Babies, Babies and MORE BABIES!

Eight kids is a lot (baptism last Sunday).

It's not easy to get a good shot of 8 kids under the age of 7...this is Hailey, Abbie, William, Liz, Quinn, Alex, Caryn & Ben.

Four kids is a lot (babysat for Brefkas minus Liz on Tuesday).

Caryn and Alex above, Quinn below.

Me and Baby Benji!

Four kids is a lot (babysat for Braziers on Wednesday).

Hailey and Abbie

Baby William (and I thought Q was photogenic!!)

And our star, Quinn!

Eight kids is a lot (we all went to the Wi State Fair & then Auntie Jen's for dinner today).

I don't think we're all in this shot....but it's gives y'all a general idea of how much stuff 8 kids and 9 adults need for an afternoon at the fair!

One kid should be a breeze when I get back home!

Quinn's first strawberry at the fair today.

Green Beans

Green beans are Q's favorite.
Grandpa Joe had some in the garden.
Q got her first homegrown green bean and loved it! She managed to even get a piece off...and suck on it for about 15 minutes and not choke! She's learning the art of bite, chew, swallow.

Returning to Normal

Our Quinn Constance is Baptized.

Godmothers Auntie Krissy and Auntie Carol

Grandma Mary and Grandpa Joe

Grandma Judy and Grandpa Chuck

Fr John, Mike & Me

Great Grandma Nan and Great Grandpa Jerry

The pictures aren't as great as I would've hoped for, but these are just the ones from my camera. Maybe Aunt Carol's and Grandparents Born got better shots??

Well, Q seems to be becoming adjusted to Grandma Mary's house. She slept almost the whole night and woke up with smiles for everyone! She went down for her naps at her usual times and also ate per her usual schedule. Yay!!

Hailey went with to the airport today to drop of "MI-IKE!". She loves going "buh bye" so enjoyed the trip. And it gave me great company on the way home. Everything is "geen"...even Grandpa's hair!

Waiting, Travelling, Stranger Danger, and Beer

La Guardia never again (unless it's like, a free flight). Dirty, old, hot, packed, and a flight rarely leaves close to scheduled departure (from what I hear). Not to mention my first take-off from LGA was 3 hours late. No fun when you plan flights around your kids sleeping and eating patterns so the disruption to fellow passengers is minimize. We did, to the suggestion of Mike, upgrade to "business class (first class)". Free drinks, great snacks, and room to enjoy a 2 hour flight home to Milwaukee. Unfortunate for me, this meant Q having no idea where she was, what time it was, and why her eating and rolling around on the floor times were disrupted so horribly in one afternoon-evening.

So, we got to my parents house about 10:30CST....Q's usually in bed by 7CST on a late night. So, when Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Joel wanted hugs, kisses, and cuddles, all they got was the "stranger danger cry". She had no idea where she was, she was exhausted from the 4 hours at LGA and 2 hours in the air and it being past her bedtime. And then we had a new crib. SO, I tried the whole, 'she falls asleep on her own at home' and just let her be in the crib. AND, Mike and I were exhausted and it was 11:30CST (I'm usually crashed by 11EST) and just wanted to go to bed. Lying in bed I hear 'bang bang" giggle giggle...she's found the closet doors through the crib and she's making noise...no crying. Well, then the crying started. I went in there...no luck with settling her down. I finally got her to sleep about 2am...so I finally got to sleep about 2am. Well, guess who was up at 7am starving...besides me, my daughter and no one else in the house was moving to get here....so I got a wonderful 5 hours of sleep that night. So I was a zombie the entire day and completely had no idea what day it was or where I was. And then Claire and her kids came over to visit so we had 6 kids in the house and I'm exhausted. Didn't know what end was up and forgot to call Jill and Tim who wanted to visit with me and Q---I still feel like an idiot--SORRY GUYS!!!!

Hmm...so it was a pretty traumatic first day in Wisconsin.

I should get the stranger cry on video for you all to experience this cry. I thought Claire K's reaction to Mike at this age was extreme...EVERYONE gets this stranger cry when she's in a mood (or not sometimes). It takes about 5-10 minutes of reorientation, cuddles from me or Mike, and lots of croc tears for her to even think about going back to alone time.

