More February

February also included things like a trip to Soho for pillows and a new bath mat, a failed attempt to go to storytime at MoMA Design Store (why do these things start so close to naptime?), lots of hanging out in the apartment and lots of reading books.

Lots of time watching Jaime get more and more mobile (equal parts excited for him, sad that he is growing so fast and a little nervous about how quickly we will be chasing a wild munchkin around) and taking afternoon family naps.

We braved the cold for weekend runs (alternating turns), had cookies delivered, got coffee from the street truck and make funfetti cake.

And continued the project of grooming Jaime to be an excellent brunch companion as we work through places we want to go to in our neighborhood.

It was a busy and family time filled month.

Race 1 of 9

One of the first things that I thought of when making our decision to move to NYC was that we could do the 9+1 program to get guaranteed entry into the NYC marathon.  The marathon is extremely tough to get into unless you are super speedy or have a newsworthy name or do this program.  I found out about the program a few years ago when looking into how to get into this marathon.  So jumped at the chance.

Since our plans on how long we will live here are pretty undefined, we decided to do the program immediately to make sure that it happens.  So early January we became members of NYRR and started planning out our program.  They have tons of race but not all of them are marathon qualifiers.  And as you get later in the year the number of marathon qualifiers dwindles and becomes things like the 18 mile marathon tune up race. The last thing I wanted to happen was to get part way through the program and then not be able to complete it due to the number of available races.  So we decided to frontload the spring.

Our first race was February 23rd in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. 

We woke up at 5:30am and got all three of us ready to go.  We jumped on the 1 and then switched to the express 2 for our long ride out to Brooklyn. It was over an hour.  Then we met up with Jaime's nanny who took the little dude to a nearby coffee shop that was filled with a bunch of sofas to hang out during the race.

We were cutting it close and had to run about half a mile to get to the starting corrals. The race had started when we got there so we went straight to running the race.  It was about 40 degrees and drizzling. Thankfully we have our super awesome running jackets that are waterproof.

This was my first post-baby race.  And at four miles it was the longest I had run since getting pregnant. Honestly, it was a tough race.  I was happy to be out there but also it was pretty crummy.  I knew that my time would probably suck as since going back to work I had been doing maybe one run a week.  I was starting this program with realistic goals and not worrying about time - just finish the nine races.

We ran it together and it was a very slow run.  But regardless, it counts.  First of nine done and done.

Then we had to go back up to the top of the park to pick up the little and head back to Manhattan.  We ended up taking the long route so ran most of it so that it wouldn't take so long. 

The train ride home was so slow.  Poor Jaime ended up needing a diaper change when we were 2/3rds of the way home... that kid is a trooper.  We finally got home, all of us wet and hungry.  And we stayed inside the rest of the day.

Chinatown to the West Village

We headed to the Chinese Firecracker Festival for our first trip to Chinatown.  It was madness.  You couldn't see anything except for backs of heads and you couldn't walk... it was the most crowded thing we have been to yet.  We left as soon as we could slowly meander our way out and got back on the train to head north. These are the only two photos I took of our failed outting...

I really want to go back to Chinatown (when there isn't a festival) as I saw a ton of cool stuff.  But that day was not for us.  We were starving so jumped off the train at the West Village and wandered into the first place that looked up our alley... this place was so cool with subaway tile, reclaimed wood, awesome unique light fixtures - all that stuff that makes for a pretty neat atmosphere.  And the type of place that gives you a long side-eye look for bringing in a baby.

No worries, Jaime charmed the wait staff as they hung out at our table forever flirting with him.  This kid LOVES to eat out.  He thinks it is the coolest. He also thought the decor at this place was pretty neat.

This was also the time that Dan changed Jaime's diaper on his lap in the restroom... yup, that happened. After our late brunch (there is no lunch in NYC until like 3- it is still brunch) we went for a little walk around the neighborhood.

If one outting fails, just change plans and jump of the subway in a different spot.  Afternoon saved. Being a family in NYC doesn't suck.

Busy beads

Jaime is quite independent.  He can be content playing by himself for a fair amount of time - as long as you are nearby and not doing something else.  He also is quite able to do it himself thank-you-very-much.  I just know that we are going to hear a lot "I do it!" in the near future.

During the just getting mobile stage Jaime was awesome about amusing himself with his toys while we get ready to go out.  And he was just so cute while doing it. While Dan and I were getting ready for a trip to a Chinese New Year festival Jaime was just chilling with his car and busy beads... working on his tooth and fine motor skills like a good multi-tasker.

As much as this kid likes his wild time he is also very good at quiet and focused play.  He is just so busy learning as much as he can.

I love how his feet are always in on the action and busy - they are always moving and touching something.

Jaime's First Snow Day

Up through early February we had yet to have a big snow.  It looked more like November than Feburary.  But we finally got a big huge snow storm.  My office closed early as the roads got messy and I got a little excited about the prospect of seeing NYC covered in snow.

We settled in for a snowy evening wondering if it would actually be more than a dusting this time.  We woke up to see the city blanketed in a pretty snow and the sun starting to break through the clouds. 

Part of me wanted to run out the door with my camera... but a cozy family morning was pretty great. Jaime had recently turned seven months and was so excited about all of his new skills.  We had a lot of fun playing. 

After a while we headed out to the park so Jaime could play in the snow.  It was crazy out - everyone in the city was out having a blast and enjoying the snow. 

And that was that.  We headed back home for diaper changing and a nap.