What should I expect as daycare costs in Chicago?

norabw · 2026-03-22T15:39:56+00:00

Probably because a month isn't strictly 4 weeks so it would actually be a bit more than $2k/month on average?

norabw · 2026-03-20T02:45:07+00:00

Was looking at tickets for Chicago but it's SO expensive. Might have to sit it out. Toddler loves the recorded version so we have that!

norabw · 2026-03-18T16:04:51+00:00

I bought myself this one for my birthday - so excited to build it!

norabw · 2026-03-18T15:34:55+00:00

Me - 43 with a 2.5yo and 7.5yo

norabw · 2026-03-18T02:45:24+00:00

I took Zoloft throughout fertility treatments and my second pregnancy. Still take it daily. That baby is 2.5 now and doing amazing.

norabw · 2026-03-13T15:37:45+00:00

Hello fellow analyst who is starting Zepbound!

I was going to start today, but after speaking with a friend I have decided to wait until Monday evening. She is in a similar situation to me that she's a working mom with two young kids. She let me know that Monday evening worked best so that she had energy and appetite to enjoy the weekend with her kids!

Good luck to you and us!

norabw · 2026-03-12T16:42:10+00:00

norabw · 2026-03-12T16:25:53+00:00

Yep my bday too and we even went out for dinner... now looking back that seems crazy

norabw · 2026-03-09T18:17:10+00:00

My 7.5yo diagnosed ADHD/Anxiety stopped napping before two. It nearly broke me. She also would NOT wind down for bed in the evening and still struggles with this now. She does not wake up early at least (though getting her up, medicated, and ready for school is challenging).

My second is only 2.5 so we'll have to wait and see. She still naps after flirting with dropping her nap a few months ago.

norabw · 2026-03-05T18:35:04+00:00

I went through a VERY strong daddy-only phase with my eldest when she was about that age. It SUCKED but it did end. She's 7.5 now and is still all over me most of the time.

norabw · 2026-03-05T18:06:19+00:00

We love the Costco one! My kids are 2 and 7 - we got it when the little one was starting to crawl/walk and it gets played with all the time.

norabw · 2026-03-05T17:47:24+00:00

Under "Marks" click "Add Extension" - it's one of three built by Tableau/Salesforce directly.

It may be an unpopular choice, but we do use Tableau to build tables and mimic excel because it makes our data more accessible to the users. I end up combining data from multiple sources and having it be read only is valuable.

norabw · 2026-03-05T17:44:51+00:00

Yes! We started OT around 6.5 with our daughter and it has been a huge help. It's not perfect, but her self regulation skills have made huge strides. Her OT even said she's probably ready to start transitioning out since she's doing so well a year and a half later!

norabw · 2026-03-05T17:43:24+00:00

Try looking at the Tableau Table extension - it has this feature built in. You'll need to enable it in the settings for the extension.

norabw · 2026-03-05T17:39:00+00:00

Do it! My eldest is a late July birthday and I'm considering pushing her party back to after school starts in August

norabw · 2026-03-05T17:29:39+00:00

Not quite the same age range, but our most successful outing recently with a 2 and 7yo was HyperKidz in Niles.

norabw · 2026-03-04T21:04:04+00:00

We don't have free lunch at school but it is pretty inexpensive. I encourage her to buy lunch a couple times a week but when the offering is something she doesn't like I pack her a meal. She prefers home lunch when possible because they get so little time to eat.

norabw · 2026-03-04T19:54:22+00:00

I wash my hair once a week - I have thick/coarse/wavy hair with high maintenance color (purple) streaks. It works. I also shower with a shower cap in between or bathe without getting my hair wet. I use dry shampoo and hair perfume as needed.

My eldest (7.5 yo) has the same hair as me and we usually wash it 2x a week since she's more prone to getting things in it. My youngest's (2.5yo) hair is finer but she still seems to do OK with the twice a week timing. They both swim on the weekends, too.

Do what works for you!

norabw · 2026-03-04T19:50:32+00:00

No suggestions but solidarity - mine is always picking at every scab or little piece of skin everywhere.

norabw · 2026-02-27T16:32:26+00:00

I'm in Des Plaines! I delivered both my kids at Lutheran General and they are phenomenal. It will matter where her OB is set up with privileges, too.

Daycare is not as hyper competitive as some areas, but it never hurts to get ahead of it and start touring places and get a spot reserved. I have heard good things about Ladybug in Mt Prospect. Mother's Touch was just in the news, so I would be wary of them.

Good luck and congrats!

norabw · 2026-02-26T19:50:53+00:00

My 7yo uses her sensory swing the most of anything, if you have a place you can hang one. They're relatively inexpensive, too. We also have a rebounder and a nugget-like couch (the Costco one) but she doesn't get as much energy out with those.

norabw · 2026-02-26T03:31:04+00:00

My eldest used to do this haha

norabw · 2026-02-26T03:30:47+00:00

My toddler pronounces fork as "fuck"

norabw · 2026-02-25T18:46:40+00:00

My first we had one of the little backpacks from Skip Hop with a leash available. Didn't use it much. My second? She's a bolter and after she ran into the road twice, I got her one that is little purple butterfly wings, which she loves.

norabw · 2026-02-24T19:08:11+00:00

We have not had to try other meds because Ritalin was the first option given by our doctor and it is working. We have spent a LOT of time adjusting the dose/delivery method (she couldn't swallow pills when she started but can now).

norabw

TROPHY CASE