Aquarium!, Again

As you may be aware, I bought a membership to the New England Aquarium. Hence, I feel the need to visit at least two more times so that I can get more than my money's worth. So, we went to the Aquarium today, with Pat and Brit!
The kids had a great time. A quick picnic at the greens right across from the Long Wharf Marriott, and off we went. Though, we then saw that the Aquarium had set out an outdoor restaurant with beer and such... And we totally would have done that instead... but alas.
Having a membership is the only way to go to get to the Aquarium. Members do not have to wait in the ridiculous line to get tickets (nor do they have to pay for tickets). Members also get $10 off parking. But, that being said, I am not sure we will renew our membership next year (or go to the Aquarium for a year after that) because it is a MOB SCENE. Tons of families. I thought we were smart going the day after Mass public schools closed. No school groups, no camps. But no, tons of families. Aren't people supposed to be working?
Despite the crowds, the kids had a good time. Something about animals makes my kid very happy. He sees the penguins and immediately smiles. The tanks were also interesting to him, but not for long. The zoo held his attention longer Maybe a Stone Zoo trip is on the horizon. So, thanks Aquarium. We will probably visit you again in the fall/winter. But boy are you expensive and crowded and for what?

Long Hill, Beverly

Today we helped out. Well, sort of. This summer we will be volunteering for the Ride for Green, an event hosted by my former employer. It should be really fun, people bike riding from the South Shore to the North Shore of Mass to raise money for land conservation. Of course, I will not be bike riding, instead I will be flipping burgers! So, J and I went to the location of the future burger flip to check things out. Then afterwards we went to my old office to have a picnic with some of my old coworkers.
It was a big bummer that so many of my old coworkers were out, but at least we got to see Vassar and Beth! J really enjoyed chatting with them over his picnic food. As you can tell, he also enjoyed the gardens. Long Hill is a great place for a picnic and a walk. GORGEOUS gardens! Right now they even have a plant sale going on, 1/2 off for all of your gardeners. They have also since added chickens, which J loved.
We are sure to be back again soon!

Under the Weather

The little man is not feeling his best lately. The big guy thinks the little guy is getting in some of his back teeth, and this is what is causing the irritability, fever, and lack of sleep at night and lots of sleep during the day. I hope it is just teeth!
We managed to have a fun time at the lake regardless. Though, I feel bad for Mike and Martha, because our cabin has thin walls and the kiddos sleeping troubles certainly echoed. Hopefully the Sweet Tea Vodka drinks helped them sleep through it all!
Otherwise, I think he likes the lake. We get him in the boat and he is right passed out. It does not matter if he had just napped, he will fall right back asleep. It is really cute, check out some shots.
Looking forward to more time at the lake!

Happy Mom

I don't know if it is that I am finally getting back to my old weight (I am .5 pounds away from being my old fat self, which is the fattest I ever was prior to child; and 5 pounds away from being my old fat normal self, which was my constant usual weight prior to child - that is a loss of 20 pounds since coming home from hospital so far); or if it is the summer weather. Maybe we are doing so many fun things, or it could be that he is walking and that is exciting. It could just be that he is so much more interactive and fun now, or that I am no longer worried about some things... Ah, it could also be that they are finally done working on our house from the February storm damage. I am not sure what it is, but this Mom has been in a good mood!Thought I would share some action shots of the kiddo walking. As you can see, Dad likes to play around with his clothing ala Lady Gaga. He does not seem to mind however and still runs around the house. He has lost Frankenstein arms and is now more of a Statue of Liberty arm man (one arm always up holding a pretend torch while walking, while the other to the side or sometimes folded in). I can't believe he is walking this well, and he is not even 11 months yet. I did not walk until 16 months! Oh boy!
Anyway, since I am in such a good mood I thought I would take this moment to write about all of the things out there that have recently attempted to scare me. Many of them did for a little while, but I think I have newly adopted a strategy for this: "everything in moderation," "what does not kill us makes us stronger," and the final question I shall ask myself, "how many people has this really effected?"

