There was no way we were taking public transportation downtown, so we drove, but parking was a nightmare. We even bypassed looking for a meter and went straight for a garage! It was a holiday *steal* at $22 for 3 hours or less, and Ann was again the angel of the day and paid for it as her Christmas gift to me and Odin. Then we drove up and down the garage for almost half an hour looking for a spot, and I was reminded why I do my holiday shopping on amazon.com.
I had never been to the Shops at 900 but apparently it's an upscale mall. So upscale, that it was basically deserted during prime shopping hours in downtown Chicago! It was very weird, but also nice because we didn't have to fight the crowds. When we found Santa there was no line whatsoever! He had two little girls on his lap when we got there, and they were smiling and laughing and loving Santa. He seemed like a good one! We were the first and only people in line, which was amazing. I was prepared for a two hour wait and even brought a bottle for Odin in case I had to feed him in line. Santa seriously LOVED Odin and didn't want to give him back to me! He loved his name too, and quizzed me on Norse mythology, haha. We took a few shots, and the last one Santa pretended to take a nap with Odin but it looked really bad, like a drunk guy passed out with a baby. Hindsight says I should have bought that one because the internet would have surely loved it. At the end Odin got a cute stuffed polar bear to match his bear suit.
It was a successful trip, if you don't count when I had to leave the order line at Potbelly to feed Odin in the corner. Going out with a baby is super hard, and I don't think I'll do it again by myself for a long time. Like until after he's on solids. Or can walk. Or drive.
Waiting in line
Napping, as usual
I bet Santa rides a Harley
Or LARPs
Super quality shot with my phone -for free!
Big yawn!
Mama and her snuggle bear
Ready for lunch
Back at home with the toy from Santa
They even had special tags made
$30 for this picture -AYFKM??
I love this post! $30 is steep but the memory is priceless! Nice work Mom and Aunt Ann! :)
ReplyDeleteAw kendall i cannot get over horw incredibly precious he is. I cant wait to meet him! Xooxo auntie jenny
ReplyDeleteOdin looks so sweet! Great pics!! And yes, I'll bet that Santa is definitely a Harley rider!! I am choking at the price of the pic, but hey it came with a sweet polar bear instead of a cheap candy cane or coloring book. Fraid I choked on the parking price too!! Yikes!!
ReplyDeleteHaha, Mary, I was choking too. They didn't have any prices up at the Santa station, and only showed them to you after they took the picture. You can't put a price on the memory though. :)
ReplyDeleteI could totally see that Santa going to his kicker to change into leather chaps.
ReplyDeleteThat is a seriously quality Santa you got there. I mean, that's a 100& real beard and hair. No bald and stubbly Santa for Odin! . . . are Santa and Odin friends? or is Odin more of a Krampus buddy?
ReplyDeleteI vote: pricy but worth it. Kinda like a good scotch. The cheap stuff just ain't the same and you'll miss it like crazy / regret it like hell if you don't shell out.
Odin = good xmas gift that the whole family can enjoy.
Rated 5 out of 5 by SantaStats.com
That's a great Christmas adventure and I love the picture with Odin "waving" hello to everyone. Memories are priceless. It should be fun to see what Odin told Santa he wanted for Christmas. I am sure you will have many more adventures with Odin. Soon, you will be a pro at shopping with the little guy.
ReplyDelete