Friday, July 25, 2008
CMOA
I really like this place (and so does Naomi). Thursday evenings are the best...from 4-6 it is pay-as-you-wish...plus because it is relatively near rush hour, travel time sticks to just over half an hour (less if you're already at the 96th and Lexington playground). Some part of me recognizes that maybe we should be outside all the time because it is summer, but I really feel like the heat is just life-sucking after much more than an hour or two. Maybe I just need to be running through the fountains more like Naomi. By the way, a word about the last post. A friend remarked today (after Naomi poured water on his kid's head at the park) that Naomi is both a fighter and a lover. It's true. For her, so much of the time the fighting and the loving are really one and the same. It really isn't a question of malice or ill-will, nor is it really of being completely out of control (she'll give anything back to another kid when asked firmly by an adult). It's just...tempting. She loves having water poured over her, so....she pours water on others to initiate a good waterfight. She laughs hysterically when chased, so she steals something from an unsuspecting kid to initiate a chase. What Naomi really is is a not-fully-trained puppy. I do believe there is a time and place for everything...it just remains to fully train her on the right times and places for each way of acting and being. Far be it from me to suggest that mischeiviousness is inherently, unilaterally bad.
'09 Preschool Admission Essay
Top Ten Reasons to Admit Naomi Brice to Your School:
10. She would be a great addition to the preschool wrestling team, since she has literally never lost a tussle (ie over a toy, etc) with another kid, no matter how aggressive, older or bigger.
9. She's an expert at "Opposite Day": When asked to frown, she grins. When asked to grin she frequently frowns.
8. She learned to jump and climb ladders by herself at 17 months.
7. She can recite much of the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" almost word for word, and does a mean impression of the Cat in the Hat.
6. She loves to sing the "LMNOP's" (she hasn't learned the first half of the alphabet yet, but is actually pretty good at the second half) and especially loves the letters U, X, W, F, B, Z, N, O, and Y.
5. She can be very crafty and smart when planning mischeivous events such as stealing other kids' strollers.
4. She likes to kiss elbows and feet.
3. You don't have to worry about her declining to eat spicy school lunch, since she is already accustomed to eating plain spices by the spoonful.
2. She carries her babydoll and monkey on her hip and lets them "help" do tasks.
1. She's very, very gentle and sweet with dogs, so there is hope for learning to be gentle with people!
10. She would be a great addition to the preschool wrestling team, since she has literally never lost a tussle (ie over a toy, etc) with another kid, no matter how aggressive, older or bigger.
9. She's an expert at "Opposite Day": When asked to frown, she grins. When asked to grin she frequently frowns.
8. She learned to jump and climb ladders by herself at 17 months.
7. She can recite much of the book "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" almost word for word, and does a mean impression of the Cat in the Hat.
6. She loves to sing the "LMNOP's" (she hasn't learned the first half of the alphabet yet, but is actually pretty good at the second half) and especially loves the letters U, X, W, F, B, Z, N, O, and Y.
5. She can be very crafty and smart when planning mischeivous events such as stealing other kids' strollers.
4. She likes to kiss elbows and feet.
3. You don't have to worry about her declining to eat spicy school lunch, since she is already accustomed to eating plain spices by the spoonful.
2. She carries her babydoll and monkey on her hip and lets them "help" do tasks.
1. She's very, very gentle and sweet with dogs, so there is hope for learning to be gentle with people!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Oh the Wonderful Sounds Miss Naomi Can Do...
Naomi is really good at "reading" books these days. Her specialty is sound effects...Not a bad "comet" imitation, eh?
In all seriousness though, we are starting to really get into books more. I'm happy because we're finally getting to the point where we can start reading books that I like too and can appreciate (not that there's anything wrong with "Baby Faces" and "10 Button Book"...). But we are getting near the point where books really start opening up worlds of imagination, where I actually like them and can convey that interest, which is exciting to me. And it is no longer a struggle to get Naomi to sit still!! She's developed an attention span, amazing!
Also exciting for the day, I got to act as the "presenting clinician" at EHHOP in the morning for a patient who spoke only Spanish. I'm really learning a lot of Spanish these days. Major thumbs up. :-)
In all seriousness though, we are starting to really get into books more. I'm happy because we're finally getting to the point where we can start reading books that I like too and can appreciate (not that there's anything wrong with "Baby Faces" and "10 Button Book"...). But we are getting near the point where books really start opening up worlds of imagination, where I actually like them and can convey that interest, which is exciting to me. And it is no longer a struggle to get Naomi to sit still!! She's developed an attention span, amazing!
