Spring in the City

Sometimes the best vacations are only one day long. When you only have a day, you somehow make the most of every moment. Saturday was our day in Manhattan, a trip we took in honor of our wedding anniversary.


On the way down (it's quite a long drive), we took turns entertaining Lillian. Trent sang Itsy Bitsy Spider. We also sang every song we could think of written by Janice Kapp Perry. Then it was every song we could think of by Michael McLean. Awesome flashbacks to highschool were had by Trent and I. Also: incredible harmony. Like maybe we should cut a CD. Wait for it.

We arrived Friday night and checked into our hotel. Saturday morning, our day began!

First, we had to run to Saks. Because it was there. Because it was 5th avenue. Because I'm a GIRL. Trent obliged me, quite happily, because he had Lillian and about 50 people were swarming him with delight over her. It's always fun to be the person with Lillian in NY.

We walked and walked and walked all through the City on Saturday. Sometimes when you do that, your baby gets hungry. I was happy to oblige her, even though we were in the middle of the city. I think I've come a long way in this whole baby-feeding thing. This one's for you, Trish.

Lillian has a new habit of opening her mouth really wide and singing when she's very happy. She was very happy here. So were we all.

After a brief stop in Central Park we continued Uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We toured through the life and times of the Egyptians, early American furniture (surprisingly fascinating), and then headed upstairs for a little Rodin (my very favorite) and Caravaggio.

On the way out of the Met, we were feeling hungry. But we had left in the hotel the printed email that included information on great places to eat that my cousin had sent us.

Luckily for us, there was a hot dog stand right next to the museum. Even more lucky for us, the idea of a hot dog just hit the spot. Perfect for the moment.

Central Park was simply too beautiful and perfect that day, so we returned. Spring was in full glory, as you can see. I took off my shoes and played with precious Lillian who, after this picture was taken, spent the rest of her time crawling backward on the grass (she hasn't quite gotten that forward momentum thing down, yet).

Trent's brother, Tim,who lives in NYC, met us in Central Park and then we headed over for dinner at a lovely restaurant. Tim was there to be our babysitter for the evening ahead.

My feet were very sore, so we took a taxi ride. Lillian loved being free from the cage of the car seat. She also really loved Tim. She liked keeping her hands on him (this might be my favorite picture from the whole trip).

After dinner, we stopped off at the hotel and freshened up. Lillian fell fast asleep in her pack n' play and Tim had his laptop. They were set.

Trent and I stepped back out in the glorious spring evening air. We walked to the theatre and enjoyed an absolutely unforgettable performance of West Side Story.

We stopped at a cafe on our way home and enjoyed some dessert, then walked our way back to our hotel. A man in the street yelled, "Aw, look at the newlyweds everybody!" I smiled to myself, happy to know he was talking about us.

A perfect day.

Tune in tomorrow for what happened on Sunday. It was not perfect. But it was memorable. It includes:

Prunes and poop
Church and the car
Blisters and barefoot babies
Sauconys and Skirts