Trip to Boston Recap

Adam, Henry and I went to Boston last weekend for my niece Kate's 2nd birthday party. Salient points in no particular order:

• We took the Port Jefferson Ferry over to CT. Nice way to break up the trip and Henry loved being on the boat. He is turning into quite the people watcher and really enjoyed himself.
• For the most part, Henry did great in the car. He did have a few episodes of full on shreiking, but is getting better. I think he likes the powder blue mini van.
• Henry generally likes small kids. He initally enjoyed playing with his cousins Madeleine and Kate, but got a little scared when Kate decided to give him a sternum rub. Or, when they both decided to lay under his play gym while he was under there. Or, when Kate unbuckled him while he was sitting in the high chair. Never did the phrase "You won't be happy until someone gets hurt" apply more!
• We are still not animal people. I got grossed out when their kitten went near him and Heather said, "She just wants to lick his head." I'm sorry, but who would be OK with that?
• According to Heather and Chip, we are spoiling Henry rotten. Our version of crying and theirs are quite different. However it seems that they are suffering some sort of parental amnesia, because I remember how they were as first time parents! I never did perfect holding Madeleine at the exact 44 7/8 degree angle that they required.
• Kate referred to Henry as "Avery" for the entire weekend and called him "she" and "her."

All kidding aside, we had a lot of fun. The girls are adorable and it was nice to see everyone. We need to get back up their soon.

Just like the old days...

As some of you are aware (and have warned me against), Henry sleeps in our bed most nights. He starts off the night in his Amby Hammock, but when I go to bed he gets up to eat and I change his diaper. At that point, I usually can't bear to put him back in his little bed alone. So, each night I manufacture a new excuse to bring him in bed. (It's too cold, he looks lonely, I think he might spit up, I am worried he will put the blanket on his face, etc.)

This plan usually works out well. I lay him down in his little spot in the middle (with a body pillow along the headboard so he can't get trapped there and between our two pillows (memory foam so as not to suffocate him) so that he is above the cover line. He spreads his arms and legs out and we cling to the edges of the bed. But, he goes right to sleep and it is easier for me to feed him or pop the pacifier back in his mouth. And, we both also like having him there very much. Despite the amount of room that he takes up and that he smacks Adam in the face about 12 times. He is not a really cuddly type of baby, he is very aggressive.

Anyway, last night I swore I was leaving him in his bed. At the last minute, I cracked and scooped him up while he was sleeping. Since Adam didn't know he was in there, I kept him on my side. I started to cuddle him and fall asleep. My last thought was that I always slept like that while I was pregnant, and wasn't it crazy that now he was on the outside. Well, just to break me out of my reverie, he gave me a quick elbow jab followed by a kick. Just like he did in the womb all night long. Cuddle time over, back to his spot alone in the middle!

We are such losers!

We have been tossing the idea of getting a car back and forth for a while now. Until Henry's arrival, we really didn't "need" one because we were able to get around pretty well using mass transportation and renting cars. Henry even came home from the hospital by car service (White Lincoln Continental, doesn't get a better than that.) Things did get more complicated since we moved because we don't have a reliable car rental place in our neighborhood, and we are now further from Penn Station where we would catch a train to Long Island.

On the plus side, garages are much cheaper in our new neighborhood (1/2 the price of the old, I won't even frighten you with actual numbers, you suburbanites would shudder at the cost. Just be happy you have a nice free driveway.) And, we are very close to major highways and bridges. As Les likes to point out, we practically live on the George Washington Bridge. I will pretend that he means that in a positive way :)

We went to a dealer yesterday just to see what is out there. There are brands that I have never even heard of. As a funny aside, Adam has NEVER owned a car in his life. He registered a boat before he ever registered a car. I find that pretty funny. We decided against a sedan because Henry has A LOT of crap that we need to schlepp around. Also, we won't be using the car on a regular basis, just for trips or shopping so we will always be carrying a lot of stuff.

He went back to the dealer today to test drive a car that we found online. He didn't like it, but found another that fit our criteria. In perfect NYC style, he test drove, purchased, registered and insured it in under an hour. He drove it home tonight. My sister said we acted like we were buying a loaf of bread.

I won't keep you in suspense any longer, we purchased a mini van. Not just any mini van, but the Father of all Mini Vans, the Dodge Caravan. In powder blue. Doesn't get any worse than that.

Since we don't drive it every day, we don't have any ego wrapped up in our car and think it is fun to own a minivan. As Adam's friend Ted said, he thinks we are the only people in the world who have willingly bought a minivan, and have not done so under any duress.

I will be sure to post some pictures of us in our hot new ride soon. The three of us took a test drive tonight to the Bronx to Target. We know all of the hot spots.

Look at me go!

Henry loves to play in his exersaucer. He can now push himself backwards and forwards to see all of the toys. Think of how exciting it will be when we actually put the batteries in it.

First Hotel Stay

Hmm, someone likes the king sized bed a little too much. Adam is going to have competition for the remote very soon!

Grandma's House- Ahh, the sweet life

Hope he didn't get too used to the cushy accomodations, no one does it better than Grandma!

King of Rock

Henry's First Boat Ride

First boat ride down the St. John's River, he missed seeing the manatee and alligator because he was sleeping! I don't blame him, Grandma's lap is pretty comfy.

Henry's First Plane Ride to Florida

What a trooper he was!

Who stole my baby, Part 2

Well, Mr. Henry slept from 11pm to 5:10am this morning, his longest stretch to date. And then took a 2 hour nap this morning. But, I think this was to reward me for screaming bloody murder all day when I tried to put him down and not going to bed until 11pm, but that is another story!