The Big Apple

Bryan's in NJ for two weeks participating in a sales training for his new job. When he found out about the trip, he suggested Brick and I fly out for the weekend. While Brick's no stranger to air travel, this was my first time flying with Brick without Bryan's assistance. We flew jetBlue into JFK because we could get a direct flight, and I figured the TVs that come standard on all jetBlue flights would help occupy Brick through the 3.5 hour flight. We were lucky enough that there was apparently an extra seat or two on the plane, and the flight attendant asked the gentleman who was initially seated next to us if he would like to move, giving me more room for Brick. Brick was such a good boy on the flight there. He bounced around a bit, but for the most part, he was content to watch cartoons, flirt and smile with the patrons around us, eat his snacks and play with his toys.

The hardest part of our trip was maneuvering our way to the JFK Airtran, which took us from the airport terminal to the rental car. Imagine if you will, me (remember, I'm 6 months pregnant), with a carseat in a carrying case strapped to my back, pushing Brick in a stroller with one hand while toting our suitcase behind us with the other hand. It wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but we managed. I'd purchased a new stroller with the trip in mind. What a blessing that turned out to be because there's no way I could have pushed any of our existing strollers with a single hand, making pulling our luggage that much more cumbersome.

As soon as we left the airport, Brick fell asleep in the rental car. He slept through the entire one and a half hours journey to New Jersey. I tell you, I give New Yorkers credit. The trip from JFK to New Jersey takes you right down 34th Street, smack in the middle of midtown Manhattan. While I never felt endangered, I felt it necessary to wholeheartedly concentrate on the car in front of me the entire time. The trip is only about a mile and a half long, but it takes 30-45 minutes. I imagine my anxiety levels were off the charts for that mile and a half.

That night, we had dinner with my cousins, all of whom still live in New Jersey. I forgot to replace the battery in my camera, so I had a non-functioning camera at dinner. Note to the cousins, please send pictures!!! My oldest cousin, Tony and his wife Kendra, have a son who is almost exactly one year older than Brick. Brick thought the world of cousin Tyler. They would chase each other back and forth or hold hands and dance around. It was so much fun to see them interact. We also got to meet Amanda, my cousin Tom and his wife Jen's daughter, who is just a month younger than Brick, and Ava, Tyler's little sister who is 10-months old. The age difference between Tyler and Ava is exactly the same as what will be between Brick and his baby sister. So, that was another fun little glimpse into what may be.

On Saturday, we headed into NYC for some sight-seeing. It started raining not long after we arrived, but stopped in time for us to enjoy some of Central Park including the Central Park Zoo. Brick absolutely adored this polar bear. He put up a big fight when we explained that it was time to leave the bear and visit something else.




The next day, we again took the ferry into the city.



Notice Brick's pants in the picture above? It's likely that they now belong to some lucky kid in Brooklyn. While we were taking a stroll through Battery Park, Brick decided he'd like to pour what was left of a bottle of water all over himself. It was a nice day out, so we stripped off his pants (fortunately he was wearing a onesie). We then boarded a tour bus bound for Brooklyn. While in Brooklyn, we laid the jeans on top of the stroller so they could finish drying. Somewhere between the tour bus and Grimaldi's pizza, we lost Brick's pants. Don't ask me how. It's just one of those things. Brick wasn't even phased. I'm sure the Grimaldi's pizza and the black and white cookies we enjoyed for lunch helped ease the pain.



That evening, Brick and I headed back to the airport for our flight home. It was definitely a whirlwind weekend, but we're glad to have had the time with Bryan and are looking forward to him getting home on Friday.