I never thought her stranger anxiety would be this pronounced as she has had zero problems with the other moms and babies at music class. Maybe the other kids distract her enough? Who knows.

I think Granny, Papa, Carol, Judy and Chuck would've enjoyed a cuddly and happy Q for longer duration, but a lot of the time they got the stranger cry. I wish it could be different, but at least I know I'd hear her if someone ever tried to steal her away from me!

Beer--my 10-yr high school reunion was last night in West Allis. We had a buffet at a joint near the stadium and then headed to the Brewers game. I must admit, I was overly excited to have a night away from Q and I may have had a lot to drink and not until about the 5th inning did I really realize I was at a baseball game and I should watch it. Well, Brewers were losing at that point so I was bummed and dranks some more. Hmm...well, some exciting stuff happened and we won! So, we went back to the bar to drink some more (although I decided to stop drinking, I said yes to "just one more" which was one more that I didn't need.). Not the best choice considering Q's baptism was this morning! So, I think on top of some bad food that I ate, I was a little hungover for most of the morning. Church and baptism turned out wonderfully. Two of my older sisters also had their newly born boys baptized--so we had one huge party. I believe I may have said at one point, "it's only about 30 people and some kids". I failed to realized how many 30 people really is...especially when "some kids" is 10...half under the age of 1...all younger than 7. It was a chaotic afternoon....and Q decided to skip her nap (in fact, I don't think any of the little ones napped until about 1).

I have photos somewhere....amid the chaos my memory card was full and my camera is misplaced.

Overall, Q fell asleep in my arms as I was rocking her walking around a little bit and she took a 3 hour nap in her nephew's crib. I went to make myself dinner and her laughing and giggling mixed in with some sobs that sounded a lot like Q. Well, I had actually enjoyed the few hours of admiring my sisters babies and just getting to enjoy my sisters' company and forgot Q was upstairs for awhile. So, I went up there to discover her with Benji's mobile on her head like a hat, she was sitting under it with the toys in her hands. It was cute, but no memory left and no cameras closeby. There is no mobile here and Grandma's so I'm sure she was super happy to see hanging animals when her eyes opened after her nap!

Well, after such a busy day, we got home about 8:30...with a very tired Hailey (went right to bed) and a very tired Q (tried to put right to bed). Well, again, schedule all off kilter so she FINALLY fell asleep about 10:15/10:30...in my arms.

Now, I believe I posted something about how I miss when she fell asleep in my arms. I decided it's cute and I miss it...but 20# of sleeping baby is heavy...and for her to only fall asleep by me rocking her is getting old real quick! HOWEVER, we keep moving her environment and I'm extremely greatful she's sleeping at all!!

Well, my dad should have some photos for me to download tomorrow. As for now, Mike and Joel are out to the movies for a guys night. I'm exhausted from a long day of lots of people and slight hangover. Should have time to write tomorrow!!!

Stranger Danger

Jim came to visit last night as he's in town for work. It was awesome seeing a familiar face again and cooking some grub for someone other than Mike and me. Too bad dessert was kinda a flop...there's always next time.

To Quinn, though, her "stranger danger" button was pushed when Mike handed her off to Jim when he greeted us at the front door. I haven't heard that cry in quite some time. She's fine with strangers around town here...looking at them. Apparently the whole 'stranger touching me' thing wasn't so great for her.

Which is odd, because she's more than okay with the music together teachers and mommies throwing her around and singing....maybe that's the reason she's okay with them. You just need to be dancing and singing, and Q loves you!

SO, Mommy's anxiety button has been pressed.
**It's been awhile since we've flown so who knows how's she'll take that (at least Mommy and Daddy are sitting next to each other).
**And well, there will be LOTS of people around and LOTS of 'strangers'. I'm catergorizing everyone now me and Mike or the kitties as strangers. Hopefully she'll recognize voices and be so overwhelmed by the other "little people" that she'll forget she's in a house of "strangers".