Also exciting for the day, I got to act as the "presenting clinician" at EHHOP in the morning for a patient who spoke only Spanish. I'm really learning a lot of Spanish these days. Major thumbs up. :-)
John Jay
We ventured out to a public pool today! So brave! We had our doubts based on the general Reality of New York City Free Services and Events (long lines, long lines, long lines, hot grimy stickiness, long lines, and a plethora of rules....). But it was fun! We completely recommend the John Jay swimming pool at 78th and the East River. Yes, we did have to wait on line for about a half an hour in order to swim. And yes, Naomi is still rather terrified of the water. But the water was totally clean, perfectly refreshing, shady, relatively pretty with a view of the river, not too crowded and just plain fun. Even Naomi had a good time overall. We will definitely be returning...
A few pictures of the (also very nice) John Jay playground afterward. I used to go to school 1 short block away from here, by the way.
A few pictures of the (also very nice) John Jay playground afterward. I used to go to school 1 short block away from here, by the way.
Picnic in the Park
They also went to the zoo this week. It's been insanely hot, meaning that it is just about 500 times more exhausting to take a kid anywhere here, let alone anywhere more than half a mile away. And let alone Naomi. 
New best friend:
New best friend:
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Update
Life is good. NY is a fun place to be in the summer. HOT!!!!!! But fun. A few recent escapades:
1. Matt and I FINALLY went out to celebrate our anniversary last weekend. We went for a sunset sail around the southern tip of Manhattan on a schooner with a dozen or so other people. The boat set sail from the pier just west of the World Financial Center (a really beautiful new neighborhood, by the way...lacking in general NY old character and grittiness, but so *pretty* and clean). We got there early enough to listen to a swing band perform out by the water, then spent two hours contentedly sailing. It was really, really fun and a fantastic way to spend some nice romantic, beautiful and low-key time together. I forgot the camera, but it may be better that I did, since I also lost my metro card to the ocean at some point.
2. Another afternoon/evening Naomi and I were at Carl Schurz and happened upon a GREAT concert by Martha Redbone. I'd never heard of her, but loved her soul/funk/rock/you-name-it music. Again no camera, but lots of fun.
3. We also went to the Bronx Botanical Garden last weekend while Matt was at work (unfortunately he is having to work a fair amount again...). This was also really cool (and I did bring my camera), especially because it is JUST SO ENORMOUS that we really only visited about a sixth of the gardens in the two hours we were there. The only down side was that it took ten years to get there on the subway, and twelve years to get back on the train. Oh to have a car in times like these....!!! I can't really think of a good solution to the problem...the botanical garden is only a few miles away, but renting a car is prohibitively expensive, and riding a bike through the chaos of the South Bronx doesn't seem like a great option either. Maybe next time we'll just take a cab, or go on a weekday when the trains run more frequently. Still, the Henry Moore sculptures scattered throughout the garden were really cool, and Naomi and I made friends with a little family we spent most of the day with, which was fun.
4. We have a new babysitter we think is fantastic. Naomi really likes her. I like her, Matt likes her. We're happy. Plus, an additional upside is she's really very flexible about hours...so I had the option last week of going to two evening classes, then coming home around two o'clock the other three days to spend the afternoon with Naomi. This is really, really a major plus for me, and something we didn't have at all with our last babysitter (and couldn't really ask for from daycare).
1. Matt and I FINALLY went out to celebrate our anniversary last weekend. We went for a sunset sail around the southern tip of Manhattan on a schooner with a dozen or so other people. The boat set sail from the pier just west of the World Financial Center (a really beautiful new neighborhood, by the way...lacking in general NY old character and grittiness, but so *pretty* and clean). We got there early enough to listen to a swing band perform out by the water, then spent two hours contentedly sailing. It was really, really fun and a fantastic way to spend some nice romantic, beautiful and low-key time together. I forgot the camera, but it may be better that I did, since I also lost my metro card to the ocean at some point.
2. Another afternoon/evening Naomi and I were at Carl Schurz and happened upon a GREAT concert by Martha Redbone. I'd never heard of her, but loved her soul/funk/rock/you-name-it music. Again no camera, but lots of fun.
