Family Pics

We had Natty take our family pics again this year.  We had a fun photo shoot and picked up Cheese Cake Factory for dinner on our way home.

I love the way these turned out.  After being so thrilled with every aspect of last year's family pics...I know they will be hard to top (ever), but I love documenting our growing family.  And I love the way Natty captures it all.

 23 weeks 5 days

Our Super Hero

I'm pretty sure this is a normal boy behavior, but we are very often graced with the presence of a Super Hero.  And we love every second of it.

And then he gets dressed, helps dad, and has lunch like a normal little boy.  

Helping Daddy

Mike was outside working on the yard and had a little helper.  Wherever Daddy goes...Blip wants to go too. Mike was looking for wrench he set down, but couldn't find it anywhere.  After searching for it he finally found it. I guess Blip's mower needed a tune-up too.

Big Boy

As much as it pains me...my baby boy is growing up.  Each day he does and learns something new.  He is going to be a great big brother...it just makes me sad that the last almost three years have passed so quickly.

NYC: Day 7: Headed Home

I went to bed Monday night without a shower, without setting an alarm, without taking out my contacts…pretty much I fell into our comfy bed and slept.  It was the first night in memory I didn't even wake up to use the bathroom.  At some point in the morning, Mike did get up to use the bathroom…and then he came back to bed.  I was curious how much longer I was going to get to sleep, so I checked the time…oh crap!

It was 8:30-ish am and we needed to be leaving for the airport in less than an hour.  We hadn't packed a thing, I needed to shower, and we needed to eat something.  Ugh…we jumped out of bed and started packing and getting ready.  I jumped in the shower and quickly pulled myself together while Mike did the same.  He packed his bag and then went to grab us food while I finished packing us.

He went downstairs to Pommes Palais and grabbed water, yogurt parfaits (so good!), and egg croissant thingys (they were just okay).  After scarfing down a nearly $40 breakfast (I know!), we called for someone to come help with our bags.

Mike arranged for an Uber car to take us to the airport, but after waiting for a long time (in comparison to normal wait times for an Uber car), the guy canceled .  He couldn't get to us because the Veteran's Day parade had too many streets shut down. So the doorman encouraged us to take a cab, so that's what we did.  

The cab driver had a hard time getting us to where we needed to be because of the parade, so he asked us if we cared if he took the Holland Tunnel.  Um…we have NO idea where were are or how to get to where we're going…that's why we're in your backseat.  So we told him to do whatever he needed to do to get us to the airport as quickly as possible…plus seeing the tunnel was cool and on my list.  $95 + tip later…we were at the Newark airport in plenty of time. 

We checked in, waited forever in the security line, and had about 25-30 minutes to wait until boarding.  Ah…perfect.  So glad we didn't take the train back…it would have been stressful to lug all of our bags BACK to the airport.

We settled into our seats and enjoyed our flight home.  The closer we got…the more excited I got to see Blip.  I know Mike was already super excited because he spent the entire cab ride to the airport showing me videos of our cute son on his phone.  We had such a great trip, but man…it was good to be home and hold my boy in my arms.

Nana picked him up from Ms. Barbie's early and took Blip to the airport to watch the planes.  She is a good Nana…the best.  We couldn't ask for better.  Carlys puled up the curb to pick us up and I jumped in the backseat to hug and kiss on Blip.  He wasn't as excited and animated as I had hoped.  Instead…he started crying.  I took him out of his carseat and held him on the curb…and then passed him off to his daddy.  The tears stopped quickly, but you could tell he was ready for us to be home and be a family again.  We felt the same way.

I absolutely had the best time.  Mike and I needed this trip in the worst way.  I wish we had done it before I got pregnant…for several reasons, but I have no complaints.  We really enjoyed being married and just getting to be together.  It wasn't a "relaxing" vacation, but it was just what we needed.  It felt so good to rest and recharge with the man of my dreams.  The business of life seems to take hold after a while, so getting to do this before adding #2 was super important.  I highly recommend leaving the kid(s) behind and just being married for a week.  It's the best thing we've ever done for our marriage.  I can't wait to do it again (someday).