I'm glad we're flying in a few days before the 10-yr reunion on Saturday. There will be time for Q to be reaquainted with Grandmas, Grandpas, GreatGrandma&Papa, and Aunties and Uncles...and cousins galore!

I'm also getting more excited for my 10 year reunion than I anticipated. I can't tell if it's because Mike and I are getting a date night, or if it's because I'm going to become reaquainted with former aquaintances and friends. Either way, beer and baseball--what could be better??

I will try to keep current on blogging and photos, as if I wait, there will be too much to write about (and we all know I have no problems writing on days when there is little to say!).

I was also told by both Grandmas to pack light as there are lots of presents to be brought home. Which is great and all, but they're not presents for me! I'm not going to wear the same outfit for 9 days!!! Q doesn't get a free bag! :-) (We love presents, we really do!!) We're excited to see the new stuff and we're also looking forward to raiding Caryn and Liz's old clothes. And getting the clothes at Grandma's means she'll do the laundry!! YAY!

I'm super looking forward to temperatures in the 70s. The coolest the ac gets any of the rooms is about 75 during the day/night, so having that be the high for the day is like...a miracle to me! Even the basement is pretty muggy and gross these days. Oh well, I won't have to 'worry' about it much longer.

I'm about 95% sure I'm going to get my hair cut tomorrow morning, too. Wish me luck with communicating to the local salons! Photos will be my saving grace to hopefully see that they can execute what I'm picturing in my mind....

See you bloggers later!!!

To Readers, Love, Mike

So, I may be shot by my family when I see them tomorrow. Hopefully they'll still pick us up at the airport! They love Q, so they'll at least be there to pick her up! Really, I just find it too funny and "original" to not share with y'all.

But it's really from Mike.



Will the controversy ever end? Since when does retirement mean I still want to work? Really, even if you have a fun job and enjoy almost every minute, everyone looks forward to retirement! ENJOY IT, FAVRE! Jeepers...really! Now the signed Lambeau Field photo just isn't the same...

Just kidding, it's still awesome...once it finally reaches its destination--Q's bedroom--it will be admired every day.

Eight Months Ago...

If memory serves me correctly, at this time 8 months ago I was 2 hours from my scheduled admission to the hospital as I was almost 2 weeks overdue. Drs Guirguis and Sticco empathized with me as my family was only here for 4 more days and they wanted to meet Baby Born. Mike and I spent the day ... shopping or something ... while Mom, Dad, and Jen went to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectactular.

Mike and I came home. . . from wherever we went . . . expecting to hang out for awhile and get to the hospital. No rush, as I wasn't in labor.

I went to the basement to feed the cats and said "you smell". Went to the bathroom and said, 'why are you using the shower as your litter box?'. To discover sewage instead.

So, a few calls later...roto-rooter is at our house and we're supposed to be having a baby. Meanwhile, it's about the time my nightly contractions started, so I thought nothing of it. All things considered, I had started labor without meds. Despite it all, drugs and induction were needed...along with oxygen ... needless to say epidural, etc.

Well, 8 months ago, my life was so different.

Now, our little girl is eating all foods imagineable, can even feed herself little puff things. She tried cottage cheese for her 8 month birthday. She liked it. I forgot about the added texture, though, and wasn't watching what I was doing very closely and she kept opening her mouth. After the 2nd spoon, starting on the 3rd...I realized there were lots of curds in the mouth to be eaten yet, so waited. She seemed to enjoy the added texture and the cheesy creaminess (even though I bought Lactaid brand as I had so many issues with lactose when I was preggo--I'm leary of giving her any actual cow products). She welcomed her oatmeal mango mush though, after about 4 spoons of cottage cheese. We went back and forth and she ate really well. Probably her best meal since she discovered green beans almost 3 months ago.

Our girl is growing up!

I'm pleased at the amount of activity on Facebook lately. Really, the games and sending of presents are kinda addictive. I should get some Facebook stock if that's possible...gotta make money somehow! (ha ha)

We are packing for our trip to Wisconsin. It's supposed to be in the 70's as HIGHS! It's been awhile since we've had 70 as a high during the day, so I'm pretty excited. Q may need to wear more than a onesie to bed! We'll see!

