J & T stayed the night with us on Sunday so we could get a nice early start for our trip to the big city on Monday morning. We took the train in, went to Rockefeller Center, the World of Disney, went to lunch at the Mean Jester, went back to FAO Schwartz (ran into a friend there; amazing! I knew we should have gone to Serendipity!), then tried to hit the M&M's store without success (we had to take that last train before rush hour). Along the way, we stopped by Columbus Circle.
A had a great time, despite the wind and cold. He loved the Disney store, and probably could have spent another hour or two in FAO Schwartz (way too crowded, alas).
On our way into town, we took a double decker train--a first for all of us. It was really neat, and A was enthralled by it too.
Here's the slideshow!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
December 27/28 with the D's
Christmas
Christmas was a huge success around here. A was so well behaved in church (hooray for finally finding an 8am Mass!!), several people approached me to tell me how well behaved he was. YAY!
As for the day itself, we had a lot of fun with all the family, food, and presents. Although A was very excited to open presents, we were pleasantly surprised that he wanted to play with each one (although he definitely has his favorites) rather than just going through the process of opening packages, amassing more toys. He was very excited to see all his grandparents, and Mom Mom too.
The day after Christmas, we went to the Z's house for more celebrating. A and R were so happy to play with one another, and they even went to sleep in the same bed. Awwww.
The day after that, Aunt J and Uncle T came to visit so we could all go into NYC for the day on Monday. He was so happy to see them too! We went out to dinner, and A got to eat quesadillas. He loved them, and loved eating like a big boy too.
We had a great, although very windy, day in Manhattan. We walked around (and around, since we backtracked at least twice), saw some things, and ate some food. Of course, A was so happy to take the train--as soon as he saw one, he said he wanted to sit on it. He fell asleep as we walked around, and woke up around the time we were all eating lunch. For some reason, he refuses to wear gloves, and I really wished we had brought some blankets or had a Bundle Me. Alas, we didn't, and things turned out ok...
Happy holidays, and Happy New Year too!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Snow!
Last night, we had our first real snow of the season. We just got in from outside. I'm so proud of A's snow outfit, since not only does it all match (except the gloves--the matching ones are WAY too big) despite being bought at all different times, but I got everything on deep discount (clearance or sale on top of coupon) or consignment. Sweet!
My son, who has thus far refused his gloves and hat (saying, "No hat, I wear hood"), wore his hat and gloves. Mommy and Daddy have started to get smart, and started last night with "Do you want to play in the snow tomorrow? Well then you have to wear your hat and gloves!" He was actually EXCITED to put them on today, same for his snow pants, which I couldn't even get on him to try on previously.
He liked the snow, and wanted to build a snowman...unfortunately, this snow isn't right for it, but was not at all a fan of the snowblower. He wanted to go by Daddy, but didn't like the snow being thrown. Speaking of which, our snowblower wouldn't start this morning, but luckily our neighbor is wonderful and loaned us his. I had picked up some kids' gardening tools from freecycle, and had the brilliant brainstorm of giving them to A to play with--a big hit. He helped me shovel the walkway with his shovel!
I tried to get A on my old Flexible Flyer, but the sled was just too heavy for this light snow. Maybe it will work when he is bigger and we can take him to the big sledding hill over at Rutgers where it will be packed more...
He didn't last a really long time, though, which was good because it was right about the same time my cheap snow boots had gotten my toes good and numb, but not TOO numb.
Pictures coming soon!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Swimming!
At swimming class yesterday, we reached a few new milestones. First, A got to pick the songs we sang. He was very interested in singing certain songs, and told the teacher so. Next, he is now a BIG fan of JUMPING into the pool. He's still timid about doing it, especially from a standing position, but said YEAH! every time I asked if he wanted to jump in. It's funny when I think back on how upset he would get when he would get splashed, and now he just giggles. Next, the teacher had everyone go for a "big swim," where the kids take either a noodle or a barbell to kick the length of the pool. Since he wears a bubble, I decided to let go and see what happened. Sure enough, A kept on going, but got mad at me when I tried to show him how to kick from the hips rather than from the legs.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thunk thunk...
I'm getting kicked from the inside. It's especially interesting when one child is kicking me from inside and the other is going to town outside. I'm not yet at the point where you can see my belly ripple, but definitely at the feel the thunking from the outside point.
We had the ultrasound on Friday, and things went pretty well. The tech said, "look at how CUTE your baby is!!" to which I replied, "how cute for an ALIEN?" Mean Mommy.
They did find a little thing of concern in baby's brain; that's right, freak out Mommy spot of all places to pick. I can't even remember what it's called, but there's a part of the brain responsible for producing fluid that sometimes creates a...pocket of fluid. She reassured me that, due to the 12 week nuchal test, our chances of Downs is something like 1:10,000 but it does require another ultrasound in a few months to ensure it's been resolved. Add this to the fetal EKG we'll have in 2-3 weeks, and this baby will be at 4 ultrasounds.
We, unfortunately, did not reach a decision on names before M found out gender, so now the slope is a little trickier. Is an alliterative name too... superhero? What about "matching" names... how would the two of you reading this know if I was talking about A or A?
This weekend, we went to an annual Christmas party, and how much of a change A has had since we started taking him. At four months, we stayed for about 20 minutes before his screaming meant we had to go home. At 1 year four months, he slept just dandy in a pack n play in a bedroom, and at 2 years four months, he slept right on a regular bed, without any rails. This year, he was a hit and really enjoyed gambling and drinking...err, playing with the gambling games (craps dice and roulette were favorites...just like Mommy!) and sipping his juice. As always, he was thrilled to see Grampy and Grammi and Olivia. The highlight of his weekend, however, was his new toy; S & J gave him a firetruck. He loves this thing!!
I'm debating what to do about the big guy in the red suit this year. A freaks at the mention of his name, yet loves looking at images of Santa. So many people I know with kids his age had a lot of success with it this year, despite horrific experiences last.
