Week #3

Since I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and got over some of the initial shock and sadness about the move (don't get me wrong, I am still shocked and sad sometimes)--we have enjoyed the city to its fullest this past week. Connor has become quite adept at raising his hand to stop taxis yelling "stop taxi!" as loudly as he can. We've braved the weather to explore different museums and parts of the city. The Childrens Museum of Manhattan is awesome, and Connor got to drive a firetruck and climb inside the Trojan horse. Once again, it was me and Connor with Kea strapped to me and all the nannies. Nannies, nannies everywhere! After spending some time in this part of the city, I now understand that it would be virtually impossible for a family to raise their kids here without both parents working. I guess that is where the nannies come from.

On Thursday we explored the Central Park Zoo and it was spectacular. There were sea lions just like in Seattle and penguins and polar bears. Connor had a blast running all over the place and exploring the petting zoo. I loved the zoo--it is set right in the park, and is off 5th Ave. There are all these gorgeous old buildings surrounding the zoo it felt surreal. They even have the snow monkies (I think that is what they are called) that spend a lot of time in heated water pools. It felt like we were in a different world with all these animals right in the middle of the city! The church bells were playing Christmas carols whenever the hour changed, and although it was chilly--the sunshine was very bright and warm. We once again went home with sunburned cheeks. Exposure to real sun will do that to you I guess, even in the winter.

On Friday we woke up and my computer kept saying severe weather alert for NYC-predicting snowfall and cold temperatures later in the day. Feeling brave with our newfound freedom using taxis, we bundled up and journeyed back to the Childrens Museum. On a Friday, the energy was pretty frantic inside--and there were tons of people and kids there. Connor was a bit overwhelmed, as was I with all the kids--some were crying, fighting over toys, nannies were giving time outs left and right. And then we actually witnessed a fight between two sisters where one sister elbowed the other in the nose and there was blood everywhere. Her nanny grabbed her and began to sop up the blood that was pouring out of this girls nose onto her pants and the floor--with great ease. You don't get bloody brawls at the Seattle Childrens Museum:)



As Connor was exploring the Trojan horse in peace, I started speaking with a woman that was there with her grandchildren. The woman was warning me that the horse is only for kids over the age of 6 and I assured her that Connor was half monkey and would be ok. She watched him for a while and then agreed that he would be just fine. She then told me she thought I was very brave for taking a baby and two year old out in "this weather." I smiled and wondered what she was talking about. Then, as we were going to a different area of the museum I glanced outside. Snow was EVERYWHERE and falling, falling, falling! I realized that we needed to hurry and get back in a taxi to get to the apartment ASAP. We bundled up again and nearly killed ourselves walking down the now icy ramp to the sidewalk and then we were hit by the most intense and freezing wind. Connor started to whimper, Kea was scrunching herself up to hide her face--it was awful. I was slipping and sliding and clutching onto Connor so he wouldn't fall. We couldn't find a taxi because they were so hard to actually see in the falling snow. We finally found one and he literally skidded the whole way to the apartment. It was quite a ride, and even Connor sat still, holding onto my hand. I think he was a bit overwhelmed with it all--there was so much to see! Snow, snow and people rushing, taxis and trucks and buses sliding slowly through the flurries. I was just so glad we got back ok. Needless to say, we didn't leave the apartment for the rest of the day. I ordered Chinese food for dinner when I realized we weren't going to make it outside to the grocery store. The delivery guy showed up in head to toe plastic bags and ponchos--even over his head and shoes. He tried to play ball with Connor in our hallway (we were out there kicking the ball up and down the hall)--and I think he scared Connor half to death. I imagine it was confusing to have a man wearing a plastic suit offer to play ball with you after he dropped off your dinner in a paper sack. Connor had a stimulating day:)