We're excited to see Grandma and Grandpa R's new deck (with the touch up paint and all).

As for now, I'm supposed to be preparing the house for Jim (friend from Mn in town for work). Well, maybe we'll just end up ordering food...who knows. Also, Q just woke up from her nap (she's all off schedule today...).

Off to feed the masses.

Happy 8th month, Q. WE LOVE YOU! :-)

High IQ

She was waving "hi" while holding an "I" and a "Q". Get it?

Yeah, I really need to get out more...

We hung out in the pool yesterday as I needed air that wasn't conditioned and it was too warm to just sit outside. Daddy went golfing so Q got a whole extra day of just Mommy time this week. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed the days when Daddy was home too! Even the littlest things like watching her while I get a snack helps! Especially on days when she only decides to take a short nap or two and I don't even have time to get through all the day's crossword clues!

BUT the q-time with Q now is cherished as I know as soon as we step off the plane on Thursday, I won't see her much for the next 10 days! Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins will take over for me and give me a chance to enjoy the extra help! And enjoy my nieces and nephews ... especially the nephews I haven't met yet (Benji and WiNi). So, next week will probably be photos of kids some of you don't know! Deal with it! :-)

Wiggle Worm Quinn

She's all over the place these days...a pack and play may be in our near future. I turn around, and she's across the room...much less where she ends up during a trip to the bathroom, to do the dishes, to get a wash cloth, etc.

Under my chair as I blog...

Reading (eating) the Sunday ads...

And her latest new trick (with the Elvis curl)...

...finding her in this position after her nap...Sitting up all by herself! She's only done it unassisted in her crib (several times today).

She seems to try out her new trick in her crib before she tries them anywhere else. (Now she's managed to close the office door and Eggo wants out! Ha ha). Hopefully she won't try walking in her crib before she tries in on solid ground with supervision!

Looking For...

Looking for a new hair style. This long hair always in a pony is getting old. Anyone got any suggestions on styles or photos of something I'd look cute in? LET ME KNOW! :-)

As far as Q, since it's the reason most of you stop by, she's still doing well. She she have the army crawl mastered by next week and we've been working on supporting her weight on those chubby legs of hers. I'm jealous that the 4 and 5 month olds in our music class are not only supporting their weight, but taking steps! Q's no where near that stage. She's pretty content rolling all over the house right now. She rolled to the stairs in the dining room heading up yesterday and stopped--said, "oooooooooooooo" and kept rolling to the table....and of course the kitty was under the table which is why she was headed there. SO, she's becoming aware of stairs...keeping my eyes on her so she doesn't attempt to climb them suddenly!

We're surviving the heat by spending time in the office and her bedroom. The cats are not taking the heat so well. They like it cool because they like to cuddle with each other and with us. They have been keeping their distance during the day (mostly) but find us at night once the sun goes down. They're so cute.

And I've managed to drain both batteries since our Central Park trip Sunday, so probably no photos today, but we should have some tomorrow!

As Requested

Her hip now, is about where her toes were then! Crazy how fast 7 months goes....
She kept pulling on the pillow and moving it, so it may not be exact measurements, but whatever. :-)

So Close to Eight Months

I can not believe I have been getting skinnier (almost back down to pre-pregnancy weight) and wiser to the ways of parenting for 8 months already! Where does the time go? Just 8 months ago, my sister, dad & mom were here hoping to spend a week with a newborn...too bad for them she didn't want to come without some help and almost 2 weeks "late"! We hope the whole fam can make it out to enjoy our NY world soon! It's hard to believe we've been here almost a year.


Since time is flying by on me (like Q is flying in the swing), I decided I wanted to have a picnic in the park today...despite the 90 degree weather + heat index. We went early, and enjoyed a quick lunch, swings, and water at the cooling station (no photos due to water and lots of kids). We never got a swing for Q at home, so I was curious to see how she would enjoy the free floating. She loved it. Especially when I made goofy noises as she came close to me. The grandpa next to us with "Ryan James, Ryan James, Ryan James" (he likes his name I guess) was enjoying the beautiful girl's giggles next to them.

