Photo Friday: Happy Halloween!

Halloween at the library, Oct. 26, 2015

NY Museums: Trains, Planes and More

Even after six years of living in New York, there were still many things that we never had a chance (or made the effort) to see. At least three of those were museums, and we visited them during our visit in September.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

This aircraft carrier turned museum is on the Hudson River, just west of Times Square. I found the walk-through submarine particularly interesting, and Edith enjoyed the "Explorium" and its interactive displays -- particularly climbing into the helicopter. Plenty of planes on the deck to look at, too.

New York Transit Museum 

Located just a short walk from Paul's old office in Brooklyn, the museum is actually located underground in an old subway station. A short walk-through history ended in some rather extensive displays, including old turnstiles and probably dozens of former subway cars through the years. Buses weren't left out -- Edith could have spent all day in the driver's seat, pretending to steer.

Brooklyn Children's Museum

Edith had a blast (and I had a surprise, running into an old Bay Ridge friend there). I liked World Brooklyn the best, with toddler replicas of international stores throughout Brooklyn. We also spent quite a bit of time in the water, sand and gardening areas. It's basically a smaller COSI, but it was a pleasant excursion for a rainy day.

Photo Friday: Nutella Lasagna

From Robicelli's, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Read more here: http://www.robicellis.com/nutella-lasagna.html

Our Not-So-Successful Day in the Hamptons

Our visit to the Hamptons earlier this month consisted of an eventful day in which not much happened.

Gray and dreary, we decided to make the two-hour drive from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to Southampton anyway. About 40 miles from our destination, Edith said she had to go potty. As we were attempting to find a restroom, she puked all over herself, the car seat and the inside of the car itself. It was the first time she had ever been sick.

We cleaned her and the seat off as best we could on a side road, changed her clothes and spent our first two hours in the Hamptons at a Laundromat. Talk about sophisticated, right?

(For what it's worth, she didn't really need to go to the bathroom until we got there, and never felt or got sick the entire rest of the trip.)

It was 2 p.m. by the time everything was washed and dried. Downtrodden, we ate at the nearby Sip 'n Soda dinette, which was on my to-do list anyway. My cheddar sandwich with avocado, bacon and tomato on toasted bread was even better than it sounds, although at that point anything would have tasted amazing. Paul got a lime ricky, which he said was at once both too sweet and too sour.

We gawked at the giant houses -- mostly guarded by giant shrubs -- from the car on our way to Coopers Beach. The beach was once voted the best in America, although that was hard to see on such a day. Just a handful of people were there to take in the views, and there was certainly no one swimming. In fact, the giant crashing waves may have been because a hurricane was thought to be a few days away from New York at the time. It was pretty though.

After taking in the views, we drove around a bit and then made the drive back -- three hours, thanks to traffic. So for those keeping score:

• 2-hour drive there (10 a.m. - noon)
• 2 hours doing laundry (noon - 2 p.m.)
• 2 hours there (2-4 p.m.)
• 3-hour drive back (4-7 p.m.)

Perhaps not the best day trip ever, but at least the kids slept most of the way back to Brooklyn.

Photo Friday: Reading Like Daddy

Sept. 14, 2015

Return to New York, Take Two

Sept. 26, 2015, at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

When we arrived in Brooklyn on Sept. 25 for a week-long visit, I was just as thrilled as I thought I would be. When we left on Oct. 3, I was sad, as I've been each time we have left the borough since we decided to move away. But the final few days particularly showed me how hard it is to have kids -- plural -- in New York.

We lived there until Edith was 8 months old, so I know (and can do) baby -- singular -- in the city. And maybe two kids wouldn't seem so bad if I lived there and had all of the kid gear that makes life so much easier on a daily basis. And certainly if we lived there we wouldn't be taking the subway each day.

Still, rain, cold, fourth-floor walk-ups, small living spaces, no washer and dryer and few parking spots -- none of these are ideal without kids and so, so difficult with. I love New York, but this year I left with a new appreciation for Ohio.

Over the next month or so I'll periodically highlight the ups and downs of our trip -- delicious food (Nutella lasagna!), museums we had never been to and an ill-fated trip to the Hamptons (spoiler: Edith vomited for the first time ever). Enjoy.

Photo Friday: Six Months of Atticus

April 2, 2015

May 2, 2015

June 2, 2015

July 2, 2015

Aug. 2, 2015

Sept. 2, 2015

Oct. 2, 2015

Atticus Turns 6 Months Old

Sept. 18, 2015

Our little boy turned six months old last week, and the milestones are slowly but surely being met.

Atticus is a growing boy just transitioning out of his six month clothes into nine months. He's content to watch with his wide blue eyes -- especially if he's in the Ergo carrier -- and quick to laugh. Not quite sitting up on his own, he's happy to sit in a high chair if he has some pillow props. And he loves to try new foods. Just Sunday night he eagerly ate a cut-up meatball. Corn, green beans, broccoli, banana: yum, yum, yum.

He's not particularly bothered by Edith's sometimes excessive attention, although he'll reach in and grab her hair once in a while. Favorite activities: drooling (we can easily go through three or four bibs a day) and chewing on whatever is at hand. He's happy in his activity center but can't stand to be on his back. He immediately rolls over to his stomach to sleep and play.

I'd say Atticus is an above average sleeper. He doesn't have extremely regular naps, but he makes up for it at night. He generally awakes no more than once in the wee hours, and sleeps through the night at least once every week or two -- enough to keep me from going crazy.

Atticus is the baby that I didn't know I needed: happy, content and eager to shower smiles when they are most needed. It's been a pleasure to watch him explore and grow, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Photo Friday: Horse and Carriage Ride

Sept. 13, 2015