NYC: Day 6: Rockefeller & Central Park

On Monday morning we slept in a bit.  Mike rubbed my calves two days in a row, so they were feeling much better. Pretty sure it was the most painful massaging I've ever endured, but hey- it worked!  I'm so glad I hurt less because Monday brought a lot (A LOT) more walking.

We woke up, got ready, and headed for Rockefeller Center.  The tree went up on Friday, so by Monday it was covered in scaffolding and workers.  We bought our tickets to see Top of the Rock and then headed for breakfast.  We found a place in Rockefeller center called Pret a Manger.  I had seen a few around the city, so we decided to try it.  The food was delicious…and all organic.  We got OJ, a Coke, a breakfast sandwich, a yogurt parfait, and some club sandwich thing (that was excellent).  We sat, ate, and talked until it was our time to go up.

At the top we enjoyed the view.  It was my first look at Central Park…and I was NOT disappointed.  The trees were all yellows and oranges…really beautiful.  I was even more excited to go visit the park in person.

I also loved the view of the Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building (I heard Ms. Hannigan's voice every time I saw it!).  We went to each of the levels were allowed, visited the bathroom (a normal thing for me every place we went), and then went back downstairs.

From Rockefeller Center went to Carnegie Deli and waited in line.  We were there later than the lunch crowd, so it was busy, but not too bad.  Mike and I shared a hot pastrami sandwich and a piece of cheesecake.  Both were some of the best food I've ever put in my mouth.  I had never tasted pastrami before (I'm a weirdo…what can I say?), but I LOVED it.  I was delicious…so good with the mustard and the yummy bread they served it on.  But the cheesecake…OMG.  It was so good.  

I wish I could have eaten more, but sharing was the perfect amount of food for two people.  Plus…the sandwiches are huge and cost about $30, so sharing seems like the right thing to do.  I really do wish we could have eaten there again before leaving, but we'll have to do it again next time.

After stuffing ourselves, we walked to Central Park.  Who knew it was so close out entire time there.  LOL  That city is sooo huge…I will feel much better equipped and much more knowledgeable on our location when I get to go back some day. 

Central Park was a beautiful as I pictured it.  The fall leaves on the trees helped…a lot.  We just wandered around…found a bathroom…and a cool playground…the park was pretty much empty because it was mid-afternoon on a Monday.  There were a lot of nannies there with their kiddos, but not a lot of people in general.  We walked through a small portion of the huge park and then exited out so I could see the Mormon Temple.  We walked up the street to see it closer, and then I had to find a bathroom…again.  

We found a Starbucks on a beautiful street corner, so we decided to sit for a bit.  Mike ordered me a caramel apple cider and we just sat, held hands, played on our phones, laughed together about what we saw…it was really nice.  We sat for a long time and then called for a car to take us back to the hotel.  I told Mike I just didn't want to walk any further.

For dinner we both wanted pizza.  Just simple NYC pizza like we ate after the 9/11 museum our first day in the City.  We didn't know how to find that kind of pizza, so we asked our Concierge (not Jimmy…he was on his days off) to find us a place to eat pizza.  

He sent us to a place called Rubirosa and recommended the vodka pizza.  He said it was in Little Italy, but I don't think it was in the heart of Little Italy…just based on the map.  Maybe just the outskirts.  Either way…the food was really good.  We ordered the calamari to start and then a vodka pizza to share.  It was delicious.  We had just the right amount of food, but needed dessert.

We left the restaurant and I found us the right subway entrance to make it back to Grand Central.  The gelato place closed about 10 minutes before we got there, so we looked up another place that seemed close by and we started walking.  We knew the place was in Time Square, so that's where we headed.  We walked up and down ALL of Time Square and could not find it.  Not with our GPS.  Not with a phone call.  Not with the addresses (that make absolutely no sense whatsoever).  

