More Fun in the Citi

We loaded Lexi onto the number 7 train and headed to Citi Field, where we spent Saturday afternoon. The majority of the train heading uptown was jammed with tennis fans heading out to see the US Open, which was at the same stop in Flushing, but we headed the other direction to catch the Cubs-Mets game at Citi Field. Despite the big crowds on the subway, Lexi followed our rules of holding onto the hand rails and protecting her valuables.

Citi Field opened just this year, so it was fun to check out a game in the stadium's inaugural season. We walked the concourse for a little while before the game, and then settled into our seats down the right field line.
We were in the shade for a few innings, but a little later in the afternoon it got hot and steamy down near the field, so we moved up into the shade and stood on the concourse. We found out that having Lexi has its advantages, though, as a nice Mets employee ushered us into some nice seats in the shade with a few other families, despite Lexi donning her Cubs gear in New York.

Lexi was a little tuckered out by the end, but the game was a success, as it was a beautiful sunny day, D-Lee hit a couple bombs, and Lexi got to see her first Cubs victory live. Afterwards, we took the express train back to Times Square, got some food and cooled off for a little while, and then gave Lexi a little down time in the hotel. You don't exactly get wild & crazy nights when you hit NYC with a one-year-old, but you definitely get wild & crazy days!

The Big Apple

All three of us spent some time in the Big Apple for the first time today. We took an early (direct) flight, which went pretty well since Lexi slept for most of it. We arrived at Laguardia, and after a sketchy airport shuttle to drop bags at our hotel, headed out to NYC for our first family vacation. First we took Lexi on the MTA subway and headed to Rockefeller Plaza, where we met up with a friend's brother who works for NBC. He gave us a personalized tour of the property, including the sets for Saturdy Night Live, NBC Football Night in America, and Jimmy Fallon. We took a family photo opp on the SNL set.

We then took time to scope out the today show area and try to figure out where to position ourselves on Tuesday. We also peeked in at the set and saw where the magic happens.

Finally, we finished at "The Top of the Rock" on the observation deck of the 69th floor of Rockefeller Center. They had some great views of Manhattan and greater New York. Unfortunately for Lexi, she slept through the whole thing, but fortunately for us, we got to really concentrate on seeing the sights of New York instead of entertaining and feeding her.

We continued the day by strolling up 5th Avenue and visiting Tiffany's, where no purchase was made for either Lexi or me, despite our pleading that you can't go to Tiffany's in New York without walking out with the little blue bag. We then hit Central Park and enjoyed a stroll through the southern part of the park. We checked out the Loeb Boathouse there, and then caught the subway back South to Times Square. An unexpected highlight was seeing Anheuser-Busch products proudly displayed in the middle of the action. One of the jumbo trons right underneath where the ball drops every New Year's Eve was 100% devoted to building A-B brand image.

Our first day in New York was great, seeing a lot of city highlights and having a baby who behaved almost perfectly. So far, we are thinking we can do this family vacation thing.

NICU Lunch

We had a special lunch outing today. Lexi and I met three of her NICU nurses, Toika, Jennie, and Chelle, for lunch. A combination of good conversation and an extremely slow waiter, had the lunch run long, but Lexi was a trooper only getting tired near the end, despite being an hour past her nap time. It was great to see her nurses, who said she looked big, which we always like to hear. Lexi liked seeing them too, as she had plenty of smiles and giggles to give them.

Hello Kitty Party

Today we drove down to Springfield to attend Lexi's cousin Addy's 4th birthday party. Before we left, we decided it was time to let our almost 14 month old face forward! As you can see, Lexi really enjoyed the change...at first. After 3 hours back in the car with all the traveling lately, that excitement soon wore off, and we had a crabby child for a little ways. She's a pretty good sport, though.

She was also a good sport for the birthday games at the party, but wasn't the most thrilled about having Hello Kitty ears put on her head. Our little girl who passes out smiles like they are candy, refused to even break into a small grin with them all. At least we spared her the whiskers on her cheeks!