Manhattan with Nancy, Molly and Sara

Nancy, Molly, Sara and Avery

Today I went into Manhattan to spend the day with my family. Unfortunately, all didn't go as smoothly as planned. My cousin Sara told me a few weeks ago that her mother (my aunt Nancy who is my mother's oldest sister) was coming to town from Washington (State), as well as her sister Molly (my cousin who lives in Salt Lake). They were getting a hotel room near Times Square and seeing Broadway musicals for 4 days straight! We planned that I would come into the city and spend Saturday with them, either shopping or going to museums, whatever they were in the mood to do.

Last night, I stayed up WAY too late, helping John work on a business plan. I finally got to sleep at 4:00 am, only to be awakened by Avery at 7:00. I felt miserable! Since John had to continue working on this business plan today and tomorrow to have it ready for Monday morning, there was no way I could leave the girls with him all day and distract him from completing it. So, I decided I'd take the girls into the city with me. I spent 2 hours getting us ready and preparing everything I needed to take them into the city (took a long time because I was DRAGGING!). I finally got into the car around 11am and drove into the city.

I found a parking garage about a block away from their hotel, parked the car, and then made the difficult decision of which stroller to pull out of the trunk: the double jogger, or the single "sit-n-stand." I found out the hard way that I made the WRONG decision when I selected the single. We went to their hotel room where they were just finishing getting ready. I took the above picture, which Reagan refused to be in, and then we headed out to the streets of Manhattan.

Not only did I pick the wrong stroller, but I also failed to dress my girls appropriately. It had been really warm yesterday and when we left the house it was sunny and mild. When we got out of the hotel, it was hazy, windy and chilly! We all had coats and I had a big blanket from the trunk of the car, but I should have had hats and gloves for the girls. I really misjudged the weather.

We decided to walk to Central Park which was only about 12 blocks since we were on 48th street. The walk proved to be a nightmare. Avery was sitting in the stroller (very unhappy about the cold on her face and hands) and Reagan was standing on the back of the stroller as I pushed. At one point, we tried to cross the street and when we went off the curb, Avery wasn't providing enough weight in the front of the stroller, so the stroller tipped over backwards, causing Reagan to fall down and then melt down. It was a lot of fun (insert sarcastic tone here). After the fall, Reagan insisted that I carry her. So I carried Reagan for several blocks until I physically couldn't do it anymore. At this point, I was really angry at myself for not bringing the double stroller.

When we finally reached Central Park, we were practically blown over. Without the coverage from the buildings, the wind was out of control. It stung as it hit our faces and we quickly re-thought our decision to walk through Central Park. We opted to find somewhere indoors to sit down, warm up and get a bite to eat. We wandered into a nearby deli and sat down.

It was nice to sit and visit with my aunt Nancy and cousin Molly, but I was definitely distracted by the girls. They weren't exactly on their best behavior, which would have thrown me off a little under the best of circumstances ... but since I was managing on 3 hours of sleep, it was difficult for me to cope with the situation. I also felt badly that I'd thrown off Nancy, Molly, and Sara's schedule and plans for a site-seeing day in the city. They were understanding, but I still felt bad and kind of regretted the whole decision to bring the girls into the city.

Instead of making the miserable walk back to the parking garage, I opted for a cab ride back ... turned out to be the best $8 I've ever spent! I put the girls in the car and they quickly fell asleep on the drive home. Unfortunately, I almost did too ... it was the scariest drive I've ever had because I couldn't keep my eyes open. By the time I got off the George Washington Bridge, the exhaustion took over. While on the Palisades Parkway, my eyelids were too heavy and I struggled to keep them open. When I got off the Parkway, I pulled off the road and tried to revive myself so I could safely finish my drive home. But even on Closter Dock Road, it was happening again - it was so dangerous!! I was so relieved when I pulled into my garage, with the girls safely home.

I was lucky enough to have Jen Wilkin come over shortly after I got home with a fabulous hot dinner :) Stuffed peppers, wild rice, and a delicious salad full of berries. It was exactly what I needed.