Weekend at Grandma's

Dear All,

Happy Spring Break! We celebrated the break, David's birthday, the YCT dinner, and the warm(er) weather by spending a long weekend in NYC. Grandma's house was so full of excitement! (translation: Noam not only didn't nap, but also woke up early every morning to sneak out and play with toys in the living room before anyone else was awake)!

Highlights included a trip to the playground with Daddy...

brunch with Bubbe, a playdate with Mike, and some bonding time with Gigi and Cousin Enid. On Daddy's birthday (otherwise known as Monday) the whole family went to the zoo! By "went to the zoo," I mean "walked across Central Park " (which was half the fun). And by "the whole family," well, I really do mean the whole family - and we travel in style. I don't quite know how to explain the phenomenon of us and our children moving from point A to point B, except to say that approximately every ten seconds, we are , um, let's just say acknowledged by passers-by. Some people just smile. And yes, some point and laugh. Others stop to tell us how cute our twins are, to ask if they really are twins, if they are identical, how old they are, and to ask if we get any sleep. Yes, yes, seven months, and some.

Here we are, making our trek!



Oh yes, and the zoo was fun too. Noam especially liked the penguins, the "sheeps," and the monkeys. There was also a bird who, according to Noam, "was screamin' and sayin' 'Noam!'"
The twins also had a great time. The pictures below show just how enthused they were:

Pretty age appropriate for seven months, I would say. Oh, and in case you can't tell (and I honestly forget that some people can't), the sleeping baby is Hillel and the awake but unimpressed baby is Akiva.

Our trip culminated in a short subway ride with Daddy, during which it was discovered that our little New Yorker (he spent his whole first year in the Heights, riding the subway regularly!) has turned into quite the country mouse. The noise of the approaching train brought on complete and abject terror. His report to Grandma went something like this:
Grandma: Did you go on the subway?
Noam: Yeah! I cried. (talks a bit more about it) Why it was so loud?
Grandma: Oh, was it very loud? Why do you think it's so loud?
Noam: They forgot to turn down the volume.

Oh. Okay.


We're back in Princeton now, safely away from loud subways and throngs of people! But my tribute to NYC would not be complete without a list of some of the notable places into which a double stroller does not fit:
- the checkout line at Loehmann's (the area set aside is much too narrow. We didn't stand in line, we didn't stand on line, we stood next to the line).
- through a single door at most stores, such as Sephora, Papyrus, Children's Place, etc. In order to get in, both doors must be open, requiring at least one other adult present and preferably two.
- past the entranceway of many small stores, such as Papyrus, Laila Rowe, etc. Essentially the plan is to park the babies, go shop, and hope for the best.
- elevators that other people with strollers also hope to get into.
- indoor zoo exhibits

Who knew?