Jquery slideToggle bumps the entire layout out page out of whack

Jquery slideToggle bumps the entire layout out page out of whack

Hello all:

Created a main tester page. http://www.danielamorescalchi.com/coreCorp/index.php#

The jquery function uses slideToggle to open/close the footer. At the bottom right corner there is a button (orange w/star(for now)) so if the user clicks on it the footer comes up. It works but it disrupts the rest of the layout. How do I change this so the footer slides up w/out everything else moving?

I thought at first of changing the height of the core of the page (the wrap)and the position of the wrap's background image (no dice) or giving the footer a dif z-index. (doubt it)

Can you folks advise on how to fix it or point me to a good tutorial? Thx D