The blog's been a little quiet lately and it's mostly because of this little cutie!
Meet Finnegan Michael, the littlest Danks!
Finn joined our family 3 months ago and has been the perfect little addition. He's such a calm and happy baby that the fear of managing both a newborn and Archer hasn't been too difficult! Finn usually hangs out watching and smiling while Archer runs around around him.
Finn may have caught us all by surprise at the very beginning, but his delivery wasn't too bad at all. While my epidural wore off before he came, he was ready and came out before my doctor made it to the hospital! Recovery has been very mild and I'm very grateful since 14-month-olds don't really understand the concept of "taking it easy" ha!
When we talked about what Finn might look like when he arrived, I always assumed he would be another carbon copy of Mike, so it was pretty exciting when he came out looking much more like me! There's definitely some of my distinct features like my lips, darker hair, and ears, but every once in a while I look over and see a tiny baby Archer, especially when Finn sleeps.
As for the dynamic between the two brothers, Archer began by treating Finn similar to the way he treats our cat, Benelli. He would be in the same room and not pay too much attention, then he'd catch his eye and run over and giggle, then touch Finn and went back to what he was doing! There's very little prep you can do at this age so we just emphasize that all "BABY" things are gentle and there are a couple of things like bottles and the tiny pacifiers that are just for baby. Archer still steals his pacifier sometimes (it's actually hilarious when he puts them in his mouth, their so small and look ridiculous) but he's been so good with Finn and really does temper his actions around him.
Now, Archer is starting to want to be around him and will get on the furniture to sit next to him, or lay down next to Finn. He gives these little hugs, which are basically just touching his head to Finn, and they are so cute! He's even been known to rock his car seat if Finn starts getting fussy!
After working on Archer sleeping through the night before Finn arrived, I was determined to help Finn develop better sleep habits earlier. I'm not sure if it was some of the things I implemented (like actually letting Finn sleep in a crib as a newborn - I always held Archer and it made it harder to break that habit later), or the fact that he's such a great baby, but he's a little sleeping champ and basically sleeps through the night and takes great naps throughout the day.
We've had some big changes around here with the new house and baby, but I think we're finding our groove and it feels good to make some progress on the house, but also to enjoy these little ones right now.
We've made some major progress on the master bath and bedroom and I'm looking forward to finishing that space up so that we can start on the boy's rooms. Archer will be getting a bigger room and Finn will get his own nursery! I'm not sure which directions I'll be going for in each room, but I'm so excited to give them their our spaces!
Whew, it’s been whirlwind end of the year for us Danks! With our big move, my pregnancy, and Archer’s first holiday season, I feel like the last couple of months have gone by in a blur. It’s nice to come up for air and get back in a routine. We’ve got big plans for some major and minor renovations at the new house and some will be kicking off real soon in preparation for the new babe.
Before we get into the plans though, I wanted to share a little of our holidays here on the blog for my future self, and to share a really cute gift from Canvas on the Cheap we gave the grandparents to celebrate all the babies this year!
We kept the same traditions we’ve had for the last couple of years, just moved everything up to accommodate earlier bedtimes and wake-ups, and while the kids were clueless as to what was happening, it was more magical with them there!
I felt a little out of spirit this year because we didn’t decorate our house at all because we are still very much in the “just moved in” phase, luckily my sister volunteered to host this year. In some ways it made the whole season less stressful, which was nice. And, I didn’t go overboard on gifts for anyone, especially Archer, because no matter how expensive the toy is, he’ll still choose the random spatula to carry around!
As for the grandparents gift, I was approached by Canvas on the Cheap to try out one of their products and it couldn’t have been better timing because one of the Christmas surprises was a family photoshoot with all the babies!
My sister-in-law came up with the idea and we used our favorite photographer/friend who offers mini shoots during the fall/winter to get us all together. It was a comedy of errors getting us all there, but we got some great photos of all of us!
