A bushel and a peck

Pat mentioned when she was here that we probably eat a peck of dirt in our lifetime. Well, Caroline's love affair with dirt continued on Tuesday in a busy Bryant Park. She camped out smack dab in the middle of a walking path next to the big lawn. I tried to move her a couple of times (including once when a man in a wheelchair needed to get by), but she was fixated on returning again and again.

We had another great moment on the 7 platform in Grand Central when the Rastafarian drummers offered Caroline one of their drums. She was beaming, drumming along with her newfound, gap-toothed smiling friends. Only in New York. I wish I had gotten a picture, but at the time I was completely caught up in keeping her from putting the drumstick in her mouth. Ewww.

City Girl

Caroline & I headed out to LI for the parades on Monday. There we met Uncle Joe and shadowed the LV Taekwondo troop as they marched along. Caroline thought they were just the neatest thing - especially the two kids in padded uniforms. Instead of sparring every once in a while, they just kept on hitting each other as they walked.

I lost the camera midway through the route when Caroline decided she didn't want to walk on grass when she could walk on pavement instead - She's a city girl. Joe was a star and retraced our steps, coming up with the camera while Caroline took pictures with Beth during the ceremony.

Caroline loved taking pictures with Beth, especially because she could hit Beth repeatedly on the head with the flag they gave her. You'd think the kid never saw an American flag before...

Here are shots of the parade & the afterparty and one that Joe took of the car to test the camera. The camera was quite wet when he found it.

Forest Park

We were looking for something new to do on Sunday, so we headed out to Forest Park. It was recommended by neighbors who told us it's the place to go in Queens to see nature. They neglected to mention that it's still surrounded by multiple major roadways.

We took a short hiking trail and headed to a playground on the south side. There, Caroline got her first knee scrape - nothing a few crackers and sippy cup of water couldn't solve.

Caroline's favorite parts were sitting in the dirt, saying hello to some puppies and checking out the reflectors in the road.

Splish Splash: The Original

Caroline actually went through the sprinklers for the first time on Friday. Silly me didn't bring a camera, but I took some shots with the cellphone. Well, I finally figured out how to get those shots to the computer! Here they are (She's trying to catch water in her mouth).

By the way, after 10 minutes in the sprinkler on Friday her teeth were chattering and her lips were blue. I tried to get her to take a break but she would have none of it. The first time mom here dragged her out of the area and muscled her into the stroller where she cried for several blocks of our trip home. Saturday wasn't nearly so traumatic - Clay let her have her fill of sprinkler time. She eventually left on her own in pursuit of the swings. Both days she needed an extra nap to calm down from all the stimuli. Could you imagine this kid in daycare? She'd be twitching.

Splish Splash

It's 88 degrees here today. I'm sure Pat is glad she headed home. After emailing my final project this afternoon I headed out to join Caroline & Clay at the park. Although there's no grass in Traver's Park (how the heck is Traver's Park listed on wikipedia?!?), there is a neat set of sprinklers that keep the local kids from opening up fire hydrants. So, I grabbed Caroline a towel, water shoes, extra diapers and an extra set of clothes before I left. Turns out when you're playing with Daddy, there's no need for such supplies. She preferred to stay in her soaked diaper and clothes until we got home. I've rarely seen her more excited. I'm really astounded, though, about how cold the water is from these sprinklers. This must be one of Clay's traits coming through - It would take me at least an hour to run through sprinklers so cold.

On a side note - I included a picture of the general sprinkler scene from my vantage point (ala Caroline & the hipsters). Can you pick out Caroline in green among the other children? There's also a picture of Caroline & her music class friend Alex checking out his new set of wheels.

Cookie Monster

On Wednesday, Caroline pulled her first thing down from the kitchen counter - it was a package of Oatmeal Raisin cookies. Feed the kid much? I took it as a sign. She and AJ each took a stack of stuck-together yummies. I had to snap a few shots before replacing it with a yellow pepper.

MIA

I've been pretty much keeping my head in the sand this week, concentrating on finishing my final papers for school. I am proud to say, however, that I am officially done for the semester. Woohoo!! I'm going to go take a walk.

Post Pat in NYC - Day 1

So, Pat left this morning. I think Caroline & AJ are both crushed.

Stops for the day:
2 dog walks
1 bag of garbage

Naps for the day:
2 - Caroline was out from 11-2:30, so I snuck one in for an hour too.

Highlights of the day:
Leftover Joe's Shanghai.

Boy are we tired!

Pat in NYC - Day 6

Stops for Sunday, Day 6:
Coney Island
Katz's Delicatessen
Central Park
Joe's Shanghai

Naps for the day:
3 - thanks to Pat

Car-ride illnesses for the day:
0 - again, Pat is a genius!