And even more stimulating for him was the next day. We wanted to go to the Natural History Museum so Connor could see the dinosaur bones. Since I was getting very familiar and comfortable with taxi travel, I voted that we take a cab. Dave said that the subway would be a breeze and Connor would like it. So we trudged off through the slush on icy sidewalks and made it to the subway station. Where we waited for about 40 minutes for the correct train to show up (usually you wait about 4 minutes or so). The platform was getting very crowded and no one knew why there weren't any trains. I again made my preference known--let's go grab a cab--but Dave said that it would be silly to leave then. Finally, a train showed up and we all piled on. It was a local train, so it was supposed to make many stops. This train did not stop. Not once. It barreled along the tracks, going very quickly might I add--through all the stops it was supposed to make. I started to get nervous because even the locals were looking around wondering what was happening. Finally, the train stopped at the end of the route--and a man told us that he thought it had to go through all the stops to make up for being so late in the first place. Great. So now we got off and hordes of people went over to the opposite side of the tracks to go back to where we wanted to be. People were grumbling, one woman was swearing and yelling at the conductor for keeping us hostage on the train--but overall people were pleasant. Until we were standing waiting for the next train and a homeless man started fighting with another guy. They both sounded drunk to me, and the guy was accusing the homeless man of smelling like "piss." Which, to be honest, he really did. Then it was a screaming match, voices getting louder, threats getting stronger--my favorite was the homeless guy telling the other man that "your mother smells like piss" which really set the other guy off on how his mother "smells beautiful, like flowers" They had to be drunk. Luckily, we didn't witness any physical violence and I am glad because there were so many people that I am not sure how we would have been able to move away from them. Having Kea strapped to me and keeping an eye on Dave and Connor--it was quite an experience and my mama bear instincts were coming out. I imagine that as we visit the city in the years to come, fights like this will be commonplace. You just don't see that in Ballard--the homeless drunk guys are really very friendly to each other there.

The museum was fun. Connor wasn't as interested in the dinosaur bones as we wanted him to be so we could look around more. He is so used to being able to climb and explore places like that because we have mostly been to Children's museums together--so the fact that he had to stay on the outside of the exhibits was frustrating for him and for us. We were constantly pulling him down off things, or yanking him back from touching things. Maybe not the greatest idea to go to this particular museum, but we gave it a try. We then wandered for a bit in the snow and then headed back to the apartment. Where we have been for a while now due to the weather outside. And we need to get Connor some snow boots--his little sneakers won't cut it out here.

Oh, and we found out that we got the house so we move on Jan 2nd to Chatham, NJ! We're excited and looking forward to enjoying this awesome location for the next two weeks. Dave will take off the next two weeks after working tomorrow--so we are going to have fun! Maybe we'll take the kids to the New Years celebration at Times Square? I'm kidding, I'm kidding...:)

I am miserable at the format of this thing, so I apologize...!!

The first week alone

So last week was my first week alone with both kids in the big city. I underestimated how hard it was going to be for all of us, and spent a lot of the week feeling sorry for myself. We went to the park when we could, but we also experienced the true cold and whipping rain and wind that will keep everyone inside. We braved it once to go to the grocery store, and I vowed never to do it again! Without a body umbrella to cover up poor little Kea, it is only indoor activities for us. After a few days inside with Connor it became more and more apparent that Connor requires a physical activity outlet every day. Dave and I began discussions about moving to the burbs. The cost of being in the city and the teeny tiny spaces, even in Brooklyn, were starting to feel like not such a good fit for our family right now.

And typical Dave and Heidi style, needing to solve the housing dilemma IMMEDIATELY, we rented a car and spent all day Saturday and Sunday touring the burbs. We spent Saturday in Connecticut with two different real estate agents showing us a few small towns. Although Connecticut is beautiful, it is not the right place for us. Dave and I didn't feel really comfortable there, except on the beach!

Sunday we spent in New Jersey and we were really happy to find several small towns we would like to live in. They were more diverse than Connecticut, and had more mom and pop shops--plus more affordable houses. We ended up putting an offer down on a small house in a town called Chatham, NJ that is a 5 minute walk to the train station and has a HUGE yard for Connor to run to his hearts content. It's a change of mindset from our original plans of living in Brooklyn, but we feel it's the best thing for right now.

Now that we are probably moving to the burbs at the beginning of January (we still don't officially have the house yet)-I am trying to enjoy this week in the city with the kiddos. I am going to be brave and take some taxis to two museums--the Childrens Museum of NYC and the Museum of Natural History. You don't put your kids in carseats in cabs here, so I should be able to juggle the two on my own if I don't have to lug carseats as well!

Today we journeyed through some heavy sleet under the umbrella to a nearby shopping center. There are lots of escalators there and I knew that Connor would love to ride them up and down for a while. We had a nice walk there--I made Connor walk this time instead of using the stroller to get additional exercise. He complained for a while, but then seemed to enjoy looking around. We had a nice time at Borders and even picked out a Christmas tree for the apartment that is made of plastic. It is Connor proof, but Tallie has already taken a few bites out of it:)

After several sobbing meltdowns over not getting two trees, or whatever else Connor was crying about--we headed outside. On our way out, there is this huge statue of a naked man. I have seen tourists stop and take pictures of it, laughing as they look at the penis. Connor ran over and began to climb on the legs, (it's a HUGE statue and kid friendly)--and then he started to yell "A penis mommy! I want to touch the penis!" And "Statue has penis? I want to touch it!" as he kept jumping up trying to reach it. This brought a small crowd of nannies and other people all around us--all laughing. It was pretty funny--and it took me quite a while to get him out of there. We drew a lot of looks as Connor cried about not reaching the statue's penis for the entire two block walk home. And I was giggling the whole way:)