It was close to bedtime and pretty chilly, and sometimes the babies cooperated,
And, sometimes they didn’t. HA!
We ended up making a 16”x20” canvas for my mom and step-dad which included the whole gang, and an 11'”x14” canvas for my dad with just my sister’s family and us.
My mom wasted no time in hanging theirs up and sending the photos.
All the grandparents loved them, (I mean with those baby mugs, how could you not?), but I was also impressed with the ease, time, and quality of the canvases. They offer framing options, but one of the things I liked about the canvas was the wrapped edges, so I chose not to frame it. Obviously, they were professional photos so the background was perfectly blurred, so that helped too. I wished I had taken more photos of the quality, but it was the week before Christmas when I did all this, so I was a little bit preoccupied!
Overall, we had a great holiday and I’m secretly happy that I didn’t have any decorations to take down! I’m glad we chose more meaningful gifts this year that will be admired long after all the excitement of the season dies down.
If anyone is looking for canvases to make their family photos a little more special, I’d definitely recommend Canvas on the Cheap! They were super easy to work with, and shipped quickly and I was really happy with the quality.
I love sending and receiving mail. It’s so old school, but I get excited seeing something other than an internet promo with my name on it in my mailbox. I think it’s the personalization and feeling that someone spent time to send me something.
But, recently, and especially since Archer’s arrived, I find it difficult to remember to get a card while I’m out (because you know I can’t make a special trip as easily as I used to), then to get it in the mail in time. That’s why when Paperless Post reached out and asked if I would review their online cards and invitations, I jumped at the chance. Personalization without the hassle of going to the store, sign me up!
As soon as I visited the site, I knew what and who I wanted to send an online card to, my dad for Father’s Day! My dad’s a semi-retired IT guy so I knew this would be right up his alley, and since they live in a gated community in Florida where all the mail is delivered to boxes near the club house instead of their doors, it takes extra time for travel time. Not to mention that’s if they check their mailbox that day. For example, I sent a Mother’s Day card to my mom back in May the Thursday before, and she didn’t get it for an entire week!
It was difficult finding a card at first, because they are all so cute! I found this cute bear, and liked it mostly for the inside message (although I could have totally used any card and changed the message to read whatever I wanted), and made a few customizations and had it ready to go in a few minutes.
My favorite part has to be that I did this all last Thursday and was able to schedule it to be delivered anytime I wanted! I obviously scheduled it for early Sunday morning and that was it! I knew it would get there in time, and I knew my dad would see it because he’s on his computer a lot. I loved it so much I made one for Mike too!
For Mike I went with a photo card and used a recent photo from a music festival we went to. I mean, those baby ear protections get me every time!
It was perfect because while I had already gotten Mike a gift I, of course, forgot a card. And, because we were at a wedding the night before, we ended up sleeping at my sister’s house since she watched Archer for the day and it was easier than moving him. Mike got his card first thing in the morning, and then later when we got home, he opened his present!
For those that don’t follow me on Instagram, part of the gift included shirts that I’ve had planned to make since basically the day I gave birth to Mike’s mini-me! Arch-man looks a little apprehensive here, but he loved his matching outfit, I think it’s all the goofy faces I make trying to get him to smile, he’s on to me!
Overall, Paperless Post was really easy to use, and for this season of my life, where I can’t remember what day it is some days, let alone making sure I’m getting cards in the mail for holidays and birthdays, it’s a really great option! It’s not limited to cards either, you can send out invitations, flyers, thank you notes, save the dates, etc.
My good friend recently used a similar service to send invitations to her rehearsal dinner, and even though I was a bridesmaid and Mike was not only a groomsmen but also the officiant, (so we were obviously not missing it), it was still super easy to reply and let her know we would be there! I’m already thinking about what parties I can use this for next!
If you’re thinking about trying it out, use my invite link here for 25 free coins which is enough to send a handful of cards, or maybe invites to your 4th of July BBQ. I know Archer’s got a super cute outfit picked out, just saying, wink wink!
