Sesame Place, the Movie

Here is the short version of our "movie" of Tali's visit to Sesame Place this week. You'll see her playing at the stoop, clapping along to the music at the Abby show, riding the merry-go-round, climbing Cookie Monster's tower (which is essentially a large blue tarp that reminded me of New Orleans) and enjoying the evening parade. There's some video of Eli, too, as we wanted to remember that he joined us on this trip. Many thanks to H, who produced/edited this movie.

Can You Tell Me How To Get...

Yes, Tali now knows how to get to Sesame Street!

H took the week off of work and decided that we should take the kids to Sesame Place on Monday. I agreed to go because it was his vacation and he so rarely gets vacation, but secretly I was very nervous about this trip. We do have a five week old baby, after all.

Luckily, my fear was for nothing and the trip went pretty well. We drove down on Sunday and spent Monday at the park. The morning was very hot so at one point I took Eli into a gift shop and we just sat on the floor for 20 minutes to cool off. But other than that, Eli was very good and Tali had a lot of fun in the morning riding the merry go round, meeting some of the characters and seeing an Elmo show. We went back to the park after a late lunch and naps and took Tali on a lot of rides (she loved them all), to see an Abby show, and to watch the parade. The parade started at her bedtime so she got to stay up two hours late and was pretty well behaved. She had a blast watching all of the characters sing and dance. All in all, a successful trip.

Some things to note:

Eli has stolen Tali's thunder. People used to stop and say how cute she is, now they say that about Eli.

Tali is really fearless. The higher or faster the ride, the better.

We bought Peapods for the kids. Tali freaked out but eventually slept just fine. Eli didn't love it and woke up a lot. But it was better than gross hotel cribs and we can use them for years.

Tali actually had a cold on Monday while we were at Sesame. But by Tuesday, it was gone. Either it was the fastest cold she's ever had (usually last a week) or being outside for the day sped up the recovery.

Trip To New Orleans

About two weeks ago, Tali and I went down to New Orleans for a quick visit. We saw Gran, Grandpa, Aunt Cara, Granny and Papa. Tali had a blast and is still talking about the trip. Here's a quick recap:

Tali on the plane, in her safety restraint and listening to the TV.

Plane ride down: The flight wasn't that full so Tali had her own seat - hooray! The day before, I bought her a seatbelt/aviation restraint that mimics her car seat straps and it held her in pretty securely. Unlike last time she had her own seat, she couldn't easily get out. But, it's a long flight and my very active daughter couldn't sit in the seat the whole time. A very friendly flight attendant came over to chat with her and Tali took that as her cue to entertain him for the rest of flight. He saw her "happy feet," met her stuffed animals (lion, puppy) and her blanket, and she told him all about her life. There was only one meltdown the entire flight and no nap.

Tali playing with Grandpa at the zoo.

New Orleans: Tali had a blast. The weather was great so she spent a lot of time outside. Gran really wore her out and she took some pretty long naps while there. Tali had a lot of fun with Aunt Cara, Grandpa, Granny and Papa as well. But the best part of the trip was taking Tali to the zoo. New Orleans has a great zoo and a fabulous petting zoo area. That was the first place we took Tali when we arrived at the zoo. Unfortunately, about five elementary schools had the same idea and it was packed. So Tali played there for a little while and then we went to look at all the animals she sees in her books. After lunch, we returned to the petting zoo and it was pretty empty - she was the only kid there. Tali had a blast petting the goats and sheep (which she could tell apart). She hugged them, kissed them and sat next to them while they napped. The adults that came in were so amazed with how comfortable this little girl was with all of the animals. When it was time to go, she had no problem telling us goodbye so that we could leave her there with the animals! I actually had to carry her out, kicking and screaming.

Petting a sheep.

Chatting with a goat.

Kissing a goat.

Plane Ride Home: The ride home wasn't as eventful for Tali as the ride down. We flew during lunch time so she spent most of the flight eating. I brought some food with me and ordered two boxes of food for us to share - one cheese combo and one salami/cheese combo. The flight home was full so Tali sat on my lap and was pretty good. Near the end of the flight, she did get up to walk around the plane a bit but we spent most of the time in our seat. I was hoping she might nap on this flight, but no luck.

Vacation

It's been a while since I posted anything but that's because everyone went on vacation. H and I went to Italy (Amalfi Coast then Tuscany) and Tali and Jackson went to New York City. Everyone had a great time. Tali learned how to say "please" and Jackson learned how to guilt trip Savta and Saba into taking him out all the time. Above are some pictures from Tali's vacation. On her second day she went to lunch at Cafe Boulud and Savta snapped a few fantastic shots.

Papa's 90th Birthday

One of the few good pictures with Tali.

My favorite picture.

Tali eating the bread brought for the ducks.

Tali asking for some of Aunt Ilana's drink.



The goose that crashed the picture.

