Taking the Train to St. Louis

This past weekend we took a train down to St. Louis to visit our dear friends John & Andrea. This was Elliot's first Amtrak train ride and we were hoping for a smooth trip with plenty of rest time for Elliot and work time for Daddy. We were lucky on the trip down and rode on the Texas Eagle, a double decker train headed for San Antonio with lots of leg room, bathrooms with changing tables and even an observation car. It was super fancy and we decided it was the best way to travel! Elliot was able to rest best in the Ergo strapped to Mama but woke up with some serious sleep marks on his face........

Poor Baby

Elliot and Jack

I'm pretty sure I've seen baby pictures of Brad making this exact face.

For some reason we always forget to take pictures when we go places or have guests here - I guess we just enjoy ourselves too much to document the event! So first thing Saturday morning we took some pictures of the kiddos. Sadly enough, those were about the only photos we took!

Annie-Bananie

We had a fun weekend filled with relaxing, napping babies, homemade calzones, laughing, light saber duels, yummy Mexican & Asian food, Church, fountain playing, & a game of Spades that ended with a score of 18.5 to 17.9!

Daddy: "Elliot this is The Gateway Arch which is known as the "Gateway to the West". It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947 and built between 1963 and 1965. It is not a pure inverted catenary. Saarinen preferred a shape that was slightly elongated and thinner towards the top, a shape that produces a subtle soaring effect, and transfers more of the structure's weight downward rather than outward at the base."

Elliot admiring the Arch

For the ride home we did not have the fancy train - so sad! It took less time to get back to Chicago, but the ride seemed to take twice as long. Elliot was fussy for much of the trip and he had a hard time taking a nap. Also, there were no changing tables in the restrooms, which proved to be tricky balancing myself on a moving a train and a baby on my leg. A little after Springfield I noticed that both Elliot and I were starting to sneeze and cough...looked like we were both a little tired out. By Monday morning we both had a pair of bad colds, headaches (I can only speak for myself on this symptom), and low fevers. Elliot had a lot of firsts over the past few days: first train ride, first taste of guacamole, first time to St. Louis, first cold & fever.

Thankfully we are both on the mend after being taken care of by Brad!