This post is in partnership with Paperless Post, I received free coins in exchange for my honest review, but all opinions and words are my own. I honestly loved the service provided and wouldn’t have shared otherwise!
Allow us to introduce the latest member of Danks and Honey, ARCHER LEE DANKS.
It’s been 5 weeks today since Archer joined our family and we are even more in love with him each day. We’re also starting to get acclimated to our family of four (can’t forget about Benelli!) and after a couple weeks at home, I’m figuring out how to get things done with a tiny human attached to me.
Archer is a mini copy of Mike and throughout the day I can see him making little Mike faces like the crinkle lines above his nose when he’s determined or concentrating on something.
Benelli has been awesome with the new addition, and for the most part has gotten over being an only fur child. He hasn’t gotten too close to Archie, but he’ll come sit near us, like when I’m nursing, and follows me towards the noise when he’s fussing and crying. He’s never been a huge fan of children or babies so we worried that he would hide for the most part, but he’s surprised us and just slightly modified his regular routine.
We began prepping the house and him months before Archer came home by putting all the baby gear out and letting him get used to them and the new smells. When we were in the hospital Mike left to feed Benelli and to get me sushi (my first meal request!) and while he was home he brought a couple items that Archer had been wearing that had his scent on it and let Benelli smell the items while giving him treats. When we came home, Mike carried Archer and the car seat in after me and I walked in and gave Benelli my full attention since I hadn’t seen him the longest. He was very excited about the car seat and the new smell and was introduced to his brother when Archie began mewing inside. It freaked B out for a second, but I think curiosity won out and he’s been slightly intrigued ever since.
These days you can find us stealing baby snuggles and discovering his little personality as he takes in more of the world around him. We can’t wait to see if he grows up to look like Mike or if he’ll have at least a few of my features, ha!
I was able to get some photos of the finished nursery today as well, so I'll share the space that has become my new favorite room in the house. Which is a good thing because I spend a large portion of my day (and night) there!
Two weeks ago we had a small cookout for about 25 of our close friends and family (small in terms of our usual parties!) to announce the gender of our baby! Mike wanted to make “baby” back ribs (ha!) and pork butt sliders and everyone brought a dish to share. It was an awesome informal gathering and Mike and I felt so lucky to have some many loved ones who are just as happy to share in this exciting time for us. The kick ass food may have helped too!
I thought of a million different ways to share the news, but in the end I went with my old favorite, a giant balloon!
At the beginning, I'm talking to my mom via Facetime from Florida.
Although I’m only 17 weeks along right now, we chose to get the optional non-invasive chromosomal screening test at 11 weeks and had the option to test for the baby’s gender as well. We received the results less than a week later, and didn’t waste any time ripping open the envelope to see the XY MALE!
Mike and I both had a feeling it was a boy. Mike based on the fact that he really wanted a son, and mine based on my symptoms ( for example, I had a severe aversion to sweets for the first couple of months). We're both really excited for our little boy to join our family!
During our vacation/scouting trip to Chicago, we viewed 4 apartments from our short list of the dozens that we found online. Like I mentioned we had decided on one as soon as we saw it; a small studio condo in Streeterville. We drove out last week and officially moved Mike in on July 18th.
As promised, I’m here to show you the apartment; mostly to share our new adventure, but also since this is my digital diary of sorts, I want to remember this part of our lives.
Since it’s a studio, we’ll start in the main room. These are from the listing, and everything but the stuff on the shelves stayed.
The room has a full size couch from West Elm, a coffee table that converts to a dining table (with the help of extra leaves), a storage unit with a TV and a built-in desk on the platform area.
Looking from the other direction you can see the kitchen on the left, the front door straight ahead, and the walk-in closet is behind that bump out with the picture on the right.
The kitchen is compact, but as Mike’s visited other apartments in the city, he feels lucky to have even this much space!
The bathroom is to the left of the front door, behind the kitchen and was recently renovated.
Since these photos were taken a mirror and glass shower doors were installed.