Never in my life before have I been confronted with so many: "don't do that, it is bad" things. I am not sure what the deal is, but I am sure all you Moms out there know that there is something with the media (now I sound political) - that they WANT Moms to constantly feel insecure. They really want us to be questioning our every move. They want us to double-think, worry and be on the constant look out. It drove me mad. I am over it now.
Some examples, I should not watch the Today Show any longer. They LOVE to make Moms nervous. My favorite, today a segment on skin cancer. Do not go to the beach they say. You will get skin cancer. As you know, I just went to the beach, and was paranoid the entire time about the sun. Damn near covered my child from head to toe with sunscreen clothing, then sunscreen. Yet, for the first two minutes of this segment I was thinking, oh no, I am a terrible Mom, never to the beach again! Crap! How can he not go to the beach again? He loves it there! Deep breath, moderation.
Also in the news recently, another favorite stressful topic of mine, feeding your child. Now apparently frozen blueberries cause ADHD. So, I have been making my child delicious homemade treats that are going to have a negative effect on his brain development. Really? Again, this terrified me for a bit, but then I realized a few things. Moderation. And, good thing it is blueberry season soon... But seriously, what next? What are they going to say is bad for us tomorrow? My favorite comment on this type of hysteria, an Exeter Mom friend asked our (same) pediatrician: "Do you know what causes Autism?" - his response, basically, no one knows, it could be prenatal consumption of french fries. After he said that, totally kidding, my Exeter Mom friend freaked - "really, oh no, I ate them every day when I was pregnant!" Then she took a breath and realized what she was saying. Seriously, we are crazed people!

My favorite you-are-ruining-your-child-with-food topic: tofu has estrogen in it. A Mom friend recently asked me if I knew the skinny on this topic, and I actually had not heard it before. As you know, my son LOVES tofu. We follow wholesomebabyfoods.com and they rec. it as a good source of protein, finger food, etc. So, after she questioned me of course I needed to figure this out. So, I go onto said website and they have a whole section about the "estrogen" issue I had never seen. One person posts: "No one should recommend tofu for children, my son ate it and grew breasts." Now, totally freaked out, I search further. Turns out, soy has a hormone with similar tendencies to estrogen. But there is no known link between the two. Furthermore, you would have to eat A LOT of soy in order to be effected by this hormone. Like, A LOT. Some babies drink soy formula consistently, and there is no major finding that this has ever had any effect on them. So, my son can have his package of tofu a week thank you. And lady whose son grew breasts, I am not sure what else you are feeding your child. Again, moderation. And, in this case: "how many people has this really effected?"
Moral of the story is, I am not letting these things freak me out anymore. The TV thing - yes, my son watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for about 10-20 minutes a day, I am not ruining him. He likes Mickey, plain and simple. Of that 10 minutes he is only looking at the screen for 20 seconds, when Mickey first comes on. He loves it! Why deprive him of this? What else could we be doing wrong? I can't wait until they say Cry It Out is the reason so many kids act out later in life. That will be awesome. Or, exposure to grilled cheese makes for fat kids. (I can see how this can be possible...) What I mean to say is, have fun! Do things in moderation! Be active, get out, try new things! Eat what you love! This makes for a much happier mommy, and much happier son. So, just try to freak me out news. Just try, I am not going to let you freak out this happy mom now!

