Awhile back, I wrote down everything Benton and I did for a day. If I recall, it was when he was still a floppy new person. My day looked pretty similar to anyone else’s that was a new first-time mom of relatively easy-going baby. It was a story that was not unique to a city mom vs. a small town mom vs. a suburbia mom.
Now. We have moved to the South Loop in Chicago, and Benton is anything but floppy. He is a busy toddler who likes to do ALL THE THINGS all the live long day. We have a couple of rooms in our apt, but he is mostly limited to the living room. Basically a big play pen. Smeared in avocado.
I like our apartment just fine, but it was not why we moved here. We are here because of the location.
B and I take full advantage of being a short walk from:
- Two parks with jungle gyms and a sandbox
- Grant Park
- Shedd Aquarium
- Field Museum
- Target
- Whole Foods
- Trader Joes (!!!)
- The beach
- Millennium Park
- The CTA
- Starbucks
This is why we pay the rent we do. We don’t have a yard. And yes, I still long for a yard someday, but the two parks are only a block away. It seems like we have more space than we do. It is not private, but it is entertaining.
Most days we wake up, eat breakfast, and then go out. I used to take him in the Ergo, because it is was the easiest way to travel around the city when he was light enough. Now, I use the jogging stroller because B is getting huge, and I am trying to walk more to keep some pregnancy weight at bay. I would love to get a smaller umbrella stroller that can fold up on the CTA.
We usually head east to Grant Park and the Museum Campus. We are now members at the Shedd and the Aquarium. They are the perfect distance from my apartment, because I am usually in need of a restroom upon arrival. We don’t feel pressure to see all the exhibits, we can just pop in for an hour or so and see our favorite fish, dolphins, stuffed bears, mummies, or dinosaurs.
Sometimes I have to run errands in the morning, and those can usually be accomplished within a couple blocks and clipping bags to the stroller. Done!
After lunch and nap, we go out to the local park again and B runs around all he wants and watched big kids. That is his favorite activity. Big kid creeping. 
DADA comes home in between 6-7 and we eat, bathe, and read to the B. Then he is asleep at 8.
So that’s about it. I know that some Twitter friends had requested I post about having a toddler in the city, but I can’t think of anything super juicy to tell you. It is the only lifestyle I know, so maybe you can ask me specific questions in the comments if you have a burning quandary. Let me know!
Such a different life than just a few months back. Toddlerhood in the city has been good to us.
MegaGood 