Highlights of the day:
They painted the Cyclone recently, which makes it harder to distinguish the old wood from the older wood.
The current 'Freak' at 'Shoot the Freak' is really young - and nimble enough to avoid 80% of Clay's shots.
Pat will let you win at boardwalk games if you have a kid who likes stuffed animals.
Katz's is child friendly. Caroline tried her first pickle (she ate half) and Corned Beef (ate very little). She refused to try Liverwurst, but found it to be very squishy. Knishes and Rye Bread were good to go, though.
There's a Dairy in Central Park. I think this freaked Pat out.
The Polar Bears at the Central Park Zoo are absolutely adorable. The pigeons at the Zoo are more interesting to Caroline than the goats - and they're faster than toddlers as well.

Pat in NYC - Day 5

Stops for Saturday, Day 5:

Papa Faughnan's

Naps for the day:

2

Car-ride illnesses for the day:

0!

Pat in NYC - Day 4

Stops for Day 4:

Grand Central Station

Chrysler Building

New York Public Library

Bryant Park

Times Square

Naps for the day:

A big fat 0, though the rousing game of peek-a-boo with 2 young men on the 7 train was quite a refresher. They started the game, by the way.

Stuffed animals for the day:

1 purple #7 train bear.

Caroline's firsts for the day:

First NYC pretzel (Times Square)

First gravel-ly surface (Bryant Park)

First carousel ride (Bryant Park)

First ferris wheel ride (Times Square). All were rousing successes.

Oh - and first time chasing Bryant Park piegeons. They are also faster than toddlers.

Pat in NYC - Days 3/4

We had a great visit from Brian, Miriam, Liz & Ceniza on Thursday night, which made the female to male ratio in the apartment 7:2. Poor Brian & Clay-

Pat in NYC - Day 3

Stops for Thursday, Day 3:

Brooklyn Heights & Promenade

Grimaldi's Pizza

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory/

Old Fulton Landing

Brooklyn Bridge

Naps for the day:
One on the F train going to Brooklyn

Lessons for Day 3:

Grimaldi's is child friendly.

Caroline can be suspicious of ice cream like no toddler should.

Brooklyn pigeons are faster than toddlers.

Pat in NYC - Day 2

Stops for the day:

Roosevelt Island Bus Tour

Roosevelt Island Tram

Serendipity

Bloomingdales

FAO Schwartz

Jekyll & Hyde

Naps for the day:

1 on F train going home

Lessons for the day:

Sometimes, the RI Tram only runs on the hour.

Serendipity is not child friendly, but the frozen hot chocolate is really good.

Bloomingdales does not carry kids' shoes.

A stroller left outside Serendipity will not be stolen.

The Silver Cross pram Pat likes at FAO Schwartz costs $3000.

Caroline is heavy enough to activate the step-on piano there.

Caroline will hold exactly 1 horse, 1 lamb & 1 cow before she refuses a stuffed animal.

Place your bets

Pat's in Queens! - Day 1

On the schedule for Wednesday-
Roosevelt Island Tram
Bloomies
Serendipity
Central Park Zoo/Carousel

Thursday:
Brooklyn Bridge
Grimaldi's
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
Ground Zero
Staten Island Ferry

Friday:
Macy's / H&M
Empire State Building
Chrysler Building
Grand Central
Times Square


Somehow, we want to fit in the Cyclone, Katz's, Chinatown, a good meatball hero & a good italian sub too. Maybe we'll just do nothing but eat on Sunday.

So, place your bets....
How far do you think we'll get with a 14mo? Clay says 2 activities tops.

By the way, if anyone is interested in joining in the fun (all day of something or even just lunch), give me a ring at home or on the cell. Obviously, seeing family trumps sightseeing anyday.

Beware your Mothers' Day flowers

I was surprised to find out today that tulips are poisonous. Don't worry though, said Poison Control, they only produce a rash on & in the mouth - nothing too serious.

Apparently, another side effect is an aversion to bathing. This is the first day since she was 10 days old that Caroline hasn't bathed. Don't tell the other babies.
These shots were taken during the chase scene. She managed to take her shirt off while at a trot.

Do you notice something else interesting about these shots? Maybe a dog strategically placing themselves in the area? Yeah- there was an uneaten grilled cheese sandwich nearby. It's days like this that I like to remind both dog and baby that I used to manage 60+ people and a multi-million dollar operation. They really don't seem to care.

Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Mothers' Day everyone! It's hard to know what really to say today. We planted our Mothers' Day flowers last week, so all we have left to celebrate with is our Mothers' Day guacamole & sangria. Most anything trite I could say about the day would sound just like that. So, instead I'll write about Caroline again.

It was time for dinner, also known as Caroline's messiest meal of the day. Dinner is immediately followed by bathtime, so anything messy is ok by me at this time of day only. I decided to make her a peanut butter & jelly sandwich (who knew that PB&J could be messy?), when she started the predictable tugs of my leg. I turned to say 'Would you like me to make you a sandwich?', when instantly into my head popped the words that followed, '*Poof!* You're a sandwich!'