Franklin Park Zoo

Ok, will announce it off the bat. I have a Love-Hate relationship with the Franklin Park Zoo. J, loves it. I, hate it. Well, I do not hate it, but I recall saying several times today, "That is going in the review." And, "A for company, F for location."
We did have a great afternoon, despite some speed bumps. Actually, if the speed bumps of today were the worst I ever have to deal with, then come on whiner blog lady... But I shall digest. Kim (with Maddy) and I were there early. We went to park, which was very confusing because there is no signage. I shall also preface this that the GPS took us all through some scary parts of Dorchester. I really can handle scary things, and this was scary. Alas, we ended up at a Zoo parking lot, where a bus driver promptly screamed at us for taking his "space" around his bus, one quick phone call to the zoo and we were nicely directed to another lot (Giraffe lot) - best lot ever!
We got out, and met up with other friends at the Giraffe area. Nice little picnic in the shade, a great chance to get to know one another. Amy and Milly are now old friends! It was my first time seeing Jen in a while, Amy's daughter Mill is just 8 days younger than Jen's Elena. Joel is 8 days younger than Milly, so it was a good age combination crowd. We picnicked, and then set off. The school groups were crazy! But once they cleared, the Zoo was like a ghost town. But, by then it was clear to us that most of the Zoo was closed.
That was the biggest bummer about the visit. Again, the company an A - but the exhibits not so good. It seems as though they are about to undergo a massive renovation, as many of the exhibits were closed, or desolate. I know, it is no Bronx or San Diego Zoo... But, still. They kind of need the renovation, we noticed, as there were only 3 stalls in one of the main bathrooms. How is this possible? We came upon this restroom at probably the worst time possible, with a 20 minute school group line, but still...
It was not all bad! J had a GREAT time. Each time I took him out of the carriage to show him an animal, he squealed with delight. He walked right up to the gorilla, no fear this kid. Do you see the photo above? That alone was worth the day. He later was laughing at one of the birds so much, that Jen noted: "Maybe he will get your laugh!" So, we will have to visit more and more zoos... Anyone know of any more near me?

Castle Hill and Crane Beach (Crane Estate)

Today we went to the Crane Estate in Ipswich, Mass. This is owned by The Trustees of Reservations, my former employer. (Aren't you impressed that I made a hyperlink?). The beach is way popular here in the Northeast. In fact, when people say "You work for whose Trustees?" I would typically reply: "They own Crane Beach." And people would then say, "Ooohh, I LOVE that place!"

Ironically enough, The Trustees own over 100 more reservations across the Commonwealth. And, now that I do not work there anymore I can be brutally honest-- they are all awesome. Actually, the Crane Estate is ridiculously beautiful, magnificent, etc. - but it is not even my favorite. I like Coskata-Coatue in Nantucket, World's End in Hingham, Long Hill in Beverly, and my favorite, Long Point on Martha's Vineyard. But enough of my Trustees ad, and now down to review.
I went with two other Moms today, Lauren and her son Declan and Kim and her daughter Maddy. It was all of ours first time at the beach, so we were overwhelmed and excited. What do we bring? What do they wear? Is there enough sunscreen on this planet for them? We decided that since it was all of our first time we were not going to dare try eating at the beach, and instead picked a sand-free zone for a picnic. Castle Hill. This is a part of the Crane Estate, the summer home of the Crane's (think toilet). Built in 1928, it is massive (see photo above). Do you know a house was built there previous, but they did not like it, so they razed it and built this one? WOW!... Anywho, this place is the home of some very famous films, including The Witches of Eastwick, and the latest, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (Matthew McConaughey fans shout out there). Besides the point, it is breathtaking. Today, you can have your wedding here. Or, show up on a Thursday night in the summer for a concert, or bring your baby and friends for a picnic pre-beach on a Tuesday afternoon!

