little girls, BIG CITY

Natalie and Abigail hit the Big Apple - or at least Brooklyn!

Last Saturday (Dec. 6) Mommy, Natalie and Abby hopped a plane to see Aunt Kimmy (who from now on wants to be called "Auntie"). Yes, you read that right. One mom, only two hands and two babies. It actually turned out to be easier than I thought. I have to say the people at US Air were wonderful. They helped carry the car seat and helped with the stroller. Strangers were very nice, too. For instance, while waiting at RDU, when Natalie somehow slipped and busted her lip on the arm of a chair, one lady went to get paper towels for all the blood and another brought back ice to help with the swelling (and the crying). Everyone was really quite wonderful, and it definately made the trip easier.

In case you are wondering how I did it: one double stroller, one car seat, and one baby sling (like baby bijorn). The car seat (with one baby) fit into the stroller (thanks Paula!) and the other baby sat in the front of the stroller. When I got ready to board the plane, I put the non-car seat baby in the baby sling (attached to me). The plan was to roll the stroller down the walk-way to the door, take out the car seat, fold up the stroller to check it, and carry the car seat a few feet to our seats near the front of the plane. The only glitch was that both coming and going involved going up and down the steps to the tarmac and up to the plane. Here's where the US Air employees were very, very helpful.

I purchased a seat for one baby and held the other on my lap - with the sling. I had a small bag of books and milk and it all worked out very well. The girls were SO good on the plane. Natalie cried a little when we first got on because of a combination of the noise of the tarmac and a stranger carrying her car seat. On the way back, she cried a little because she was so tired. But, all in all, they were excellent.

Auntie met us at baggage at LaGuardia which made dealing with luggage much easier. Somehow, we were roped into a trip straight to the mall. ?????? Anyone who knows me knows I'd rather do just about anything else. Kim was Christmas shopping and I actually did find some long-sleeve shirts at Lane Bryant. At least I got to pick my own things and will thus avoid the clothes my mom will try to buy me for Christmas (hint, hint, hint - mom. NO CLOTHES).

We traveled with the Pea Pods for the girls to sleep in. They were moderately successful. Once asleep, the girls were fine in them. Getting them in them to sleep is the problem. They cry like crazy when zipped up in them. Crying leads to puking. Puking leads to multiple outfit changes, for babies and mommy, not to mention the loss of calories. So,we took to spoiling them. Auntie was a pro at lying down next to them and getting them to fall asleep on her. Then we would sneak them into their pea pods.

They slept really well Saturday night. Sunday night was a disaster. I tried to feed them at 11pm, and they just woke up. Abby was up for at least an hour. Natalie was up until 4am. I finally just took her into my bed and went in and out of consciousness. Then she was up at 7:30am Monday morning! Crazy baby. Monday and Tuesday were slightly better. I didn't make the mistake of trying to wake them for a feed so we were able to get some sleep.

Sunday we had a professional photo shoot (remember Natalie's busted lip!). My sister has a friend who is starting a business and he agreed to shoot our pictures. It was fun and despite the cold (and Natalie's lip), they turned out great.



Natalie


Abigail ---->






Natalie and Abby












I'll probably post some more pictures later. If you are in the New York area, you can contact Adam at adamcohenphotos@yahoo.com. I believe right now he's charging about $150 for the session and then he GIVES you ALL the pictures - rights and everything. It's a deal.

Monday was bitterly cold. We had plans to meet with one of the mom's and her daughter from my preemie board. But, after the girls' restless night sleep and the ridiculous cold and the significant subway trip it would entail - we canceled and spent the day indoors. Gotta love NYC take-out.

Tuesday I was determined to take the kids somewhere in the city. Along with the twin girls my sister babysits, we visited a Brooklyn park. The girls climbed, slid, and played on the swings. It was great - a little cold, but thanks to the warm and comfy coats Grammy bought, they were quite comfortable.

Playing in the park made me feel very New York!


Tuesday night we drove into Manhattan for a drive by of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree (see the blurry picture at the top!) It was actually smaller than I thought it would be. Then again, maybe everything looks smaller when cruising by in a car. We also stopped in Greenwich Village, Kimberly's old stomping grounds, to eat our favorite dish, Catfish Tacos, at Miracle, a local restaurant. Okay, I know it's sounds gross, but I promise you it is delicious: crispy fried catfish tenders, wrapped in a soft tortilla with cheese, cabbage, a chipotle sauce and ginger. SOOOO good.

Wednesday - Our plane wasn't leaving until 7:30pm, so we had time to play a little before leaving. Again with Kim's girls, we visited, Power Play, an indoor play area and gym. It had a great little log cabin for kitchen play, things to climb, slides, cars to ride, these great little "roller coaster" tracks, and even an indoor sandbox - which we avoided. It didn't take the girls long to figure out how to crawl up the giant tunnel slide and slide back down - or run around and try to come down the stairs. It was a lot of fun and we had a great time.









Despite heading off to the wrong airport, we made our flight (also thanks to a delay), and headed back to NC. We were very happy to see Daddy and get back to our beds - all of us:-)

I was really impressed with how great the girls did in general. They were so good-natured. It's so great to be able to take them anywhere. They also ate fairly well - not great, but okay. They did throw up a lot. Crying at night set them off, plus their reflux seemed to be acting up. A few times Natalie would just look at the bottle, gag, and throw up.

Other than that, it was a great trip. We can't wait to go back in the spring when we can play outside more and see more of the big city. Thanks, Auntie, for making us feel so at home. We love you!

Another few pics: Natalie and Abby discovered Kimberly's cabinet of never-used cooking pots and pans )remember NYC take-out). It was so cute. That's Natalie who crawled inside.