Across the hall is the walk-in closet and is honestly bigger than our closet at home, and Mike doesn’t even have to share!
You might be wondering where the bed is since I’ve basically showed the entire space at this point. Well, behold the adult trundle bed!
A full size mattress pulls out of the platform steps and it’s actually pretty genius, since the space is so tiny. The condo owner, whom Mike is renting from, actually designed and had this system installed.
Here’s a shot I took while I was there one evening.
The patio actually opens to a rooftop terrace with shared space with grills, seating and gardens.
And it’s 1 of 2 rooftop terraces for the building (technically 3 since the building has two separate apartment complexes with a shared lobby, but I’m not sure if our keys work over there). The second floor rooftop is above the lobby, has a giant fountain and looks out towards the lake and what is known as Ogden Slip (a little slip of water created to increase water frontage back in the 1800’s) that runs parallel to the river and out towards Navy Pier. All this to say, that the second story rooftop is the perfect location to watch the Navy Pier fireworks which are every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the summer!
Mike’s been there a full week now, and he’s really happy with the apartment we found. With all the custom features, and dual purpose pieces (that coffee/dining table gif gets me every time) it feels a lot bigger than its 500 sqft. We were worried about storage when we were planning, but the built-ins, as well as a pretty good sized linen closet next to the bath provided a lot of storage and Mike didn’t even begin to fill it all!
I stayed there for 4 days when we drove up to move him in, and I’m not going to lie I was more than a little jealous Mike got to stay and live it up in the city! I’ve already booked my next trip out there next month and can’t wait for more grilled dinners on the patio and catching fireworks on the rooftop!
Early this year The Lumineers announced their US tour dates, and being one of Mike’s favorite bands I thought I’d surprise him with tickets. The closest they got to NE Ohio (at the time) was Indianapolis and Chicago. We love visiting the “Windy City”, so I bought tickets at the iconic Chicago Theater. I had to get creative because the tickets were being delivered, but I surprised him on Valentine’s Day with the “tickets”, a fake CD (since it wasn’t out yet), and the news that we would be traveling to Chi-Town for a long weekend.
We’ve been to Chicago together before, and I’ve been a couple times with family and a girls weekend so we hadn’t planned on spending time at the more touristy spots, like The Bean, Willis Tower, or Navy Pier since we’ve done all that before. More checking out cool bars and interesting spots to eat.
That was until we got the news about a month ago that Mike will be heading up a project on a federal building in downtown Chicago for the next 8-9 months.
Mike’s moving to Chicago
I’ve tried writing this post a couple times, but it’s weird to put into words all the emotions we’re feeling. Mike is generally our in-house pessimist, where I see the good first and then become the cheerleader to keep everyone happy. But even I’ve had my moments of depression.
Mike and I basically starting living together 2 weeks into our relationship. I had my own apartment (albeit a tiny, tiny apartment) and he lived with his parents. It was convenient, then we realized we liked living together, and have been inseparable ever since! We’ve never before had to travel for work, and we’ve never taken more than a long weekend vacation away from each other. So, to say that this will be the biggest change in our marriage/relationship isn’t exaggerating.
We’ve gone through the roller coaster of emotions, and now we’re both into the excitement-of-the-future phase. We’re still waiting to hear when he’ll need to report for his first day on-site, (this is a federal job after all, so everything has to go through a dozen committees before a decision can be made), but he’s got all his clearance and badges, a TSA PreCheck number, and an apartment. From the conference meetings he’s been a part of, it looks like we’ll be moving him in in 2 weeks or so.
As you can imagine this very quickly changed our purely recreational trip to the city, into a apartment/neighborhood scouting trip, as well as a crash course in living in a big city, but we did get to visit some cool places that I thought I’d share.