Q ate some of my turkey sandwich, but mostly ate her blueberries and applesauce.

When did she get to be so cute and so smart? Really, I swear she was saying "kitty" as she was waving bye bye to the house as we left for the park--as if saying "bye bye kitty". Maybe it was the sun getting to me already? Who knows?!

We got home to enjoy the a/c (and will close to 95 through Sunday!!). There's an all day concert on the boardwalk Saturday--we may go enjoy the ocean for the first time (like, actually in the water). We'll see. Q showed her excitement to be home (yes, even after only 2 hours, she gets excited to be home), by circling on the floor on her butt...see photos below taken one after the other...

Starting shot (red eyes Q)

Going after either my shoes or her Pooh rattle...attempting to get into crawl position.

No crawling, "I'll just sit back down and giggle at Mom because I know she wants me to smile and crawl, but I'm not going to do both today."

"Please stop calling my name, I'm busy here."

"Okay, I'll give you a glancing smile this time...over the shoulder shots are hard, Mom."

"Ooh, Mom's feet, I want to crawl to get them."

"But I won't, I'll sit right back down instead. Really, when is she going to pick me up to change my diaper and feed me?"

"Mo-om, I've got a present for you!"

Of course, no series of shots is complete without the Elvis lip curl for Grandma Mary!

A full circle, barely leaving the starting spot, all in the matter of about 3 minutes.

I have a syndrome with the camera I like to call 'Dad Syndrome'. My dad, Grandpa Joe, takes about 4 million photos of the same pose. I never understood it until now...you hope to get one photo that is a 'world's cutest' photo...in order to do that, you need to take 4 million. I think I lucked out and got about 20 options for cutest shots today! I took 95 photos today (so far) and there are only 12 posted! I'm pretty sure the parents at the park thought I was insane. I'd push Q, then take a shot, push Q, take a photo...yeah, it was that good. I've been trying to get a good shot of her teeth, but she closes her mouth so quick, or her tongue gets in the way. One of these days...well, some of you will see them for yourselves next week!

Well, she's finally napping (a little off schedule as she fell asleep on the way home and woke up when we stopped). It was a longer walk than I anticipated...about 6 avenues plus park to get to the swings...that's close to a mile each way by my calculations (seeming longer in noon heat!). It's a good workout, we'll try to go several times a week. Maybe there's another park close-by that we can visit too....

Food Labels

Yes, in the midst of being a full time mommy, I still keep connections to food, nutrition, and of course, my buddies in Farmington (hi Kim!!). My DMA membership dues just came due so I can keep my credentials and not have to go through the agony of taking the test again someday, if I choose to return to work. I'm still working on the whole "keep fit" part of wellness, but can't seem to kickstart that part of my daily routine. I feel like throwing Q in the air, playing with her on the ground, going to the park, walking almost everywhere w/in a mile radius, and hiking the 21 stairs between the basement and her bedroom to change diapers and put her down for naps or feed her is enough to wipe me out by the end of the day. Maybe waking up at 5:30am to get in the workout before she's up is the answer...but I really need to convince myself it's worth doing that as sleep is my lifeline after each crazy day with Q. But, my sister Jen certainly is an inspiration and role model...she's found her grove and she's a few years older. That means I get a few years yet, right? :-)

Well, back to my blog reason for the hour. I went shopping hungry yesterday. Bad idea. But I still kept my eye on food labels.

I really wanted this cookie. I said, it's only one cookie how bad could it be. Well, I wish I could remember the specifics of what kind of cookie it was, but I KNOW it was just one, and it was about a 2" diameter, and it was chocolate. I was having a crazy craving for chocolate. It was, if memory serves me correctly, 240 kcals, 18g fat, and 550mg Na. WHAT?! I kept hoping it was wrong, but the closer I looked, the more I realized it really was the nutrition info for the one cookie. Part of me was glad the serving size listed wasn't "1/2 cookie" like so many labels read these days (mostly bottled beverages leading you to believe 16 oz is what the nutrition label facts will correlate with).