Suddenly, a joke my Mother once told me ad nauseum became the funniest one I'd ever heard. I giggled and reflected yet again on all that I've learned in the past 14 months - all the times I've said to myself 'How do you think she handled this?' or 'Man, I can't believe I put her through that.' It's only since I've had Caroline that I finally think I have the smallest understanding of her sense of humor.

Later, after the craziness of this past week, I was trying to figure out the most appropriate activity for Mothers' Day. Clay is post-call today, his only day off between last Sunday and next Sunday. Surely, he will be tired. There's laundry and cleaning to be done too- and that's a priority given the condition of the apartment. But the most ideal thing for me to do today is one thing -nothing.

'I would relax... I would sit on my [rear end] all day... I would do nothing.' - Office Space

Now I know why my Mom always referred to that as 'having a party.'

Kid! Be careful - that's a grate!

The question has come up from a few as to the origin of the title of this blog. Please, rest assured - Caroline has not been playing with a bag of glass. The title refers to a recurring Saturday Night Live skit with Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin that goes something like this.

No, Caroline has not been playing with glass - and please also know that no Carolines have been harmed in the filming of this blog. Usually, I will spot her on something at least once or twice before I grab the camera to document.

Back to our regularly scheduled post:

In keeping with the theme for this week (socialization), Caroline and I ventured out for a neighborhood playgroup on Friday. While we had gone to this playgroup once before, that was back in November. My winter hibernation and classes (and such) have prevented us from attending ever since. I was intrigued to see how Caroline would fare with these older kids now that she, too, could move about the room.

Knowing that I could never convince Caroline to get in the stroller for the 5th &6th times that day, I strapped on the Ergo and hoofed it to 91st St., about 1/2 mile away. There, nine children playing with 15 parents supervising seemed like 18 children with two. It was crazy and complete with wine, cookies and cheez-its. After an hour, Caroline was falling all over the place, a sure sign she was too tired to continue. So, we started to hoof it back home. We got about two blocks before she repeatedly lunged for the ground (her new signal that she wants to walk). We worked out a comprise where I would let her walk on two conditions: 1. That she walks in the general direction of home and 2. That I carry her across the streets where the vroom-vrooms go.

This worked for three additional blocks before she discovered her first sidewalk grate. Caroline's a sucker for a new surface, so I let her cross back and forth about 5 times before taking a picture. Once she started picking at the grate, I decided it was time for us to move on. She voiced her disagreement with this for one additional block before we came across a party store. Here, we picked out a small Grover of our own to take home and finished our trip home back in the Ergo.

Wow - this post has certainly meandered a bit. Cutting to the chase, the thrusts of it are: 1. Caroline discovered her first sidewalk grate on Friday and 2. It took us a full hour to get home.

Ever feel like you're in a Family Circus cartoon? All this socialization has gotten me tired.

Gantry Plaza State Park

We took our first mommy outing on Thursday with S & N to Gantry Plaza State Park, another park on the water in Long Island City. This one is a bit south of Socrates State Park, with views of the UN, Chrysler Building & Empire State Building. It's set in (yet another) industrial section of Queens, complete with gantries and the Pepsi-Cola sign. (There will be some pictures of those on the side when blogger will let me add an element to the template.)

Formerly the 'hood of the eldest Swensson, there's been much change in the year or so since she left - 3 more luxury residential towers (to add to the original 2) with 7 more underway. It's really quite good that the 2012 Olympics didn't come to NYC - who needs an olympic village when you can have luxury highrises? Sticking completely with the usual NYC gentrification plan, they're converting a number of factories into lofts and opening up a Whole Foods too.

While Caroline, again, was unfazed by the skyline, she was quite enamoured with a long stone path by the water. She let me chase her down it a couple of times before she discovered the 'Dog Free Zone' sign. It was here that she stopped trotting. She immediately approached the sign started pounding her hands on it as if to say 'AJ!!!!! Nooooooooo!!!!!'. She then grabbed the rails and rattled the door for extra emphasis. Finally, she pointed at the sign and gave a little pant (signifying she knew it was a picture of a dog) to show her solidarity.

Later on we wandered down to Pier #2, which is completely enclosed by hatched wire, thank goodness. There, Caroline & N met a new dog friend and played while the dog's female owner - I'll call her B - tried to pick S & myself up. The conversation went something like this:

B: Are they cousins or friends?

Me: Friends.
B: Do you live around here?

Me: No, we're just on a trip - from Jackson Heights
B: Oh! Do you like to explore the city with the kids?

Me:Yeah
B: Well, I was working on getting something together. Would you be interested?
Me: Oh - do you have a child? Are you a mommy?
B: Uh - no, I actually have a friend who is. She has two girls. I just like to put things together
Me: Oh.

What I learned from the conversation? Piers are definitely not a place to hook-up with other mommies. People on piers are just plain weird.