It only costs $5 to bring your car onto the Estate grounds weekdays ($8 weekends). There are lots to visit. Walk around the house, see the sunken Rose garden, and walk down the Grand Allee. This is huge, and goes down to the water. Kiddos can run forever it seems, all within a parents watchful eye and voice. Very few people are around - they are all at the beach it seems. So, if you go, a stop here is worth it! Lauren and Kim both kept saying that they could not believe how beautiful it is! This year The Trustees' changed the way you approach the house (more fitting to the way the Crane's approach the house) - and boy is it awesome! The views are amazing.
It does not cost extra to visit the house on the Estate. Just save your receipt for $5, and when you show up at the beach gate just down the road show it to the guard. They will deduct the $5 from the $15 per car price for parking at the beach ($25 on the weekends). Ipswich residents, lucky ducks, get in free. Trustees' members get in free or with deep discount depending on level of membership. You bet J and I were free entries! Anywho, park and walk to the deck/concessions area. There is a place to get to the beach with a stroller from here. There are nice bathrooms, showers, concessions, etc. All you need.
The beach is one of the better I have found in New England. Not rocky, nice and flat, but PACKED! It did not help that we went at high tide. LOTS of kids there, we kept thinking, aren't they supposed to be in school? Some tips we have learned about beach-going with kids: I found it very easy to get to the beach with all of my stuff in using my hiking backpack (and I know this seems very yay Trustees, but Yay Trustees! since they were the ones who got it for me as a going away/welcome baby gift!). He was secure and safe, and I had my hands free to lug a bag. We had one big blanket for the group, and a sun tent, which actually proved to be quite useful.
Our kids are still little, so they kind of just looked at the water. Some walking around the water, some sitting in the water, but nothing too exciting. Mostly it was all about the scenery, and beach toys. I was glad I brought extra bathing suits though, because I hear those swimmy diapers can get icky if left on too long. We all decided that we would get better and better at this as time goes on, and we would not lug an entire wardrobe of items to the beach next time. My black cover-up was perfect to mask the sand and water mess! Boy has that thing been through a lot...
The kiddos had a great time! Unfortunately, J had an incident which left him face-planted in the sand, but I was the one that whined the most about that one. After the beach Lauren, Declan, J and I rewarded ourselves with some native clams from the Clam Box (next time Kim and Maddy!). A very important stop! Looking forward to more beach days, hoping you guys out there will sign on! Any other suggestions for favorite beaches?

WALKING, really

A few days ago I posted he was walking. And he was. Between people with much encouragement. He was also going on his own between the couch and the toys, a few steps. But tonight, that has all changed. The kid was walking all around the house. From the couch, to the kitchen, down the hallway, past the dogs (Joel and I were quite impressed of J's ability to navigate around Otter - 50 pounds heavier than him and tail wagging). He was giggling - no, squealing - with delight. Like, "I have finally figured this thing out, I am on the move!" This literally happened at about 7:30pm tonight. I wonder if he will have forgotten this by tomorrow, or if it is really all over... Good news is we are off the Castle Hill tomorrow. He can walk to his content on the Grand Allee or at the beach.
This walking all comes after I just bought him a pair of shoes from Stride Rite that were for crawlers. Nice. Don't worry, they are going back. And, also don't worry, I got him 4 OTHER pairs of shoes... He needed them... One fancy sandal that matches Dad's Mandals (ok, he did not need those). But, he needed one every day summer Mandal (or Boydal?). It will be great to not have to put socks on his sweaty feet. Boat shoes, for walking on the beach/rocky places. And, Flip Flops, because they were $3 and they match his crab outfits... How many shoes do your kids have? He does also have a pair of sneakers that I can use with socks, if needed. That is 5 pairs of shoes... They range in size from fit him right now, to between .5-1 size larger... so I hope this will hold us for a while. Prior to this he only had one pair of shoes, a size two which I was squeezing him in for weeks now... He is a 4.5 wide! (The salesperson at the store said very eloquently that his feet are a little "chubby").

Photos are from Chinese food lunch with Dad (Joel) today. They do not have much of a kid menu so he got steamed chicken and veggies all for himself, and ate a ton. Loves brown rice (not from the Gerber box is apparently the new trick). Good times!

Strawberry Picking with Nana

Today we went to Applecrest Farm (just down the road from us in Hampton Falls, Strawberry picking. It was their annual Strawberry festival day, though it was mostly rained out... Which only meant all the more Strawberries for us!
I finally had a chance to use my awesome hiking backpack for the little guy, that my former co-workers at The Trustees bought for me as a going away/welcome baby present. It works really well, and will be a big hit in Montana this summer. I am also going to bring it to the beach on Tuesday, how else would I get the guy, and all the stuff, out on the sand with only me?
The festival had some bluegrass music (sadly we got there too late for it). And, tons of strawberries for the picking. I am thinking this is an ideal pick your own situation for kids ages 4-12. Big range there! But, it can keep them entertained for hours, at a pretty minimal cost. I have gone applepicking with kids in this age range before, and they can fill up a $10 bag in about 2 minutes... Strawberries, not so much.
J had a good time, but I think he was a bit tired. He has had a lot of fun with Nana and Pa this weekend. While we were leaving we noticed a 1-1/2 year old looking at the strawberries, and I just kept thinking how different an experience this will be for him next year. Especially since hopefully he can actually eat one then!