3. We also went to the Bronx Botanical Garden last weekend while Matt was at work (unfortunately he is having to work a fair amount again...). This was also really cool (and I did bring my camera), especially because it is JUST SO ENORMOUS that we really only visited about a sixth of the gardens in the two hours we were there. The only down side was that it took ten years to get there on the subway, and twelve years to get back on the train. Oh to have a car in times like these....!!! I can't really think of a good solution to the problem...the botanical garden is only a few miles away, but renting a car is prohibitively expensive, and riding a bike through the chaos of the South Bronx doesn't seem like a great option either. Maybe next time we'll just take a cab, or go on a weekday when the trains run more frequently. Still, the Henry Moore sculptures scattered throughout the garden were really cool, and Naomi and I made friends with a little family we spent most of the day with, which was fun.
4. We have a new babysitter we think is fantastic. Naomi really likes her. I like her, Matt likes her. We're happy. Plus, an additional upside is she's really very flexible about hours...so I had the option last week of going to two evening classes, then coming home around two o'clock the other three days to spend the afternoon with Naomi. This is really, really a major plus for me, and something we didn't have at all with our last babysitter (and couldn't really ask for from daycare).
Friday, July 04, 2008
Happy 4th
So it turns out Naomi is completely fine. Not bothered, disturbed, upset, or...anything really. Now all of my freaking out about the long-term damaging effects of angry and sudden abandonment on a little kid's psyche seem, well, just a little overblown. Apparently Naomi understands that sometimes people get mad, and that people other than Matt and I come and go, and that it's ok. She's got us (we're so great we're even the ones to thank for her already understanding that people get mad)! And she knows it. She's FINE.
Matt and I on the other hand...have had a more difficult week (especially Matt!!). This week has been the second busiest all year for Matt, so not a great time to have to find, interview, reference check, etc, various babysitters....or to really sit down and try to figure out what we could do better this time around. And I have actually been doing some things at work (though I think I really screwed up my experiment somehow yesterday and am going to have to do it again because the results suck and also I was way too slow). But we did have some good times, as well. On Tuesday, the silver lining of my having to take Naomi to and from emergency daycare in Midtown was that we could meet Matt and walk from there up to Matt's firm's family night at the zoo before he had to go back in to work. SO FUN! We love the Central Park Zoo, especially on a nice surprisingly cool summer night.
This morning we took a zipcar out with our friends Christina, Manahi, and Samuel to Far Rockaway beach. It was drizzling when we got there, but ended up being a great day--not too hot or crowded, but sunny enough for me to get sunburned. It was nice just talking with friends, letting the kids entertain each other, and wading out into the ocean. Naomi was a little scared at first, but ended up liking being splashed by the waves as long as I was holding her.
We were too tired for fireworks later on, but it was raining anyway, and we had a nice walk instead. Next year.
Naomi and Matt stopping to play by some weird Hello Kitty statues on the way to the zoo:
At the zoo:
Beach:
Matt and I on the other hand...have had a more difficult week (especially Matt!!). This week has been the second busiest all year for Matt, so not a great time to have to find, interview, reference check, etc, various babysitters....or to really sit down and try to figure out what we could do better this time around. And I have actually been doing some things at work (though I think I really screwed up my experiment somehow yesterday and am going to have to do it again because the results suck and also I was way too slow). But we did have some good times, as well. On Tuesday, the silver lining of my having to take Naomi to and from emergency daycare in Midtown was that we could meet Matt and walk from there up to Matt's firm's family night at the zoo before he had to go back in to work. SO FUN! We love the Central Park Zoo, especially on a nice surprisingly cool summer night.
This morning we took a zipcar out with our friends Christina, Manahi, and Samuel to Far Rockaway beach. It was drizzling when we got there, but ended up being a great day--not too hot or crowded, but sunny enough for me to get sunburned. It was nice just talking with friends, letting the kids entertain each other, and wading out into the ocean. Naomi was a little scared at first, but ended up liking being splashed by the waves as long as I was holding her.
We were too tired for fireworks later on, but it was raining anyway, and we had a nice walk instead. Next year.
Naomi and Matt stopping to play by some weird Hello Kitty statues on the way to the zoo:
At the zoo:
Beach:
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