Boston Children's Museum

Today we visited the Boston Children's Museum. As per typical, the kiddos had a blast. How could they not? Lots of other kiddos, bright colors, fun things to see and lots of stuff to touch and play with. We especially loved the 0-3 playroom, where the kids were able to stretch their legs. There were a lot of fun things for them to play with.
Getting into Boston is a bit of a haul, but I timed the drive for nap time, so that worked out. But, by the time we were parked and ready to go, it was time for lunch. So, we decided to stay away from cafeteria food and instead went to Flour, around the corner from the Museum. My sandwich was delicious, and J enjoyed his grilled cheese, but let me tell you that place is PACKED. We got there at 11:30 and by the time we actually sat down to eat, it was a mob scene. I never like going to places where you order, wait for it, then have to find your own seat. I get very stressed out. Add children to the mix, and I am a mess. But, it was delicious.
Then, to the Museum. I can't say enough about how impressed I was. It was my first Children's Museum experience, and there were plenty of things to do for kids of all ages it seemed. There was also a big climbing thing in the center that made me want to take a nap, just by the looks of it. So, we are coming back in the future for sure!
J loved this little push cart thing. He could walk around all on his own just holding onto the handle of it. I almost cried, my little boy is so big! Maddy was showing him how it is all done, and had a great time as well. They enjoyed "Row, row, row your boat" for a bit. As you can see, it was a challenge getting them both to smile at the same time!

Friends

Not much commentary, but more a pictoral. Enjoy some photos of J with his friends Declan (of Brian and Lauren) and Brit (of Pat and Keri). They are already getting so big!
We remarked that last year at Brian and Lauren's BBQ, we were all still pregnant. We had not yet multiplied, how fast time flies. Next year they will surely be walking around. Causing trouble!
Again, three best friends!

Swing Time

We got a swing set! As you can see, the little man loves it!

This is a hard thing for me. Not admitting that he is so old he can go in one of these swings. It is not that this is a good Daddy-son time, and I am jealous. Those two things, not at all. The truth... I have always had a very manicured way of doing things. And, now there is a glaring pirate-ship multi-colored large plastic eye-sore in my backyard.

I know, take a chill-pill lady, you have a child know. But, to know me is to love me. When we needed to create a play-area in my family room, I drove out of my way to get the child's rug that best represents New England themes and matches the colors of the room. We especially stained a bookcase and bought baskets to fit in it, with little chalkboards to identify exactly what toy is in which. I made children in the home trendy and stylish. But there is nothing you can do for an outdoor swing set, unless you pay a million dollars... And, it is too early for that...

So, we have an excellent swing set in the interim. It really is nice, and it is wonderful that Joel went out, got it and put it together at the drop of my suggestion that the baby might like a swing. And, to watch the kiddo be over-joyed at swinging in it is wonderful. But, I know... this is just the start. Pretty soon there will be mini-cars, nicer than my big car, in the driveway. More than tennis balls strewn about the lawn. Help me, a sand box is probably on the horizon! I need to let go of my OCD... But, don't you agree? Shouldn't I worry about my husband and his inner-child? What kind of swing set is next?

Grumpy Time

Grumpy (my Dad) has been around the past few days, what a treat for the little guy. They sit and play and have a good time. Some male bonding.
Tomorrow Grammie and Grumpy leave, and I am not sure what I am going to do. I may need to call in for reinforcements. It will be the first time, since he is mobile, that I will be all by myself with him. Even today while Grumpy and I were working in the garden, Grammie was at least watching the little guy. How am I going to plant my back garden (30 X 30) with the little guy?

