picture is her happy and continent, people watching and gull watching on the hill behind Shedd Aquarium that overlooks Lake Michigan.
Our next stop was the hotel, which Maya loved. She still talks about it..along with the dreaded Rainforest Cafe visit which happened that night for supper. Maya was exhausted, and completely overstimulated by The Rainforest Cafe. All those moving animals, thunderstorms, and for some god awful reason, they stuck us right next to the waterfall. We asked to move, they brought Maya a giraffe balloon (she still talks about it), and she calmed down enough to eat a few bites of food. After dinner we walked across the street to the hotel, and Maya fell fast asleep.

The next morning I took her swimming at the pool and she loved it, and mommy loved being slightly less weight in the water. Here are pictures of Maya on the rooftop patio eating "George Snacks" and enjoying the skyline.

As we headed out of town we stopped at The Brookfield Zoo...and spent five hours there!! Maya was running on a twenty minute nap, and the day just felt too hot and boring for a two year old. Nothing we showed her excited her. But she still talks about "The Dolphin Show". And we enjoyed showing her animals that we can't go see at The Bever Park Zoo (you know, an eighty year old donkey, some goats, chickens, baby cows, ducks, etc).
Maya has this love/hate relationship with Carousel rides. She loves them!! She always wants to go on them!! But if you put her on one, she freaks out and cries!! Luckily, daddy found one that she could sit in with him and not freak out too much. (Recently her Grandma Paula took her to the Coral Ridge Mall Carousel and as she told me about it, "I freaked out momma, I freaked out.")
Exhausted and hot at The Dolphin Show (Monkeys, don't excite Maya...this is near the end of the zoo trip.)

Maya slept as we left the burbs, we woke her up to eat at a Cracker Barrel, and then she talked and talked and talked until 10:30 at night. The film Kyle took of her in the car is probably my favorite memory of the whole trip.

Her favorite things from the trip: The Dolphin Show, The Hotel, The Rainforest Cafe (because what scares us, fascinates us..I guess).