This past weekend we celebrated Papa's 90th birthday. Tali had a great time at the family events.

On Saturday, we had brunch at Commander's Palace, one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. Tali tried many new foods and enjoyed them all. She had garlic bread for the first time and couldn't get enough! Tali ate pancakes, which she liked once I added syrup, and she sampled my bread pudding - yum! But her favorite food was ice cream. Although she had never seen or eaten it before, she knew it was something good from the moment they put the bowl on the table. Tali was playing on the floor when the bowl was set down and she immediately ran over to her spot to sign for help and that she wanted to eat (yes, she's smart enough to make baby sentences at 16 months - as long as they involve food). Then she went to the corner to try and climb in her high chair! We put her in, strapped on the bib and Tali was in heaven. She loved the vanilla ice cream with strawberries.

Between courses at Commander's a group of musicians came in to the room to perform. Tali enjoyed the music and particularly loved the double bass. The first time they played, I walked her over to the bass and placed her hand on it to feel the vibration. The next two times they came into the room, she walked over to the bass herself. She had such a great time at Commander's and was very well behaved for the entire three hours.

On Sunday, Papa's actual birthday, we went to the park for family pictures. Tali wasn't so cooperative for the pictures as there were many more interesting things to see and do. About halfway through she told me she was hungry and thirsty. Since I was unprepared (bad Mom!), she had some ice from Aunt Ilana's iced coffee drink and some bread that Aunt Sue had brought to feed the ducks. Tali chased the ducks, walked up and down the steps, pet the dogs, played in the grass and dirt, and tried to take a swim in the water. She had a blast!

Trip to New Orleans

This past week, Tali and I took a trip to New Orleans. It was Mardi Gras week down there but we didn't actually go to any parades. Tali's too young to get it. Instead, we made plans to see family and friends of mine and enjoy the nice, relatively warm weather.

But, Tali had other plans. On Tuesday, Tali started to develop a bit of cold. By Wednesday evening it was awful. And that night it was so terrible that we called my cousin Michael at home (he's a pediatrician) to find out what we could do for her. After a nice chat, Grandpa went to the drugstore and came back with a bag full of tricks to help Tali sleep. We followed all of Michael's instructions and Tali was able to get a few hours of sleep. Tali's cold was just as bad on Thursday but by Friday she seemed to be on the mend. We flew back yesterday (Saturday) and Tali's cold was almost better.

Now Tali just has a bit of congestion in her chest and she's lost most of her voice from a combination of her cold and HOURS of crying.

So most of our plans in New Orleans got canceled (we did go hear Granny speak at the WWII museum about being a war bride - she was very funny!) and Tali spent a lot of time in Gran and Grandpa's house playing with Mardi Gras beads (from the parades and balls they went to over the weekend) and exploring. But because she was sick, Tali was very clingy to me and didn't really want to be touched or held by anyone else. Luckily, I was able to get out of the house a bit while she was sleeping since Gran was there to babysit.

It's no fun when babies are sick - no matter how much help you have.

Tali with Mardi Gras beads the day we arrived.

She pulled them all out of the bags right away!

Tali with Granny (and a Mardi Gras throw).

Tali with Grandpa.

Tali with Gran, at the airport before we left.

I Love My Big

I am the older sister and the oldest cousin. As a child, I didn't have a big sister to look up to or get advice from. But that all changed my first week of college. I met Michelle the day I received my bid to join her sorority. She was a year older than me and let me borrow her shoes for that night. From that moment on, I knew we'd be friends. Michelle became by sorority big sister and we've stayed close. I still call her Big and she still calls me Little.

Last week her big sister advice came in handy. I was a bit nervous about leaving Tali for the first time and spoke to her the day before I left. She said to me: she might cry when you leave and she might even cry the first night, but just know that she will be well cared for. She will be with her grandparents and she will be well cared for. She will be fed, she will be changed and she will be loved. So even if she misses you, she will be taken care of.

This was great advice. Every time I worried about her, I immediately thought of Big's advice and was fine. Thank you, Big, for helping me relax on our trip!

Goodbye Tali, Hello Palm Beach!

For Tali's first birthday, H got me a present - a long weekend together in Palm Beach ALONE. I am finished breastfeeding so now I could easily leave her for an extended period of time. We left on Friday morning and came back on Tuesday evening and it was wonderful! Yes, it was hard to leave Tali (and Jackson) but they stayed with Savta and Saba and so I knew they would be well cared for. I tried to be good and only check on Tali once a day.

H and I spent the entire weekend relaxing and eating. We stayed at the Ritz and enjoyed their spa on Saturday and Monday. I did yoga every morning. We went out to dinner every night. I slept. It was perfect.