Connecticut

Our last stop on our East Coast tour was a treat, indeed! In East Hartford, CT is Joel's Uncle (his mother's brother) and his family - Uncle Kevin, Aunt Susan and their kids Kate, Amy and Scott. The kids are of course grown and living around the country, so we did not get a chance to see them this visit, but we did have a chance to catch up with Uncle Kevin, Aunt Susan, and Aunt Susan's Mom, Nancy. (oh, and their new kitten too!)
They rolled out the red carpet for us. We thought we would be stopping by for a quick lunch, maybe sandwiches. No! DELICIOUS lunch! Sunday sauce, fresh raviolis, sauteed mushrooms. It was so good! I only wish I could have ate more, and had a glass of wine...
J loved running around with Uncle Kevin. He was a big fan of the new kitten, who was a bit timid with J. It took a little bit for the kitty to really get used to the baby. But how could you blame her? If she is always used to being the center of attention, and this cute baby shows up and steals the show, wouldn't you be mad too?
Uncle Kevin showed J his first worm (pictured above). J had his first ravioli. All in all, it was a great visit! Thanks guys for a memorable afternoon, we can't wait to see you again soon!

The Met

New York

Saturday we woke up in New City (well, the New City area), got in the car, made a quick stop at Rockland Bakery, and then got on the road. If you are ever in the Rockland area, you have to make a trip to the Rockland Bakery. It is awesome, you can walk in the back and pick out your own bread, fresh out of the oven. It is the best!
Then we had a great brunch with Aunt Sari in Manhattan. Aunt Sari enjoyed meeting the little guy, and picked a great place. We look forward to cheering her on when she comes up in our area for some crazy marathons in the near future. Maybe Boston Marathon next year?

We had some time to kill before meeting our evening host, Pamela. So, we went to my old job, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I will post a bunch of photos next, for some reason was having trouble getting them to post to this post. Anyway, it has really changed! The Greek and Roman galleries are now twice the size, and my old American Wing, where I worked - is all fancy. They have only re-opened half of it so far, so sadly we did not get to see George crossing the Delaware. Again, he loved it... But I think we might be coming to our end of Museum visits. Now that he wants to crawl and walk, the stroller time does not last as long.

After the Museum we went to Long Island City to see Pamela. She made us a really special dinner. Sunday morning the kiddo woke up very cranky though, he told us it was time to go home... So, off we went. Stay tuned for a post about our visit in CT!

New City

Today we had a great time in my old hood. I lived in New City for most of my life, and fondly remember driving around Rockland County in my young adult years, eating at the New City diner at midnight, and spending way too many hours trying to pick a movie at Blockbuster with friends.

I have a big problem, always had. I am very good at saying something when I should not. It is a gift, or a burden. So, tonight we had very many people meet us at our hotel for a "meet the baby" session. He was tired. I know his ear is still bothering him, but at this point, I know we just have to get home. He has had two different medications to fix this infection and nothing has worked. So, we soldier on. But it is not fair to him, and he gets cranky. I know I like to say that taking care of him is hard work, but normally it is not. He is picture perfect. But, tonight he was not. And everyone in the room was wondering what I was doing with a super tired baby. Sad.

Besides the point, the people in the room are from my childhood. I grew up in New City. My three good friends from elementary school were there, as were their moms! The fourth good friend could not make it, but her mom and dad both came! I am so absorbed into my new life in New England that it is a real treat to see the old stomping grounds. In ten years, I have been back once, for 2 hours, and that is not right. I miss it. After two hours, I swear my NY accent is back in full force. I love it!

But enough about me and back to the story. So we are all chatting and when they all came they had brought me gifts. New City area is big on gifts. Joel and his family had never heard of engagement gifts, yet we got them. There are ridiculous wedding gifts, and Joel knows after you have baby-crazy gifts. So, there are also "you invited me to see your baby in hotel" gifts. Which I was not expecting, but I knew were coming... if you know what I mean....