Connor w/bagel, on subway and sunrise over city

 
 
 

The First Days in the City

Well, it is now day #5 that we've been here, and it feels like a lot longer. Not in a bad way, but in the 'I've just thrown myself into this place' kind of way. And I don't think there is any other way to do New York. The way the crowds, subways and taxis move around here--you either jump in and keep up or you'll get trampled. That being said, I have been pleasantly surprised to find chivalry is in fact not dead here. I have been reminded of the nice Southern manners I grew up with as both men and women stop to open doors for me, hold elevators, or move so I can get across the street. Perhaps this is because I am pushing Connor in a stroller and have Kea strapped to my chest and I look like a confused tourist? Or that I am wearing a light blue jacket amid this sea of black and therefore people assume I am lost? Either way--I'll take it.

On Sunday we took the kiddos on a long subway trip with a change of trains to see Park Slope--the area we'd like to live in Brooklyn. The wind was unbelievable. The streets of Park Slope were virtually empty as we braved whipping trash, leaves and dirt. We ducked into a bakery to grab something to eat before venturing back on the train--Connor demanded a bagel that was bigger than his head. I can not believe the size of the bagels here! They do not make kid sizes:) I loved listening to the Brooklyn accents and all the different people that worked there. Young waitresses of all ethnicities and the owner and his buddies sitting at a back table watching the Giants play. Although people are abrupt yes, there is an underlying kindness that we seem to be getting from people when they look at the kids. Overall, I think that we could live there very happily for the next year or two. Connor also took to the subway and by the end of the trip was swinging around on the poles like a pro.


Monday and Tuesday have been the first days of me and the kids on our own. We've got a routine kind of down--wake up, eat breakfast, hang out in the apartment until Connor can't stand it anymore and then head to Central Park. The playground there has these elaborate bridges and things to climb. Perfect for Connor. The weather today was warmer than yesterday--it was 9 degrees in the wind yesterday!! But besides some rosy cheeks--we've made it just fine in the cold. We just can't stay out as long as we did in Seattle.

Today was my first exposure to the nannies at the park. It's straight out of a book or movie--nannies of all colors and sizes who obviously don't "match" with the kids they are taking care of. I think that today I was the only one that matched my kids and didn't speak Russian, German, African dialects etc. It is pretty cool--feels like I am in a whole other country. But, I do imagine it would be harder to make friends. Some of the kids seemed to know each other, but their caretakers were doing their own thing a lot, or had obviously come with friends who were also nannies. Granted, this is just what I've seen from walking around and one playground (and only TWO days), but it is really really different than Seattle--where almost all the moms "match" their children:) There was one little boy who is Connor's age and was there yesterday as well as today. When I encouraged him to make a friend he said "I have friends already, don't want new ones..." and walked away from the little guy. Connor and I are definitely missing our friends in Seattle!!

First Days in NYC

moving day!

Moving Day and the Flight to NYC

12/3 was the moving day we had long been planning for. Dave and I both woke up groggy and fuzzy headed--having stayed up until 2AM the previous night doing last minute packing and not being able to sleep due to those "night before" butterflies in our bellies. What were we thinking? Moving two kids, ourselves, a neurotic cat and a downsized collection of our belongings to New York City in the dead of Winter?? And right before Christmas. When we told people our plans, we either received looks of horror, or big smiles with a reassuring glint of adventure reflected back to us in their eyes.

Dave rented us a very large SUV for the moving day, and although I teased him that it was overkill--thank goodness he did! We had six things of luggage--one of them with a live animal in it--and we needed all that space. After loading our luggage into the monster car, we hung out and watched the packers and movers do their thing. The crew from United movers were wonderful. They swooped in and took care of everything. It was strange to have people packing our things, but also so nice. Plus, with them doing all the packing I was able to harass one of the packers to tell me stories about the strangest houses he has packed up. He told me stories of a man who had a jerkey room and people boiling their underthings on the stove. He thanked us for being normal!


Dave and I were having a tough time watching all of our stuff being packed and loaded so we decided to do one last walk through Ballard. We drowned our sadness in burgers at a great place called Scooters where we had never been before. Connor enjoyed his "handurger" and then we walked back to the house to watch the final touches being done. By 3pm they had finished moving all of our stuff into the big truck and we watched as it drove away. They fit 4-5 different family's households in those big trucks--all our belongings only took up 1/4 of it!