As our flight was landing on Tuesday evening, I said to H "Do you think she'll remember us?" H thought that was a silly question, but I was just predicting the future. When we got home, Jackson went nuts but Tali just stared at us. H went up to her first and she just looked him. Then I went up to her and she just looked. It was like she was watching a tennis match: stare at Dad, stare at Mom, stare at Dad, stare at Mom, etc. I think she was confused. Eventually she started smiling at me and then got comfortable with us again. She had a tough time going to sleep that night (afraid we were going to leave again?) but she was completely back to normal yesterday.

It was good to get away but it's also good to be back.

Week of Firsts

Last week was a week of many firsts. Tali and I flew down to New Orleans and spent a few days in Florida with Granny, Papa, Gran and Aunt Cara. We had a great time and she charmed everyone she met. Some of the "firsts" highlights are:

First time she enjoyed the swimming pool. There were two main reasons she liked this pool: 1) The pool was very warm, bathtub warm. 2) The pool sloped up to the ground so we could sit at the edge of the pool and just get our feet wet (like you would at the ocean). This allowed her to gradually get used to the water and eventually she crawled in a bit further.

First time she ate Granny's macaroni and cheese - and she LOVED it! This girl is definitely my daughter. Tali's first experience with Granny's macaroni and cheese was so funny. Once she had one bite, she did not want the rest of her food (veggies and chicken). All she wanted was the mac and cheese. Whenever I put another piece of food on the table, she'd look at it, look at me, then look at the mac and cheese. It was so yummy that she even scooped pieces out of the pocket of her bib. She didn't want to waste one bite!

First time she willingly went to other people from my arms. Yes, she reached out for Gran and Aunt Cara to hold her. And she was happy even if I disappeared. By the end of the week, she let complete strangers hold her without any fuss. From Aunt Cara's friend Tiffany to Grandpa's secretary, Tali traveled from arm to arm without a fuss.

First experience with Mardi Gras beads. What fun! They are the perfect toy for Tali. Long enough for her to swing around and manipulate between her fingers and small enough to go into her mouth. She loved them so much we took a pair home.

First set of car keys. Gran bought Tali her first set of keys. And while they aren't nearly as fascinating as my keys, she did enjoy playing with them.

First long car ride. Tali spent five hours in a car (each way) without a problem. She slept, she played, she pooped and all was good. We took an hour break each way (included in the five hours) so that we could all eat and just get out of the car. But she had no complaints.

Below are a few more pictures from the week. (More will come later from Aunt Cara.)

(Tali with Aunt Cara, Uncle David, Papa, Aunt Ilana and Uncle Greg)

Flying to New Orleans

Yesterday Tali and I flew down to New Orleans for a week (technically, we'll be in Florida for three of those days) and it was the first time I flew with her alone. Back in March, we took Tali down to New Orleans for my sister's wedding and she was a perfect angel on the trip. She was so young (just over two months) that she slept most of the time. But this time I was worried. I've heard numerous horror stories about babies this age (and older) causing a scene on long flights. So I chose to take a connecting flight instead of flying direct so that we could have a break between flights for her to crawl around (and me to sanitze her hands afterwards).

Our first flight left the Westchester airport at 12:30. We had enough time to check in and purchase some water before we lined up to board the plane. Although it was a tiny plane, it wasn't full and there was an empty seat next to me and Tali's car seat made it onto the flight. She was very tired so I tried to get her to sleep but she simply refused and began crying. Five rounds of "The Ants Go Marching" later, I took her out and she sat on my lap and played with some toys and my keys. Twenty minutes before we were scheduled to land in Detroit I breast fed her and put her back in her car seat to give her food. As the wheels touched the ground, Tali fell asleep mid-chew (a pea). She slept while we got off the plane and the whole time I frantically looked for the stroller (turns out it was put on the plane, contrary to one passenger's story) but left next to the plane when they unloaded the rest of the carry-on luggage). I then sprinted from the end of Terminal C to Terminal B to catch my connection.

Once at my new gate, I asked if there were any extra seats and there was one. I spoke to the woman in that seat and she agreed to switch with me! As I was boarding the plane, a guy offered to help me and he carried Tali (in the car seat) while I carried my very heavy bag. I was walking to our seats and looked behind me just as Tali was waking up. She opened her eyes, finished chewing her pea and smiled at me. She stayed awake the entire 2 1/2 hour flight and was very good. After her diaper change (two poops - I felt guilty putting a stinky diaper in the bathroom garbage), she ate the rest of her lunch, played with my keys and smiled at other passengers as we walked the aisle. As the plane was landing, I tried my luck and put her back in the car seat for a nap. She was not happy about this and let out her first real screams. Luckily, the landing was loud so it didn't carry too far. As we were leaving the plane, I got lots of compliments on how good she was.

Tali didn't fall asleep until we got in the car so Gran drove around for a half hour until she woke up. She had a lot of fun playing at her grandparent's house and went to sleep pretty quickly. All in all, it was a successful day. Fingers crossed the flight back is as smooth.