So, here we are and everyone is showering us with gifts, so much so I do not remember who has given me what and not all has come with a card.
Meanwhile, I am not opening things but setting them aside. And, again, I remind you of the start of this topic which is I am really good at saying something inappropriate, in this case, mean about a gift someone has put a lot of thought in purchasing for me, but I have not yet opened... I have done this at both baby and wedding showers, saying, oh, I do not want that... and then opening it one present later. I have even done it to Joel, when he bought me my engagement ring. A week before he proposed to me, he had already bought the ring and was so excited he pointed almost the same ring out in a window and I said "are you crazy, I hate that ring, I only want solitaire, I hate side diamonds." (by the way, who complains about extra diamonds?)...

So, here we all are in the hotel, visiting and having fun... and then this happens...

"You a Yankees fan still?" Someone says from the group. I explained how I tried to hold out for so many years. They all look at me with shame as they know what I am about to say. I explain I was a faithful Yankees fan. I combatted the evil-chatter of Joel and his friends (Tim G., you were the worst). But then, Jordans, our furniture store, had to have a deal where if you bought furniture during a certain period, and they won the world series, we would get it for free. So, that year I became a Red Sox fan because we bought a ton of furniture. And they won!

Someone says, "so you sold out for free furniture?" I reply, "Well, we ended up returning it all because it did not fit in our living room." End of conversation... Minutes later they remind me how they bought the baby all Yankees onesies for his "new baby" gifts. And I reply, "yeah, we returned them and bought Red Sox."

Fast forward, two hours later in the room I am opening all of the "hotel room visit new baby" presents. Everyone has gone and the kiddo is struggling to fall asleep with my opening present noise. Come to fin out what the kids have bought us... Their really thoughtful gifts... We have lots of Yankee apparel...

Jersey Boy

Sorry no photos for this post, but I just wanted to take the time to write how wonderful it was to visit with Aunt Diane and Uncle Phil in East Windsor, NJ last night. They were so gracious to us, and made a wonderful dinner. Aunt Lynn also came to say hello to the little guy as well!

We had a great time catching up, and a delicious breakfast the next day. Aunt Diane and Uncle Phil were our old neighbors in my first house, and they still live in the same development. So visiting them was like a trip down memory lane for my Mom (I was too young to really remember). I think the guy liked NJ a lot!

I forgot to mention we can also cross off Delaware on his state list because we ate lunch at a Cheesecake Factory there on our way to NJ.

Today we are in New City - so it really is a memory lane trip. We went by the old house which is always sad. It is a lot smaller than I remember it! Things have really changed in 10 years, places that were shady now are bare, places that were sunny are now shady. Names of stores have changed, Pasta Cucina has moved, and things just look in general different. It is amazing the way the mind remembers things. I previously thought that it would take an hour to get from the Paramus Mall to our house, but really it is more like 25 minutes. I am wondering if this is because I am older now, or if it is because I live in the land that it really does take an hour to get where I want to go, so I have a different perspective. The other nice thing here, is the supermarkets. We went into DeCicco's (a chain, I went to school with the owner's kids), and all of the food looked great. More cheese than I have ever seen in one location and the bakery looked fantastic. I am guessing this is because I am used to the not-so-desireable looking food at our massive food chains up North.

But, I am starting to miss home. It has been two weeks now and I am tired. All of the partying, catching up and dirty laundry are beginning to wear on me so I am looking forward to being in the house on Sunday. The guy is also looking a bit tired. His ears continue to bother him so I will be happy to see the Dr. for his 9 month appointment next week. As for now, this weekend, we had to cancel one visit, and we moved one up, so our ETA home will be Sunday afternoon, which will be nice for Joel to see his little guy before he goes to bed.

Off to rest, and then we have about 15 people coming to visit us in the hotel tonight! NYC and a visit with Sari and Pamela tomorrow. What should we do during the day?

DC Part 2

Some additional photos of the fun day.


at his future home...

DC

Today we enjoyed an entire day of rest and relaxation and toured DC.We visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History and then walked around the Mall, and saw all of the monuments.
The Museum pooped the little guy out. Then we went to a nice restaurant, so nice they stuck us in the back so as not to disturb the businessmen... But he was a delight! He certainly enjoyed eating most of our Orecciette past with olive oil, broccoli, and cauliflower.
After that pasta fill, you can see that he was a passed out little man for most of the monuments. He woke up in time for Vietnam, and really enjoyed the Lincoln Memorial. Some more photos to follow. Off to NJ tomorrow!