DAY 1
It’s a 6 hour drive (+ $30 tolls ouch!), so we left on Friday morning and arrived just in time for Mike to get his badges and credentials he’ll need. We then checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in the Loop, right on the river. I had waited awhile to book anything after getting the news and literally just found the cheapest/best location on Hotwire. It was clean, and close enough to walk to a lot of places, or at least grab a bus so it worked!
QUICK TIP: We parked here and it was less than 10 minutes from our hotel. It was also one of the cheaper rates, at $35/day.
That night we hit up Wicker Park, (North-west neighborhood known for “local hipster culture, art community, nightlife, and food scene” according to Wikipedia – which is pretty accurate). We started at Big Star for tacos and margaritas.
QUICK TIP: We were told it would be hours for a table, and quickly found seats at the bar. We waited about 2 hours, but kept busy with drinks and nachos and could have ordered tacos, but thought it was a limited menu. It was not! I was drunk by the time we got our table and ate one small taco and we were finished within 20 minutes! ORDER TACOS AT THE BAR IF POSSIBLE!
The patio is pretty awesome though, so even through my margarita haze it was still worth it.
Across the street is The Violet Hour, a speakeasy cocktail lounge which is only noticeable by the changing mural. There was a line of a handful of couples by the time we finished our tacos around 9pm, so it wasn’t that hard to find, plus the current mural has a door painted into it.
It’s a little fancy, so we dressed accordingly. Also, there’s no cell phone policy, so I didn’t take photos.
QUICK TIP: If you like fancy cocktails and a little mystery, you’ll love it here. Kind of pricey, but worth grabbing a drink or two.
The couple behind us started up a conversation with us and we ended up sitting with them inside as well. They were from Texas and in town for a weekend away from their kids. It would have been just fine sitting with just Mike, but it was even more fun meeting new people as well!
We next walked a couple blocks to Saved by the Max a pop-up restaurant modeled after The Max from Saved by the Bell. When I first heard about it it was only scheduled for the month of June, so I was excited that our trip would coincide, but now it’s been extended until the end of the year!
We waited about an hour to get in, and it was around 11pm, so it was their late night offerings, which was just drinks and 2 sandwich choices, (and after all my margaritas and the cocktail at Violet Hour I wasn’t really feeling another drink). It was super kitschy and our server greeted us with “What’s up preppy?”. Any kid of the 90’s who was a fan of the show will love the nostalgia. Drinks and food weren't amazing or anything, but it was worth it to hang out!
QUICK TIP: They allowed those who only wanted to stand at the bar for a drink to go ahead of the line. If we knew they had a limited menu at time, we would have probably just done this and saved us an hour standing in line. You’re really only their for the photos, lets be honest!
We started a conversation with the couple in front of us (hey, it worked out last time!), and they were locals who invited us to sit with them when they were finally sat. It was too loud to really converse inside, but it was nice to chat in line to pass the time.
It was around 2am so we took the L train back to our hotel and crashed.
DAY 2
We woke up and had a couple apartment showings first thing in the morning (which was a little rough due to our late night before), and saw one in South Loop which was quiet, but a little too close to the central business district which we knew from staying in the Loop, closes down pretty early (like ghost town after 9pm). Also, the apartment was a little pricey for what it was.
We then had a showing at a small studio in Streeterville, which spoiler alert we ended up signing a lease with, near Navy Pier. The touristy proximity wasn’t ideal, but it was on a little pocket street, so it didn’t seem to busy, and it came with a patio, which what sold Mike. I’ll share a little more detail once he moves in, but the space saving custom details are really nice for such as small footprint.
We grabbed our car from parking and headed out to supposedly the “best hotdog in Chicago” at Gene & Jude’s. It was about 30 minutes outside the city, but when we rolled up, there was a line almost out the door, so we knew it was worth it.
They only serve a couple items: hot dogs, fries, and tamales, and the fries are served on the hotdog. Toppings are mustard, onions, peppers, and sweet relish.
QUICK TIP: Don’t even bother asking for ketchup, they don’t have any!