Old Manse/ Minute Man National Park / Discovery Museum

Today was excellent! He woke up a little on the cranky side, which made me a bit nervous as we had a big day ahead of us. But never fear, happy Joel came out and a fun time was had by all. Boy, did we do a lot. J was wisked away to Concord, Mass during his morning nap. He woke up to a beautiful pastoral scene of a historic house that was formerly home of Hawthorne (the Old Manse), and a very historic spot, home of the start of the Revolutionary War, Old North Bridge. What a big day for the little guy, but it does not end there.
So, we walked around Minute Man National Park. Not so much walking, really 1/2 a mile covers the main parts, which is really only the Old North Bridge, site of the "shot heard round the world." They have excellent pottys, and parking. I have to say even the stone/gravel paths are great because you can easily push strollers on them (not like our experience at Strawbery Banke last week). There was a costumed guide around, but I think it was just for the school group that was there. Either way, lots of fun! Right next door is the Old Manse. Owned by my former employer, The Trustees of Reservations, this is a great spot to bring kids of all ages. A marriage made in heaven if you ask me. You have the facilities of the National Park, the popularity of that site. And then feet away you have the tranquility of a historic site, well maintained, brimming with history. Did you know Hawthorne lived at the Old Manse? Thoreau gave Hawthorne and his bride a garden as a present for their wedding. The garden is recreated there today, how cool is that? Tangible history, I tell you.
Anyway, besides being super-cool, the Old Manse is a great place to picnic. If I had a canoe, it is also a great place to brush off into the river. We met with friends Amy and Milly. Amy and I worked together at Historic New England so we both had a special appreciation for the history. We both left work to be Moms, so we also had a special appreciation for picnicking on a Friday afternoon. Our kids are 8 days apart! And, to top off more coincidences, they both have identical bruises on their foreheads! (unrelated incidents)
After a great picnic, we went to the Discovery Museum in Acton, Mass. Just 15 minutes away, this is a great place to stop by with your kiddos. Of course it is not as grand as the Boston Children's Museum, but it does the job. It is sort of Children's Museum meets historic house. Lots of quirkiness going on here. Each room of the house teaches a different topic: colors, animals, water play, trains, even a "boating" area in the attic. It was a great plus, but also a great minus as more than two children and parents in one room quickly gets cramped. Especially if the other children are grabby toddlers who do not get that Milly and J are just babies... But that was really not so bad.
The kids loved the "baby" room which had steps (big bonus for J), musical toys, and something they were both fascinated with- velcro. Milly loves mirrors, but don't you agree, she is too cute? The Museum was easy to find off the highway, good parking, and a reasonable price ($10 per adult, no charge for under 1 year). But don't think about bringing your strollers in, and I am guessing on a weekend it is a mob scene. My only rec. for them, put a gate on the "Baby" room, right at the top of some precarious steps. We found that to be a bit dicey.

Great day for all! Can't wait to hang out again!

Mini Gym

For the past few weeks we have been going to Atlantic Gym. It is a real Gym - equipped with all of the apparati such as balance beams, uneven bars, etc. But they offer a class for babies. For five weeks, 1/2 hour each week it is $20. I thought, why not?
The first few times he was still working on crawling. So, it was not the best. But there were tons of kids there so it was nice for him to just get out and see. One time it was 8 million degrees, and that made it tough on him. But today, with his newfound walking skills, and his good morning nap, and the cooler temps - he had a blast!
Catch him walking, all by himself, on the trampoline. I don't think I could have done as well! He loves walking on the balance beam now, and when the gym teacher "tumbles" him he seems to get it and smiles as well. We are almost to the point of knowing that if we want to go down steps, we need to go backwards... Just, almost though... Well, he is Joel's son...