Secret Service

I wanted to call this Virginia, but had to title it after the most memorable moment of the day: when the secret service searched our car.
But, I will begin at the beginning (you know how I like to Tarantino-it). We woke up in North Carolina and had a fun breakfast in the room before leisurely departing for Richmond, Va. It was a great ride, the kiddo slept almost all of the way. He woke up happy and excited for his next stop. Going to Richmond was a great idea - the only bump we ran into was the exciting hidden toll at the end of the exit. I had never seen this before - drop .33 cents into a container at the end of the exit ramp. This caused me to fluster, and I ended up just throwing money in until it went green. I will be better prepared next time.
We walked around Cary Street, saw the Jefferson Hotel and ended up eating at an EXCELLENT place - Tarrant's Cafe. Really, really good. The kiddo ate a ton. Avocado, grilled cheese, egg yolk, you name it. We walked a bit and then back in the car for our trip to DC.
I was anticipating traffic, no. I was thinking the kid will probably scream the whole way, no. I thought, hmmm... this may actually work out, a most perfect day of travel... no... Getting closer to DC I notice signs everywhere that say "convention in town, expect delays." Closer yet and they change to "Major convention, extreme delays." Nice.

But, we rolled in, no problem. Straight past the mall, up past the signs for the White House. No problem, I thought. 1 mile a way, no problem, we are almost there. Actually, big problem.

Now, I watch the news. I knew there was a nuclear summit. But I did not pay attention that it was in DC. Even better, I did not pay attention that it is 1 block from my hotel. 1 block! Of course, the block my hotel is on is closed off. Well, a lot of blocks are closed off. But the one where I need to lug all of my things, my baby, etc. is also closed off. We drove around in a circle. Asked for help, and someone told us to find parking and then walk there and ask if we can get in. I knew we needed to call the hotel first. So, I parked on a side road that was empty and my mom got in the back with the little guy, and I called the hotel. Meanwhile, come to find out, this street was closed... As I am talking on the phone, some major dignitary (Hedy thinks it was Obama, but I do not think so) - comes out of the closed off area with a giant motorcade. Awesome.

The hotel just tells us to come on down. So, we do. The secret service guy was very nice. The military policeman was nice, but a bit scary. They kept making me move my car and then finally they were ready to search. First, it was a dog. German Shepherd. I laughed when he practically got in the trunk over the baby stuff to sniff. Then, it was the "bomb squad." They asked me to pop the hood, and as I am driving Joel's car I just said "I have no idea what that means." "Get out of the car, Ma'am." At this point my mom and I were still having fun though. J was having the best time of his life. If only he got to pet the doggie! As you can see from the photo above, my mom is holding the baby in front of the car as they search it.

Once they gave us the all-clear, we parked. It was a bit of a challenge to get into the hotel with all of our bags. It is a nice place though, and I guess we should feel comfortable knowing we are secure. All is supposed to be over by tomorrow afternoon, so that will be nice too.

Now we are watching DWTS. Kiddo is safe asleep in the bedroom area of our suite. What to do tomorrow...

North Carolina

Today we woke up and left Nana and Pa's after a fabulous week in HHI. It was very sad to say goodbye, but we are already looking forward to next year. It is so funny to think that when the little tyke showed up a week ago he was just starting to crawl, but since then he has really taken off. He is scooting across the room in two seconds. He really enjoyed the loaned walker and has since taken a liking to holding onto our fingers and walking across rooms, hotels, parking lots, you name it. He is a mover. He has also since fell in love with table food. A big week! Not to mention, all of the love he has been showered has really brought out the best in this guy.