We stopped of at the Marriott Marquee so I could use the bathroom (the only real inconvenience of being pregnant on any vacation) again…and then walked ALL of Time Square again.  And then one more time to get to the other end…and then we continued walking until we were at the fountain near Central Park.  We finally found the stupid gelato place, Grom.  I'll tell you what…it was the only food we ate all week that I can honestly say was NOT worth the walk.  It wasn't bad gelato, but I've had a lot better.  

I was in a foul mood by this point…and Mike was not helping.  I was exhausted and we had seriously just walked a couple of miles…after all the walking we did earlier in the day.  I wanted to be in my bed so badly…and we were nowhere near our hotel.  We walked back…and every step was painful.  I wanted to die.  I was so tired that we even sat on a bench for a few minutes to rest across from Rockefeller Center.  I decided that I couldn't rest or I wouldn't get back up.  We walked the two more blocks back to the hotel..and I was in tears by this point.  And the damn gelato wasn't even that good.

I peeled my clothing off and climbed into bed.  I didn't even wash my face…I was just done.

NYC: Day 5: More Walking

Sunday was the day we set aside to walk around midtown Manhattan and "shop".  The only problem with that- I brought my friend that doesn't actually like to shop.  It was fun anyway, but I can't wait to go back with friends that like and want to shop.

For breakfast we set out to find something other than our usual Starbucks beverage and muffin.  We ended up at a place about a block from our hotel called Bread and Company. We ordered food and OJ from there, but ended up at Starbucks next door for a place to sit.  I had my normal breakfast order- bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (on an English Muffin).  Mike ordered pancakes and eggs.  Not bad for a quick breakfast.

After we were full…we walked.  We made it to the Flatiron building and then turned to walk up to 6th Avenue (where more shops were).  We went into the original, huge Macy's (and saw the old wooden escalators), a couple souvenir shops, and H&M.  I bought a few things for my baby girl, so that made me happy.  Mike went into Orvis, so I think that made him happy.

While we were out I snacked on a waffle from a food stand and Mike got a hot pretzel (which wasn't good, by the way).  We napped and then I woke Mike up and asked if he wanted me to buy STOMP tickets.  He said that sounded fun, so we purchased tickets and asked Jimmy to make us reservations at Patsy's for dinner.  Luckily we were able to get in.

The show was pretty dang cool, but dinner was the best part of the day.  It was the best Italian food I've had since I was in Italy.  I ordered pumpkin filled tortellini and Mike ordered some other chicken dish called Chicken Rollatine Marsala.  It was chicken stuffed with cheeses and Prosciutto and then in a Marsala sauce.  It was good…Mike wanted to lick the plate.  The portion sizes were huge…and the food was fantastic.  The best part of the meal was dessert!  I got my favorite tiramisu and Mike ordered a piece of canoli cake.  Mike's was okay, but mine was awesome!

We finished stuffing ourselves and decided to walk back to the hotel.  We found ourselves in Time Square, so we walked around a bit. I found the Marriott Marquee, so we found a bathroom in the hotel and looked around a bit.  That's the hotel from the movie True Lies, so I've always wanted to see it!  We also found the Richard Rodgers Theater, so I took a picture.  We walked around and found Junior's, so we ordered a couple pieces of cheesecake (I ordered red velvet and Mike ordered chocolate) to take back to the hotel with us.

NYC: Day 4: Our Anniversary

We slept in Saturday morning until we were ready to be alive again.  I got out of bed and realized how badly my calves hurt…every step hurt.  Oh well.  We got up and got ready for the day. (By this point only stairs were actually painful…luckily we only did stairs a hundred times that day. haha)

On our agenda for the day was seeing the Brooklyn Bridge, so we walked back to Grand Central, found the correct train, and hopped on.  We got off at the Brooklyn Bridge stop and made our way to the bridge so we could walk across it.  We joined in the crowd of people walking across the bridge.  We walked more than half-way across, took some pictures, and then headed back to the Manhattan side.  I had to find a bathroom…and I already knew that would take time.  We found a Starbucks, so I thought I was safe.  Um…at least 30 people were in line to use one bathroom, so I told Mike I couldn't wait.  

