The Week

I had a week of obligations in the city, Mike had a week of work-as-usual landing him in the city more often than not, so grandma flew in to save our asses behinds. She managed the drop-off/pick-up daycare routine on some days and completely took over on others, did laundry, changed the cat litter, hung out with us at parks, and even drove Ash into NYC for us so that we could spend part of the week together. Rock star. This also means we (husband and wife) had a meal or two together in restaurant(s) sans high chair. It also means there was a magical fairy godmother happy to play trucks, read stories, and make coffee at 6AM allowing certain others to sleep past 6:30 for the first time in ages. Several moments of bliss were savored indeed.

Have you been to a NY Philharmonic performance in Prospect Park? Go. It's so much more fun than their performances in Central Park. Well, at least if you have two year olds in tow... Same amount of space but EVERYONE is psyched to watch the toddlers interpretation of the music instead of scowling at their sometimes louder-than-preferred squeals of laughter and merriment. So much fun.

NYC parks in the summer = one of the many reasons we will never leave NYC permanently. Water parks everywhere, hot dog stands on every corner, and the Central Park Boat House nearby to grab lunch while the babe sleeps off the morning's adventures. I have a secret love affair with the sauvignon blanc the Boat House serves by the glass and a semi-secret way of "ending up" there just as Ash is drifting off to sleep in his stroller. Don't tell. (Ash is the one off to the right about 4-6 inches smaller than all of his partners in crime...)

We're going to get this. It's a Melissa & Doug piano that Ash walked up to, sat down, and started playing without ANY prompting from us at a random store. He's a born rock star, we knew it.

Cheers to a dinner sans high chair and an uncommon opportunity to stay out way past my bedtime. Also, cheers to Advil, AlkaSeltzer, and lots and lots of H2O the next morning.

And most importantly, cheers to the woman who made it all possible. PS: You owe me a pair of shoes! ;)