After some tearful goodbyes to friends and our beloved house, we piled into the monster SUV and headed to the hotel. We were both out of sorts, and luckily the children didn't cry during the drive--but they did manage to both start sobbing as Dave checked us in. Hysterically sobbing. I was juggling them outside of the hotel and already dreading the plane ride when Dave showed up with warm chocolate chip cookies. All his traveling has its perks--he gets warm cookies upon check in! I could no longer hear the children crying:) We had an adventurous night at the hotel with Dave being woken by Connor every 1/2 hour as he tossed and turned and me getting woken up by Tallie who was using all the furniture as scratching posts right by my head. Fun times.



Thursday was the big day and we woke up even more fuzzy-headed than the previous day, grabbed the kids and jumped back into the monster SUV. Which, by the way, was practically out of gas. The genius employees at Enterprise had been joy riding in the car to get McDonalds before getting it to Dave and had run it out of gas! We didn't think it would be a problem until we couldn't figure out where to return it at the airport. We were already behind schedule, which was torture for Dave (anyone that knows his travel preferences can imagine how stressed he was) and now we were literally going in circles to return the beast of a car. And of course, with two kids, a cat and oodles of luggage we are about to run out of gas searching for the rental return office. I had visions of flagging down cars and begging people to drive us to the airport. But who would have room for all our crap?!?! Dave called information on his cell phone and then hung up on the woman he was talking to when we found an airport garage employee who told us where the office was. Where else would the car return be but directly next door to our hotel. After floating down the road on fumes, we made our way into the office where the first airport shuttle driver took one look at what we were unloading and shook his finger "no-no" at us. He jumped in and took off. Luckily, a very nice man was the next driver and he not only helped us load up our stuff onto the shuttle--he then insisted that he drop us off at departures instead of where he was dropping off the other people on the shuttle because "you have children and too much luggage--it is a far walk." We thought this was nice, but it turned into a flashback from earlier that morning because we got to drive around the airport another TWO times! I felt like we needed circus music to go along with the drive and me jumping up every two seconds to make sure that Tallie's carrier didn't fall off the luggage rack.

We made it inside the airport and got the looks from people as we chased down Connor to get him strapped into the stroller and then dragged poor Tallie out of her carrier to give her the kitty valium. Dave had to hold her mouth open with both hands while I threw the pill into her throat--not a pretty sight. Then we got into line and pissed off the people in line as we took up 20+ minutes to get everything organized and extra heavy luggage paid for. I ran around looking for large plastic bags to cover the carseats. Connor cried in his stroller. Kea was strapped to me in the Bjorn falling asleep. And we were almost an hour behind schedule. But we made it, and besides some hysterical sobbing when Connor had to put his shoes through the x-ray machine at security, getting onto the plane was easy.


The flight was ok. It is now a blur. There was a lot of crying and some yelling from Connor about not wanting a certain Curious George episode played. Kea got pretty upset every now and then and would scream and scream and then suddenly be smiling away at people sitting near us. So pretty much a typical flight with two kiddos.



The last part of the trip that we were nervous about was getting our luggage to the car that would be picking us up (yet another monster SUV--and again, we barely fit in it) and the drive into the city. We had a really nice driver that took one look at us and left to pick up the car and pick us up right outside of baggage claim. We gathered all our luggage and Tallie and braved the rain that was falling to pile into the car. Connor was so exhausted and hungry at this point that he was sobbing and demanding "cocholat". (Due to parental guilt for the move and much needed bribery for cooperation during the packing process, Connor was fed small pieces of chocolate that have now turned him into quite the "cocholat" addict). Needless to say, we are now deep in the detox phase of getting him off chocolate.

The drive into the city wasn't bad. Trafficky yes, but nothing like highway 520 in Seattle that I drove three times a week for my internship. And the views here are gorgeous--the Manhattan skyline is really amazing. We got to our apartment and were pleasantly surprised to find a bigger place than expected. There are two good sized bedrooms and a decent living area. The kitchen is teeny tiny-but we are already familiarizing ourselves with the endless choices of takeout. And it is less expensive to have things delivered than it was in Seattle! This is dangerous.....

Our first day in the city was sunny and gorgeous. Chilly outside, but nothing bad. Connor was fascinated with all the shadows and sunshine being on all his clothes. I know he's seen sun in Seattle-but this is a brighter sun. We are one block from Central Park and found a great playground for Connor. And it is fenced in so he can't escape! There is a Whole Foods and a few smaller markets all a few blocks from our place. And surprisingly, there are fruit stands on most corners around here. I can walk right outside and buy grapes, oranges, and apples. The kids and I could conceivably never go any further than four blocks and we have everything we need.

We tried out the subway today and Connor was wide eyed. Kea slept through it all. I don't think I'll be able to do subway trips on my own with the two kids yet--but once I get it all figured out--we'll do some exploring.