We left there and found a Dunkin Donuts.  The line was only 6 to 7 people for one (gross) bathroom, so we waited.  When the guy in front of me was on deck I told him how thankful I was he was a man…he would be way quicker than a chick.  He laughed and said he didn't even really have to pee, but you never pass up a bathroom in NYC.  I almost died…I was doing every trick I have ever heard of to NOT pee my pants and he didn't even have to really go.  I'm so glad I didn't pee my pants.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to just walk around.  We ended up back at the 9/11 memorial, so we took a couple pictures in the sunlight…since it was raining the first time we were there.  We investigated more about getting up into the new Freedom Tower, but the observation deck was not open yet.  Oh well.  I wanted to see Wall Street (and that stupid Bull), so we set our sights on walking there.  We ended up seeing the court house, the Federal Building, an African Burial Ground memorial, and finally Wall Street.  

It was empty on a Saturday, and there was no bull.  At least not that we could find.  Mike was in a bad mood, so he didn't want to be there anyway.  I hate when that happens.

I found us the right Subway entrance to catch a train to catch another train to eat lunch at Carnegie Deli.  By the time we got there I was in a foul mood because my legs hurt and because I was starving…I waited way too long in-between meals.  So now we were both in foul moods…not a good combo.  We couldn't find the Deli, so we wandered around trying to find it…just adding to the miles walked.  We finally found it…and there was a dang line.  That was it for me.  I needed to eat and drink or I was not going to be okay.

We left the Deli line and wandered.  At first I wasn't sure where I was headed, but somewhere.  Then I realized what streets we were on and knew one of the food trucks we were told to try was on the same block.  So we found it…and waited in that line.  Ugh.  The lines were everywhere, so we just decided to stay there.  We were not disappointed.  We grabbed our food and walked back to the hotel.  We picked up some pastries in the bakery in the hotel…Pommes Palais.  The food was awesome.  I got chicken over rice with sauce.  Mike got chicken and lamb over rice with sauce.   It was soooo good.  For dessert I had a key lime tart/pie thingy and Mike had an eclair.  Very tasty.  I wish I had gotten two…or at least another one while we were there.

Nap time was much needed after all that food and walking, so that's what we did.  We napped until we needed to get up and get ready for our reservations.  Jimmy made us reservations at the Gotham Comedy Club for the 7:30pm show.  When we got there, we had no idea who we were seeing…we didn't think that mattered, but it did.  They had two shows going, so it took a few minutes to figure out what we were doing, but it worked out for the best…we bypassed the line!  We ended seeing a comedian named Jo Koy and he was hilarious.

The show went WAY over, but it was awesome…so we enjoyed it.  We left the club just in time to make our 10pm dinner reservations at 1200 Miles.  I ordered the salmon and Mike had a steak.  On the side we ordered the squash and something else made with kale.  Both were excellent.  For dessert Mike ordered the gelato (vanilla, hazelnut, and blackberry) and I ordered the banana brûlée.  It was all amazing.

After dinner it was sooo late.  At least for this preggo, so we took a car back to the hotel and finished our night there.

**It was our 6th wedding anniversary…pretty much the reason for our much needed trip together.  I love Mike with all my heart.  I'm so glad I married him.  And I'm even happier that I chose to have a family with him.  He's a hard-headed pain in the butt, but he's mine…and he's a good man.  He's the best daddy on the planet.  We've learned a lot over the last six years together.  I'm glad we toughed out the hard times and made it to where we are.  Life has never been better.**