So, we sadly left HHI but embarked on our new journey. A one-week trip cross-country (south to north that is) home. Somehow this seemed like a good idea a few months ago, when the kiddo was basically immobile and slept a ton. Yesterday, I kept thinking, what did I do? Today was the worst of the entire trip, a 6 hour leg to Chapel Hill, NC.

Leaving, no problem. Morning nap in the car, fine. Lasted an hour an a half, what more could we ask? A few minutes of happiness, followed by a few minutes of crankiness, and then it was time to stop at his favorite, the Cracker Barrel. Lovely lunch where J makes friends with anyone to his right (he keeps turning that way - nothing we can do can make him face us). Then, some "walking" in the parking lot. Back in the car only to be met immediately with an awful traffic jam. 1/2 hour of no fun whatsoever, screaming crying child, Grammie fighting her way to the backseat, and we had gone 1 mile... The GPS then took us away from 95 and onto backroads, with three hours left, to Chapel Hill. We knew this was not the best plan, but better than the road construction. So, off we went. He only napped a total of 20 minutes for this 3-hour leg, and it was rough. But it could have been worse and we got through it. We kept him interested with toys, baby Mum Mums and lots of chatter. We made it, eventually.

In the hotel, Marriott - and cannot say enough good things. I brought the kiddo in and the guy at the front desk was able to find us a suite. So, my mom and I are comfortably in the living room area now with a glass of wine and DWTS - while the kiddo is sleeping in the next room. After we checked in, we immediately got ready and off we went to visit Uncle Tom and Aunt Terrie in Galloway Ridge at Fearrington Village. A really, really nice retirement community. They treated us to a great dinner. And, J flirted with all of the ladies. He is a ladies man. We did not get back until 9 though... so I wonder what this will do for his sleep tonight... We shall see!

Tomorrow off to DC by way of Richmond... The second toughest leg, wish us luck! I hope to get some shots in too..

Georgia

Some photos of the little guy out to eat at Harbor Town with Aunt Jennie!
Yesterday my mom arrived for our big trip back. Today we went to Savannah to visit with Uncle Frank. It is a longer ride than I remember, but it was worth it! It was very nice to see Uncle Frank, and we enjoyed a very delicious lunch at Uncle Bubba's (a Paula Deen restaurant, as you can imagine, there was butter).
The little guy continues to love to go out to eat. Add corn muffins and saltines to his list as of today. My mom wanted to give him an oyster, but don't worry dad, we didn't. It was his first trip to Georgia, and he had a great time.
Only the last 20 minutes of the trip back home did he get slightly antsy. Which makes me a little nervous for tomorrow's 6 hours trip to Chapel Hill. But, I am sure we will be all set... To be continued...

Beach with Mommy

Today was a big Mommy day, as the rest of the Williams gang went to golf. Mommy is not a big fan of golf, when she does play she likes to score with smiley and unhappy faces. Most of the time it is unhappy faces.

Golf is not a good look for me. I generally only go to wear my awesome Lilly Pulitzer flamingos playing golf pants and since those do not fit, I figured what is the point?
So, the kiddo and I had some good mommy-son time. Another reason I am not a fan of golf, is it sucks up the whole day. While the others were out, the kiddo and I had lunch, ventured to the HHI mall (I know, not very exciting), went to Coligny Plaza and walked around, came home and went to the beach. We played in the sand and then walked around some more before coming home for a nap. All in all, an adventurous day!
Pa and Dad had taken the little guy to the beach earlier in the week and had decided it was a lot of work. They whined about wind or something, I wasn't sure. Men. Whiners. Well, today I figured out what they were talking about. We did have a good time though, and as you can see, the little guy loves his new hat from Gymboree...

It will certainly be a great memory of he and I at the water's edge. I dipped his feet in, then would yank him up and carry him back to dry sand. Holding my fingers the little man would walk/run to the water, as soon as a wave hit his little toes he would squeal in delight and Mommy would repeat the process. So much fun for a little guy (and for me too)!