The first shot is of his friend Ava doing Downward Facing Dog. I love it!

Question

We visited with Papa Red (Big Joel's Grandfather, little Joel's Great Grandfather) this afternoon. Good times! I think Red is in agreement, our guy is cute. I still hope J's hair gets a little redder so we can finally just nickname him Red too!
Ok, I have a question for all of you out there. It is funny, and it is not. Here it goes. We did cry it out a few months back, and our little angel has been perfect. Too good to be true! I believe he would still be perfect, except for one little thing... Now that he is able to pull himself up, he pulls himself up in his crib. The only problem, he cannot sit himself back down it seems.
Two nights in a row we have had a crying child about 10 minutes after we put him to bed. But it is not sustained crying, no. He cries for about thirty seconds, then falls back asleep. Then, five minutes later he cries for thirty seconds, then falls back asleep. The kid - stands up - and falls asleep standing. Then he wakes up - naturally because how is this comfortable - and freaks out. But, he cannot get himself to sit back down. We have him in a sleep sack. Do you think this is the reason? Ideas, thoughts? Or perhaps, just a funny story? I am worried because I go back in there and lay him back down - but I do not want to undo everything cry it out did by doing this...

Strawbery Banke

Yesterday we went to Strawbery Banke with Maddy and Kim. Pat and Brit were to come, but it seems as though Pat is all-talk and no game!
I have been obsessed with going there ever since I applied to a development job a few years back. They called me for an interview, but wanted to downgrade from the position I actually applied for. I politely declined. I was also interested as for my historic house background. How did they get that many houses in one small area, with only moving two or three to the site? Well, this remains to be answered. I will google research it today.
As with many museums, it was mobbed with school groups. I was especially annoyed as my staff MFA card got me nowhere, and usually gets me and a guest in free. AAA worked to save $2 though! But, $13 for a walking around historic Portsmouth was not my favorite. You can actually just walk around outside for free and get the same experience. But, it was not all bad... My main gripe lies in the fact that most of the houses closed by 2 (was not aware of this), and their children's discovery center is not even open mid-week. So, it was tough going with the little ones in this historic home haven. They also have gotten rid of the animals. Sad. Even the docent who orients you at the start of your tour did not know what to say to us... At least arm the lady with some make-up to dos with people's babies and toddlers. I should have guessed this was going to not be the best place when all my local mom friend's declined attending this event.
But, otherwise it was really great for the gardens. We got lots of ideas for things to plant, all plants are labeled there really nicely. If you are about to plant anything - herbs, veggies, annuals, perennials - go here and you can see things in full bloom and what works well with others. There was also a nice local artist exhibit with paintings on loan from all sorts of places. We liked running into the costume people, but it was not as fun as Disney... My favorite though was one of the tour guides in one of the homes. He did not sneer our our little ones and welcomed us in and gave us the low-down on the place and the institution. But, we still are a little foggy about how everything got there altogether.
All in all, it was a good day. The giant lawn was fun for running around. I wish they had some animals though - could they partner with NHSPCA to offer a barn area, and a learning facility? Demonstrations of yarn spinning would be so neat. Can the Discovery Center be open mid-week too? I feel like the place has the potential to be as good as Plimoth Plantation, but maybe it just does not have the man-power and funding to do so mid-week? I heard they had some cuts a few years back.

Next time the kiddo may need to be older. It was difficult to navigate the stone paths with the strollers, and of course a historic house can be rough with little hands. I am determined to figure this out though! There must be a way to make it so that younger ones can enjoy (or at least younger ones can be entertained while moms and dads enjoy) the historic home experience. Does it have to be off-limits to young families? I am going to ask my Historic New England buddies their thoughts... Maybe I can make a play-day at one of their homes - without furniture for a start. Just like they say about food, introduce it to them from an early age and they will be interested throughout their life. Can't we say the same about history? But for now... Strawbery Banke - if you like gardens - I would make a visit! But otherwise, wait a few years, and go on the weekend when it is more open...