The Big Apple With the Little One

New York City was one of my favorite all-time ever trips.

It wasn't necessarily because of all the sights we saw or the lavish places we dined in. We didn't go on tours or to museums or visit all of the typical New York tourist attractions, although we did see a lot in a week.

It wasn't because of my flights to and fro. I had the most interesting flight to JFK. When I arrived at my gate in Salt Lake, I noticed a huge group of missionaries sitting in the waiting area. I immediately figured that it would be my luck to be seated next to one of the missionaries and get to experience the joy of breastfeeding my baby right next to a red faced greenie.

I figured right, of course, because my seat ended up being sandwiched in between not only one, but two missionaries. What made it even better was that one of the missionaries was headed to the Missionary Training Center in London, so it was literally his first day on the mission. And the real kicker was that not only was it his first day as a missionary, but he had never been on an airplane before. I had to show him how to use the seatbelt. He fervently studied the emergency exit and safety trifold. He spent a hour writing a letter to his girlfriend back home and then asked me which side of the envelope the stamp went on. Sitting next to a breastfeeding mom just had to just be the icing on the cake for him. What was I going to do though? The baby had to eat! I apologized in advance and then hid under my nursing cover as we went about our business. I bet he didn't imagine getting to experience that on his first day in the field. My return flight wasn't much better in that the baby threw up all over my shirt and hair while we were walking through security. That resulted in an unwanted purchase of a t-shirt for me from the airport gift shop.

Our trip wasn't wonderful because Nash turned into a perfect baby void of crying. In fact, I don't think he has ever screamed harder than those 30 overtired subway minutes on the way back from Times Square. Even when you're having the time of your life the nitty gritty details don't disappear.

New York City just has that special magical feel about it that makes you happy. I really enjoyed all of the walking and walking and walking over the holiday weekend because it contained so much time that I got to spend in conversation with Troy. It was nice to mix our daily mundane up a little bit with a new atmosphere and a different schedule. We actually did a lot of lounging in our apartment because I learned that if Nash didn't take at least one of his naps in a crib instead of a moving stroller, we'd pay for it later. Some days we didn't get out until the afternoon. We took naps and watched movies. I didn't really expect this trip to be defined by relaxation with the excitement and fast pace of the city, but it was actually perfect and what we both needed to rejuvenate. When we went out, we played hard. We covered so much ground in Manhattan, and I loved discovering different parts of the city.

My ultimate favorite part of this trip was that it was an opportunity for just Nash and me. Don't get me wrong, I missed Blake a lot and Troy and I found ourselves frequently quoting funny little Blake anecdotes. I love it when our family is all together. But this was something special just for baby Nash. Not that he will remember it, but I just soaked up the time I spent cuddling and cooing with my sweet little baby all over Manhattan. It is a memory that I will always have of being able to give my undivided attention to my second child, and I love that.

This was Nash's view for most of the trip. He got pretty sick of riding around in his stroller by the end. Can I just vent a little bit on how un-stroller friendly New York City is? Even after carefully plotting subway routes that only consisted of handicap elevator access, I would arrive at the stations to find out that the elevator was broken or that it wasn't marked correctly. Carrying a heavy stroller up and down stairs in 90 degree humidity is not the most fun thing. Also, I was surprised at how inconsiderate people were when I was trying to maneuver an infant onto the subway or across a busy street. Like I was inconveniencing them. Whatever. One aspect of New York that was different than back home was that the people who were considerate of us seriously doted over Nash. They were so enthralled by his size, smiles, and general cuteness. Let me tell you, that does not happen back in Salt Lake City. It is not a big deal to have a baby there. So that part made up for the horrible transportation situation and frequent rudeness.

I enjoyed a cupcake from Crumbs filled with sweet chocolately goodness.

We ate at Joe's Shanghai in Chinatown. The dumplings were to die for.

Pink Berry is my new favorite dessert. It's the most delicious frozen yogurt with fresh fruit. We went there twice it was so good, and both times walked at least 15 blocks out of our way to obtain it.

Oh man, the food was all so good! I think this restaurant was really my favorite though. It's called Max Brenner located near Union Square and has everything chocolate. Drinks, fondue, desserts, you name it. My meal was delicious too. Nash fell asleep in my arms while we were waiting for a table. I love it when he does that.

Just admiring.

It was kind of fun to walk and take the subway to church. It probably wouldn't be fun every week though. Not to mention carrying the stroller up stairs to be able to take the elevator to the chapel on the fourth floor.

We sat down on a park bench in Union Square on the way back home from church. It was a happenin' place.

This is my "Oh my word, I'm in Times Square" face.

Sweet little Nash got incredibly overwhelmed at Times Square. After a serious meltdown, he finally crashed in my arms. I certainly didn't mind walking home with him cuddled against me like so.

He also took naps in other unconventional places like the bench next to me at Lombardi's. I felt bad to let him nap in so many different inconsistent places, but we were only in New York for one week and I felt like we needed to live it up a little bit. So, I threw out the rigid schedule. Hopefully one chaotic week during his first year won't be too detrimental.

Troy with our pizza at Lombardi's. My side would be the plain side.

You know when you meet someone and you just instantly feel that click? You just kind of get them and it feels like they get you too? Well, that's how I feel about my New York buddy, Kim. We spent a lot of time together while our husbands were at work. We carted our babies all over Manhattan. We were successful in getting so wrapped up in conversation that we got lost every single day. I was actually really sad to leave because it would have been so much fun to keep exploring every day! It was like being in college again, except for the addition of our children. We were in the same building so we just hopped on over to each other's apartments. I'm so happy that Kim and her family will be back out in Salt Lake at the end of the summer. One of the coolest things we did together was walk the Brooklyn Bridge and look at the view of Manhattan.

It was seriously so gorgeous!

And wow, what a view!

We ate at the old Grimaldi's Pizzeria once in we got into Brooklyn.

We also went to Rockefeller Center.

We had to go to FAO Schwartz too, of course. Blake would have loved it there.

We walked along the shore by our building to a beautiful children's playground surrounded by high rises. That would be the Statue of Liberty in the background.

We thought it was funny when we realized that both of our husbands on separate occasions quoted figures to us on how much they thought these yachts cost. Such financial analysts. The building that Troy works in is the rounded building in the back middle. It was just completed this year and is the most environmentally friendly building in New York. It's a good thing it is so nice to be in since Troy has stayed in the office until 11pm or much later on several occasions.

Finally, to top off this incredible trip, Troy and I celebrated our 4th anniversary on my last day in the city. Kim and her husband were nice enough to watch Nash so that we could go out to dinner and to a Broadway show. We saw "In the Heights." The music and dancing were so wonderful. I absolutely loved it. It seemed so romantic to be in Times Square on our anniversary. It was the perfect ending to an amazing week!