Road Trip! Maine

To welcome the summer we have loaded the car for a vacation along the coast of Maine!

For all of the things my toddler lacks he makes up for one hundred times over as a traveler. Ale is amazing in the car. Once he is strapped in his car seat surrounded by his sippy cup, a snack bowl filled with cheddar bunnies, and a fist full of toy cars he is as happy as can be. Ale first points out the vehicles on the road, tells us when to turn by pointing and saying, “Papa, this way!”. Then he gets quiet and sleeps for three hours. We indeed struck gold.

When Ale woke up we were arriving into Maine from last his last peep about the big passing trucks in Connecticut it was time to stop and start enjoying all that this beautiful state has to offer. It’s just stunning. One minute you are surrounded by pine trees next you are facing the sea. We have had all the clam chower and lobster rolls you can eat. Each day a Ale has played on the beach and watched the boats go by. We even climbed a few lighthouses, and went walking on nature trails. We have a few more days here and I’m looking forward to what is to come.

We even were able to do a family selfi with a cow!

Tuesdays With Ale: Cherry Blossoms

Can you believe it? I have lived in Brooklyn for many years now and I had never been to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. To add to the embarrassment I had no idea that it’s free on Tuesdays. So what did Ale and I do this Tuesday?  We ran over to the Botanical Garden to see the tail end of the cherry blossoms that makes this garden so famous.

While at the Botanical Garden we met up with some of my friends with their little ones. We explored the gardens, ran through the grass, marveled at the many goldfish swiming, and passed around a basball sized purple spiky ball in cherry esplanade. Whoops. … The security guard ran over to the seemingly unrulely group of two toddlers and three babies and shouted “Put the ball down. Put the ball away!”. We had a great time despite the overzealous security rules.  We rounded out the morning with a taxi ride home and found grandma waiting for us back at our apartment.  Best spring morning ever!

Tuesdays With Ale: Hotdogs and Doctors

Two important events happened on Tuesday.

1- We were playing in the park when 12:30pm struck and Ale turned to me and said “Hotdog mama”. I looked down at him in amazement. He was asking for food. He never asks for food. He has no interest in food 99% of the time. Then he said that he wanted to eat a hotdog with his friend that he had been playing with, Maria. Well ok! My baby is a real New Yorker. Eating hot dogs in the park is classic. I ran to the hotdog stand, prayed that the seller had washed his hands sometime that morning and ordered two plain hot dogs. I returned to Ale and Maria and was met with squeals of joy. Nothing beats eating a hotdog on a park bench on a nice sunny day. They wolfed down their hotdogs in a New York minute.

2- After nap time we headed over to our pediatrician’s office for Ale’s 2.5 year old checkup. My husband and I were anxious to get him weighed and measured. We were convinced that Ale had not grown enough since he does not eat enough. We check in and wait in the waiting area. There Ale busied himself with the toy cars. He even made me some chicken that he baked with a firetruck in the wooden oven. Ale was having fun. Then the medical assistant called out, “Ale”. He froze, looked at me and started to scream. “Mama I scared!” he said and clung to my leg. We arrive to the exam room. Sniff, sniff….. Oh, boy. Ale pooped. Fantastic. I then took him to the bathroom that is the size of a matchbox where he continued to scream while I struggled to changed him. Back in the exam room Ale continued to scream bloody murder. Enticing him with a lolly pop we got him to stand still for half a second to take his height and weight. He continued to scream as the doctor asked me milestone questions. She tried to get him to say something. I wanted to gush about all the amazing things that Ale says and does. Things that are for sure way beyond his years. But no, nothing. Just screams. As the doctor told me that she was happy
with his growth- he gained more weight than ever and he continues to be a tall lean toddler, he continued to scream. Thank goodness there were no vaccines due this visit! At the end of the visit I told Ale that were were now going to the park. He finally stopped screaming, looked at the sweet, and thankfully, patient doctor and said “Yea! Park! Bye! Bye!”. Oh my little toddler.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Spring

Spring! Finally!  Spring means that after daycare I can take Ale to the park. It’s great to be outdoors again!

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/spring-2/