Well, I was even more surprised when my dark chocolate Milky Way (usually my first option when it comes to curbing my need for chocolate) was better overall than one cookie. Heck, and I got to eat a whole candy bar! It lasted me most of my walk home from the grocery store. I took the long way home, too, to try to 'make-up' for my need for a treat. In 85 degree sun, that's a real chore to walk an extra 2 blocks with a stroller full of groceries (adds about 30#). Can't tell me I don't work out during the day...I smell like a work-out by the end of the day! :-)

And, yes, the pork chops were great last night! I tried a new product called "oven fry". And although the overall nutrition was decent for a pre-packaged bread crumb, there was still a little more Na that I would have ideally preferred. And I didn't bread it with as much as they stated was a serving size (a box should coat 6 pork chops and I used barely 1/4 of the box for 2 thick-cut ones). But, that means I didn't add salt to the pork chop, spinach, or rice. I still have yet to try the butternut squash mac-n-cheese recipe posted, but am eager to do so.

Something I did not know that I learned today, a two-piece serving of kiwifruit has twice the vitamin C of an orange, as much potassium as a banana and as much fiber as a serving of bran flakes - all for about 100 calories. And is usually in season May-September. I think I know what Q's next fruit will be!

That's all for now!

Bath Time

It has also been awhile since I've posted anything about bath time. Quinn has been bathing in the "big tub" for 2 months now (since Arizona). She had no problems leaving the shower area or her blue tub behind. I was a little worried as I've heard stories about difficulties with changing bath time and location from other moms. But, as always, Q just took it with a grain of salt and said, 'aight mom, change something else, I dare you!'.

When we first moved to the big tub, I was looking for something to sit her in as I bathed her, but settled for a foam mat and lying down. We needed something as she was still VERY wobbly while sitting. The mat worked well because 1--she couldn't sit well and 2--she wasn't rolling all over all the time.

Well, she's conquered rolling and sitting, as when she is on "solid ground" she can reach for toys well out of her grasp, get up on one knee, and manage to get back into her sit. She also sits well in the pool with no special aides. So, early last week, I decided to see how she would do if I just let her sit in the tub.

The first time I let her just sit in the tub, she was a little confused out by the situation. The tub is more enclosed and a different shape than the pool, and I'm not eye level with her like when she's in the pool. But, I gave her a ring from her stacker and she was happy as a clam. My hands were close-by the entire time for fear that she'd fall over and drown...yes, even when I am a foot away from her when she is in water, I fear for her life.

The second time we added stackable cups and she loved that she had 8 options for toys to play with! She moved a little from her spot (sitting on her butt and scooting forward), but not much. Never tipped over and loved it.

Well, part of the fun of bath time for me is watching her chase the bubbles. Since she seemed to grasp the sitting in the tub, I added bubbles this week. She was ALL OVER the tub on her butt. It was hilarious. And she was having a ball scooting from one end of the tub to the other with ease. Keep in mind I'm not letting her do this without supervision or close attention. In fact, if I was any closer to her the entire bath, I would've been in the water with her and touching her and being the one pushing her from one end to the other. Again, I fear for her life any time there is water around. She didn't really seem to notice she was the one moving herself...it was cute. She still enjoyed her stackable cups and the added bubbles makes for a great 15-30 minutes of a very happy Quinn.

We had our first slip and tumble a few days ago as she reached across the tub for her blue cup (as I am still close to her during bath time, but I did not catch her in mid-fall it's hard to keep bent over her for the duration of her bath). She freaked out a little bit (not as much as I did), as she landed on her back and there was water in her ears. I sat her back up and she finished off with no further tumbles or worries. But I washed her up and got her out relatively quickly after that as I couldn't handle another tumble!

We have been finishing our bath time with a few minutes of playing with the other baby in the house who only appears in a few locations....



She's just too cute. That's my conclusion. She's a non-stop babbler and is learning how to play her drum well (we'll show those crawlers our mad-music skills this week!!). The only times she gets cranky is when she's tired, if she's been awake for awhile in her crib and I haven't gotten her yet, or she's hot (which has been all too often lately!).

