Fionn and the City

Does this hat come in flannel?  'Cuz it's a bit chilly without my duds, dude.

Okay, yes, my son is wearing a foam Statue of Liberty hat and nothing else.  I'll get back to that. 

First, it is important to say that we just returned from a fabulous long weekend in New York City with Conor's sister, Erin.  It was a busy and yet somehow very relaxing weekend.  I honestly wasn't sure how it would go over, hoofing it around NYC with a toddler in tow.  But it was actually pretty easy and really fun at that.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.  Let's start from the very beginning.  A very good place to start, as they say.

The Train Ride.

Fionn was beyond excited for his first-ever Amtrak ride to "York City."  He was all abuzz for days about this exciting development.  3.5 hours on a train?  No way, Jose.  It was just way too cool for school.

And the experience didn't disappoint our boy.  Fionn sat on his knees practically the whole ride, squinting out the window at the passing scenery.  Every time the train slowed to a stop to let people off at different venues, Fionny would pipe up, "Mama, Dada...Our stop?"  When we assured him that no, it wasn't our stop, his eyes went right back to the window.  And, of course, as soon as we did reach "our stop" and exited the train, Fionn's first words were, "Me need ride more train."  Go figure.  Kid loves himself some Amtrak.

Once in NYC, we made our way to the little apartment we were renting for our three nights in the Big Apple.  Fionn immediately set up shop.

You know the drill.  Emergency vehicles front and center.  Ice cream trucks and backhoes, bring up the rear.

The apartment was really ideal for our purposes.  Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room.  And the view wasn't too shabby either.  Check it out.

Our first adventure in NYC was a delicious dinner with my dear cousin, Tyndale, who resides in New York.  We were joined by her new fella, Andrew, who we all agreed was pretty fantastic.  Erin met us as soon as her flight and her Super Shuttle from the airport allowed.  It was a wonderful meal which included some very delicious seafood.  And Fionn was actually very well-behaved.  Go figure!  I didn't get a single picture of Tyndale during the weekend though which is really just terrible, especially considering that she provided amazing childcare for us the following night so we could go see a Broadway show.

But there I am, getting ahead of myself again.

The following morning, we set out for the 9/11 Memorial which was very moving and awe-inspiring. Fionn slept through the whole thing which was probably best because I feel quite sure he would have wanted to climb into the waterfalls at the memorial.  And, as you can see, that would have been a wee bit dangerous.

After the Memorial, we headed to Battery Park where we encountered the perfect kind of watering hole for our boy.  These next pictures are quickly becoming some of my favorites, so I had a helluva time narrowing them down to a mere few.  So I apologize in advance if I go overboard here.  But seriously, there is nothing more wonderful than watching your kid having the time of his life.  Although I must say, blogging about it is a close second for me these days.

 

So, yeah.  That's how Fionn ended up in New York City in nothing but a diaper.  I didn't quite anticipate the spray park when I packed up our stuff for the day.  Obviously.  The foam Statue of Liberty hat was just an impulse buy.  But really, when it comes to purchasing foam anything, when is it not?  

As Fionn dried himself in the sun, we waited in line for a water taxi which would take us around the New York Harbor so that Erin could see the great lady a little more up, close, and personal.  Did I mention yet that this was Erin's first trip to NYC?  Very special indeed.  Anyway, the boat ride was fun, and it was definitely a great photo op for Lady Liberty among other views.  See for yourself.

We headed back to the apartment following our boat adventure so that we could relax a bit before the show that night.  That's right, I said show!  Because of my cousin Tyndale's generous offer to babysit for Fionn, we three adults were able to sneak away for dinner and to see the musical, Once.  It was fantastic!  Absolutely exceeded my every expectation -- and my expectations were very high because I adored the film.  Run -- don't walk -- to see it if you get the opportunity!

This brings us to Sunday, our final day in the city.  Because the weather was divine (70s and sunny with a slight breeze), we decided to spend the whole day walking around the city.  We had a quick stop by Rockefeller Center so Erin could take a gander -- and we could snap a quick photo.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of Ann Curry...oh wait.

 And then it was on to Central Park for the rest of the day.  Central Park -- man, oh man!  First of all, I had no idea Central Park was so gargantuan -- or so breathtaking.  And it has so many different facets.  Good Lord, you could spend a whole month there and not see everything there is to see! We tried to hit some of the high points, but I definitely left feeling like we need to go back.  Like pronto.  Most notably, I had a MAJOR itch to take a run while we were there.  There had to have been hundreds of runners enjoying the gorgeous weather.  I practically burst into a sprint just watching them striding past...but my Target-brand sandals stopped me short.  

Anyway, I digress.  My favorite moment in Central Park involved watching Fionn experience joy.  Shocker, right?  I'm beginning to think that I have glimpsed the rest of my life as a parent.  Is this what they mean by living through your child?  Ah, now I get it.  Anyway, Fionn was absolutely obsessed with this Bubble Guy who made these amazingly large bubbles.  Get ready for another photo sequence because there are some doozies in this batch too, friends.  And, by the way, in case you were wondering...We tipped the Bubble Guy.

Why can't I get my bubbles at home to do this?  This guy's got skillz!

Take THAT, Bubble!

And that one is for my Mama!

Haha!  You think I'm through with you.  I'm just getting started!

On guard, Sir Bubble.

 As you can see, Fionn was a bit, er, aggressive in his enjoyment of the bubbles.  So much so that we noticed that other kids were coming up empty-handed in the realm of bubble popping.  As a result, we forced Fionn to hang back and give other kids a turn for awhile.  As you can imagine, he was not too excited about this new development.  Can't you see on his face that he is just chomping at the bit to get back in the game? 

Lemme back out there, Coach.  I can take this one home.

We rounded out the rest of our day with a dinner in Little Italy which was delicious.  We followed dinner up with a little gelato -- of course.  And then we made our way back to the apartment for some much-earned sleep.  I think we walked at least 5 miles during the course of the day if not more.  Which, in sandals, felt like a lot more.  Seriously, what is my problem when it comes to packing appropriate footwear?

Overall, the trip was a huge success.  We enjoyed nearly every minute of it (save the psychotic cab driver on the way to the show, but that's a story for another day).  Turns out you can enjoy a big city with a toddler and still feel like it's something of a vacation.  So start spreading the news... (sorry, couldn't help myself).

School Days

Over two years ago now, I purchased Fionn's baby book and began to dutifully fill in the different milestones.  First tooth, first time sleeping through the night, first words, first steps, first haircut.  I remember looking ahead to some of the future entries such as the first day of school, and I remember thinking, "Well, we won't be there anytime soon."

And yet, suddenly, we are here.  Already.  How did that happen?

Yesterday our Fionny attended the first day of his little neighborhood coop playschool.  It's two days a week for 3 hours at a time.  And let's get real -- it's basically 80% play and 20% school.  He is two, after all.  But still...there is a teacher.  His Mama isn't there (except when I am the assistant, of course, since it's a coop).  There are designated times to potty, play, and snack.  This last one is a big deal, people.  My boy is used to snacking on demand.

It all comes down to this.  Our kiddo is growing up.  This time next year, he'll be heading to all day preschool.  All day preschool.  It's completely wild. 

For now, though, I'm happy for this stop along the way in terms of his independence.  Two days a week at a little school right down the street -- that I can handle.  I can let my apron strings loosen just a tiny bit so that his world can get a little bit bigger.   I can do this.  Right?  Right?

I'll report back next week following our weekend in the Big Apple with Conor's sister, Erin.  Should be a good time.  Watch out, New York City.  Here we come! 

Until then, folks...