Archive for February, 2007

We rode the ferry to the Statue of Liberty yesterday afternoon, which was quite an adventure. It was really neat to see it so close, but the first observation made by James as we got closer was, "The Statue of Liberty has a teapot!" We tried to explain that it was a flame, but I conceded to James that it did look a lot like a teapot, and I don't think we managed to convince him otherwise. Eliza was extremely tired by the time we got to the island, and she slept the whole time we were there. We walked all the way around the statue, which was pretty fun; it's the first time we've seen grass since we got here, and James had a good time running around on it. The boat ride was also a neat experience, and we got a good view of the city. It is interesting to see James' reaction to things—because he's so young, nothing really seems to surprise him, but he just takes it all in and adds it to his understanding of the world.

We were eating lunch at a little deli, watching the many people go past the window. The kids started waving to people as they passed, and I observed their reactions. I would say about eight out of ten people waved back or at least smiled (some more enthusiastically than others), while others tried to ignore them. Eliza got such a kick out of seeing people wave to her—it was very cute. There's something about friendly kids that even most busy New Yorkers can't ignore! (Especially when James tries to entertain them, which he does quite often; he's a show looking for an audience!) I don't care if it marks us as non-native; we won't let New York change us!

...And no place that I'd rather be? Well, maybe not that… I just can't get that song out of my head. :) Well, we made it somehow, but it cost us a lot of stress plus one very expensive camera. Thankfully, though, it is the only item we brought that is insured, so we shouldn't be out any money, just emotional trauma. We arrived on Sunday, having survived the two airplane rides fairly well. At least neither one was delayed, so that was a blessing. The kids were pretty happy, although Eliza was fussy on the second trip (I think she may have been having some ear pain—I know I was) and James slept that whole ride and missed seeing the city from the air. The taxi ride to the hotel was interesting, but getting all our stuff out once we got there was very difficult, and that's where we think the camera may have been overlooked. Today (Thursday) we moved from the hotel into a short-term apartment. It is actually very nice, and we are starting to feel a little more settled. Getting all our stuff moved was quite a feat, however, and it didn't help that it started to rain during the time we had to check out of the hotel (noon) and the time we were able to check into the apartment (3:00). Jay had to go back to work during this time, so the kids and I explored Barnes and Noble for a while to avoid being out in the rain. We're here, though, and thankfully we'll be staying here for the rest of the trip.

My impression so far of New York in the winter is cold, wet, and dirty. The kids kept trying to play in the filthy snow that had piled up on the edges of the sidewalk, and they came back with black smudges all over their clothes. The weather has actually been mild the last few days, with temperatures in the upper 40s, so everything is wet from the melting snow and ice, not to mention the frequent showers. We have stayed pretty exhausted, just from the stress of having to walk everywhere, or trying to maneuver the subway, plus keeping two kids from getting into trouble. I miss my car! But I wouldn't want to drive here!

We are having a pretty good time, though. It's nice to be with Jay! And hopefully we will get to have more fun on the weekends when Jay doesn't have to work. I'll try to send more updates as we continue our adventures in the Big Apple.

Well, we have 2 and a half days until we leave for New York City. I guess mentally I'm as ready as I'll ever be, but I still have a lot to pack! I'm still not sure how we're going to get everything there, but I guess we'll figure it out!

Eliza has been irresistibly cute lately. She has figured out that when she gets in trouble, it's beneficial to apologize. So now as soon as I start to get on to her I hear "Sah-ee, Mama, sah-ee." (She has been improving her pronunciation a little bit!) It is hard to be too hard on her when she pulls that one! She has also learned to count to ten, as long as nine doesn't have to be involved, and I have heard her singing the ABC's to herself, even though she's not too clear on all the letters. For Valentine's Day, we gave James a Gumby figure, and we gave Eliza his horse Pokey. But Eliza calls them "Dum-bee" and "Po-pee". I love to hear her say their names! She has started speaking in sentences a lot of the time, even if sometimes they're slurred together like one word. Some of my favorites: "Theh-tis!" ("There it is!") "Aun-beh." ("I want bear.") "Nuh-Jah!" ("No, James!"-one of her favorite things to say) "Awu-yoo." ("I love you.")

James is excited about flying, but when he and Daddy were talking about it the other day, James must have been thinking about something else:

• JAY: James, in a few days we're going to fly in an airplane to New York. Are you excited?

• JAMES: Yeah, 'cause then we get to eat goldfish!

I was buying snacks the other day, and I told James we had to save them for the trip. He must really like goldfish!

Eliza is changing so fast! She has become very self-aware recently, as well as independent. Whenever I show her a picture of herself or we look in the mirror, she points and says, "Me-yisa!", a combination of "me" and her name. It is very cute. She has been wanting to do more and more things by herself, like buckling her highchair seat belt and climbing into her carseat. She gets very upset when I try to help. The other day she was having trouble getting into the chair at our little table, and I offered to help. She started working harder to get in it before I could help. When she finally succeeded, she sat up proudly and said, "Self." She loves to walk around the house in James' shoes; I guess because she can actually put them on by herself!

Eliza acts very concerned when she accidentally hurts someone. She is very good at saying sorry, even though she says it "Sha-sha". The other day I sat down to put my shoes on, and I hit my back on something behind me. I groaned a little because it hurt, and Eliza came running over: "Sha-sha, Mama! Sha-sha!" It was so sweet!