Other Q news--she was army crawling in the basement this morning going after my newspaper I laid on the ground...surprising as she normally rolls to get to it...especially on the thicker carpet. I swear that chasing the cats is what will get her to crawl before I know it. She's after those two non-stop if they are in the same area as her...they often distract her from eating as one of their favorite hangouts is under the dining room table.

She's still just got the 4 teeth, but the other 2 are close behind. Any thoughts as far as sucker (nuk) use changing now that her teeth are coming in? She now only gets it if she's in her crib and it's nap time OR if we're in public and fear for the sanity of those around us.

If she gets really cranky because she's hot, her favorite toy is a cold or frozen washcloth (frozen teething rings have been making her puke!!).

She's getting to love the camera (is that a posed smile above, or what?).

I swear she's saying "ma" "daddy" and "eggo" but that could just be my imagination too. She has different sounds for when she wants food (uhym-uhya) and when she wants to nurse (mmm-mmm-mm).

She rarely makes a peep if she's soaked or poopy...my sense of smell has been heightened by that, I think. :-)

So, a lot going on here...That's all I write for now (that's all...hee hee, this is a novel today!!).

Central Park

Well, finally. It's been almost a year since Mike moved to NYC (can you believe it?!) and he's officially been to Central Park! There are VERY few things that I can say I've done before him, let alone that Q has seen first (but we visited Central Park awhile back after a MET visit)! We didn't really know what to do or where to go in the park, so I looked up the top 10 things that you "need to" see at Central Park, how those compared to the easiest subway route, and what we could see.

View from the park edge on the south side of the park.

I turned around from this spot and this is what I saw.

Q's first carousel ride! We rode the 'famous' carousel at the park, as it was one of the top 10 things to see and do in the park! We put her on a horse that didn't move...and we were having issues with both me and her looking at the camera at the same time, but I think this shot is pretty cute. Towards the end of the ride, when it slowed down a bit as it felt like we were going at warp speed, I moved her to a horsie that moved. She did not like that, so I'm glad we stuck to the stationary horse for most of the trip!

At what age does this become inappropriate (public diaper changing)?

Yet another reminder we are in the middle of a crazy large park in a crazy large city. This was a large field in the middle of the south side of the park, Sheep Meadow. Lots of sunbathers (cancer grabbers), and folks catching frisbees and kicking soccer balls. It reminded me of the quad back at Point...except the average age here was probably 30, not 19!.

Yes, there is even wildlife at the Park. This is a bird of sorts, anyone know what bird? It was hanging out with about 10 of its friends in Strawberry Fields.

A mosaic in Strawberry Fields serves as a memorial to John Lennon, who apparently was shot dead here in NYC on my first birthday (we seem to 'like' assassination days as Q's birthday is JFK's assassination day...).

I THINK this is the museum of Natural History, but no one quote me on that. If anyone actually knows, feel free to post what it really is. Either way, it looks pretty cool, no?

Bethesda Fountain as seen in "One Fine Day", "Home Alone II" and "Godspell". It was big, it was a fountain. We bought a raspberry lemon crepe from the guy running the stand to the immediate right behind the fountain.

We found a shady spot to enjoy the crepe (Q's face was priceless, but not caught on camera). We joined the hundreds of others who hopped fences that plainly stated to not hop the fence due to recent seeding...probably fertilized too, but what doesn't kill you or make you sick, only makes you stronger! Q hasn't shown any signs of sickness yet, either, so I think we're good.

Yep, Q even got some quality time out of her stroller and enjoying the view from the top of the world (or Daddy's shoulders!). Not quite stable enough to let her enjoy it without ensuring she's not going to fall from that height. When she learns to grab on when she's being held, then maybe we can graduate to enjoying the top of the world more solo-like.

If only I had a pedometer yesterday...we walked miles and miles and miles and miles. Thank God we chose such a beautiful day to go visit the park! Well, it was Mike's idea, but still. It was a great day to go! My feet still hurt (partially due to the fact that I can't find a pair of shoes that my feet like!)...I think tomorrow will bring a day to get a pedicure to help ease the feet pain!

As for now...off to make dinner (breaded pork chops, some veggies and prolly potatoes....).