Eagerly awaiting Grandparents!

I haven't added to this blog in a ridiculously long time, but I have a few pretty good excuses. The main one being that we moved and have been adjusting to a new city, new house, new schedules and new weather patterns! Not to mention getting swept away by Christmas and New Years in Manhattan, which was a very surreal experience. The window decorations, the hustle of holiday shoppers and tourists and all the stands that sell amazingly tempting and aromatic food--can make you feel like you are in a different world. We took a walk on Christmas Day, expecting to find the streets semi-clear of people. Silly us! Not only were the streets pretty crowded, but there were stores open and people shopping, shopping, shopping. It was a bit shocking actually, to see all the people bustling into stores to buy more things! We even got to see the singing Naked Cowboy--a wonderful present for anyone's Christmas:) Even better than that though, had to be the Christmas hot dog we munched on as we watched the horse carriages stream out of Central Park. In the sunshine:)

Dave and I were lucky enough to have my sister and her boyfriend visit us during this time so we could sneak away for lunch w/out the kids. We spent most of the time talking about how much we were loving the city. The move to the burbs was starting to look a bit--well--boring. We were anxious to get into our own place though, see our stuff and have a wide open yard for Connor to run off his never ending energy. And let's be honest, if we kept spending money on take out, we'd go broke! And Dave and I can't seem to control ourselves when faced with so many options for fast and delicious food.

New Years in NYC is an event that baffles the mind. ONE MILLION people cram into the city streets of Times Square in the frigidly cold temperatures to watch the ball drop. We are adventurous folks, but didn't want to be arrested for child endangerment by subjecting the kiddos to the crowds and the cold--so we agreed to watch the ball drop from the safety of our living room on the tv:) We did open the windows at midnight though and listened to the roar of people. It was incredible, and then even more incredible than that was the firework display over Central Park. We stood there and listened to the boom of the fireworks as they vibrated off the buildings-- and watched all the colors from our window--it felt like we had front row seats up in the sky. Not a bad way to bring in 2009--a big year of change for us.

We are now living in Chatham, New Jersey--a far cry from the streets of Manhattan. I miss the hustle and bustle of the city streets, the ding from the elevator arriving on our floor, and Connor's excitement as he would charge out the door being held by our doorman and give him a high five. In fact, Connor has been asking where the "man who drives car" is when we get into our car. He also has questioned why there isn't a man "opening door for us" when we leave the house! Apparently he got used to taxis and doormen. And to be honest, so did I. It's hard work to open your own door and juggle the carseat and Connor. And getting used to driving again, especially on the icy streets--isn't easy:)

The move in day was relatively uneventful. We had a crew of men that worked super hard and got all our stuff unloaded--even with the cold temps and flurries of snow. Besides for the fact that they couldn't get our mattress upstairs and refused to bend it for liability purposes, all went well. Dave and I looked at each other in horror when the movers left and we were surrounded by boxes. So we bent our mattress in half and dragged it upstairs! The real work had begun and we wanted to be sure we had a bed to sleep on that night.

Our rented house is great. We met our landlords and they are a really nice couple who have two kids under 3 and are being transferred to L.A. We are pretty much trading lives with them! They are off to the West coast and I am going to use their babysitter, go to the same gym and maybe even take over their friends:) We have once again been pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful people have been here. Our neighbors are constantly poking their heads over the fence to give us tips on the town and preschool options, etc. I had an elderly gentleman take me by the elbow today and help me get to the post office when I went into the wrong building. It was snowing and icy and he insisted that I needed help to get in the door safely. People help me at the grocery store--unloading my cart at the checkout when I have Kea strapped to me (which is always!!!), walking us to our car to unload groceries--it's pretty great. And not what we were expecting from some of the utterings of our beloved West Coasters on how "those East Coasters" are. I have yet to meet one I don't like:)

So we are settling in and getting used to the ins and outs of the day. Dave has a hard commute--a sacrifice we've made to A)save money B)have a yard C)live in a place where the resources will be more accessible. Right now, we aren't liking him leaving at 7:15AM and being home at 7PM. But it's far better than having him traveling three weeks out of the month!!

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!!