I’m not a huge hotdog fan, so I wasn’t that impressed, but Mike liked it! Also, there’s not seating so we opened the back of my SUV and sat in the trunk. A lot of people did the same, or sat on the curb, so we didn’t look weird.
We tried going to the beach, but we had trouble parking since we still had the car, and it was about 90 degrees so everyone else in the city had the same idea. Instead we headed over to Half Acre Beer Company for some beers and a small bite (meat and cheese tray followed by some blueberry french toast Black Dog Gelato – whatever flavor they have get it!)
We went back to the hotel and got ready for our night out. Before we left I bought tickets to The Comedy Bar’s The Big Sexy show, a vaudeville (variety show) with comedy, burlesque, musicians, and other acts. I have to say it was really good! I had bought it more for just something to do, but it was really well done and a nice date night with Mike!
We then walked over to Three Dots and a Dash, another speakeasy - this one a tiki bar. Rum being my favorite liquor of choice, this was probably my favorite all weekend. It was super kitschy and the bartenders were so fun and ridiculous.
QUICK TIP: Make reservations (we waited an hour to get in and I got lucky getting seats at the bar because it was pretty packed). If you don't make reservations, sit at the bar – the drinks are elaborate and half the fun (next to actually drinking them) was watching them make it!
We both started with Banana Daiquiri complete with cinnamon-stick-smoking banana dolphins. We were loving it even before the bartender gave us another drink (an Aloha Felicia) for free because he accidentally made an extra. I thought both were amazing (Mike said they were too sweet for him) and would recommend both, but I think the Aloha Felicia would be my first choice next time.
We walked back to the hotel and crashed around 3 am!
Day 3
We started Sunday morning with some more apartment showings (why did we schedule them so early!) this time over in the Old Town/Gold Coast neighborhoods. We really liked the neighborhoods. They were a little less downtown, with a more residential feel, but the prices for the amount of space just weren’t worth it. We’re talking 1 window for a small studio or 1 bedroom space and with Mike coming from a house in the suburbs, I knew a little more access to the outside would make the transition easier.
We met up with our friend from my high school in Lakeview where he lives (even better area, but higher price tag) at one of his favorite coffee shops, Bow Truss. We caught up and chatted about the city and then headed to what he described as the best pizza in town (everyone has their favorite, but even our Uber driver said this place was the best too), Pequod’s Pizza.
QUICK TIP: Order the pan pizza (deep dish) and ask for extra sauce – you’ll thank me!
We parted ways and went back to the hotel to relax before the concert. We were only a 10 minute walk from the hotel, but opted for an Uber because I was dressed nicely and wore heals. Like I said, the concert was at the Chicago Theater and even through our excitement we appreciated the gorgeousness of the theater.
The concert actually was at the same time as the NBA Finals and two rows back was another couple from NE Ohio, so our little section was keeping each other updated on the game between sets. We were live streaming before The Lumineers came out, and updating the score during the first couple songs.
We’re not even that big of basketball fans, but have obviously always rooted for NE Ohio sports (even through years of losses), so it was pretty exciting to win! We’re also glad that the game didn’t go into overtime, because the concert was honestly one of the best I’ve ever been to!
I splurged and got tickets in the front row of the balcony, and they were the best! We could see everything, and had extra space in front of us.
Day 4
The next morning we took our time and slept in, had brunch at Bongo Room (get the hotcakes!), and drove by Mike’s future job site one last time as we headed home. It was a weekend that turned into having a lot more significance than I had originally thought when I bought the tickets, but it was invaluable in getting a chance to see and walk around the areas where Mike will be living and it was an awesome sneak peak into this crazy adventure we’re about to start!
As for the blog, I’ll keep posting! Luckily we’ve completed all the large renovations and now it’s just finalizing rooms (or sometimes redecorating them completely!). I’ve got some rooms that I’ve never found the time to photograph (basement family room) and some that I’d like to switch up (guest room) so keep checking back for updates. And, after a couple more trips to the city I’m definitely going to have more places to check out in Chicago!
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