The Visit

We covered a lot of ground over the weekend during Allison and Maggie's visit, from the playgrounds and zoo of Central Park to the dim sum palaces of Chinatown to the wilds of tourist-laden Midtown.  There was much walking, eating, sweating, shopping, talking and laughing.  Also a lot of searching for public restrooms, as Maggie is potty trained and has to go tee-tee on a very regular (i.e., hourly, at least) basis.  It turns out that New York is terribly unfriendly to the small of bladder, which I knew since I am no stranger to frequent urges of that sort, but bringing a toddler into the mix heightens the sense of urgency and desperation. 

For the most part, we were able to make do with restaurants and stores, but panic ensued when Maggie announced mid-playground-fun with my friend B. and her daughter O. (their collective gorgeousness is showcased below) that she needed to go, and there were no potties even remotely in the vicinity.  (Note to Central Park: get some freakin' potties!)  We were ultimately able to get her to hold it while we played on for a good while longer, so the crisis was averted.  Then, yesterday, in Gymboree of all places (the clothing store, not the place with the classes), there was also no restroom available to customers (they said they couldn't allow kids to use it "because of the chemicals" -- uh...do what now?), so poor Allison had to go into a sketchy McDonald's and use their highly sketchy bathroom.  Eek.  The things we do for kids.

Anyhow.  You probably didn't come here for a prolonged discourse on the bathrooms of Manhattan. 

Spending time with Allison was, of course, tremendous and, although I managed not to cry this time when she got in a cab this morning (unlike last year, when I sobbed rather dramatically as we said good-bye), about 1,000 times throughout the day I wanted to tell her something else funny that we didn't discuss over the weekend or dish about something or other, and I was crestfallen to realize that she was gone and we wouldn't get to talk and talk and talk while I fixed dinner this evening.  (Yes, there are phones, but obvs not the same thing than total face-to-face access.)  I realized that there were stories I'd started but had gotten sidetracked and never finished during their visit (we do a lot of interrupting of ourselves and each other, and Maggie would distract us or what have you, so our conversations are not always linear), and things we'd said we would do that we completely forgot about (including getting a decent picture of us together -- we didn't even get a NON-decent picture of us together, gah!).  There is just NEVER ENOUGH TIME. 

There was, however, sufficient time for Maggie to fall MADLY IN LOVE with my husband. 

He came home on Thursday evening after work and Maggie warmed up to him in about 0.5 seconds (she warmed up to me mostly because I bribed her with a bag of cheapo, yet diverting, toys upon her arrival).  The next morning, she got up and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Where my Joe?", a question that was repeated many, many times over the ensuing days.  When he got home from work Friday evening, as soon as the door opened she RAN -- totally unbidden -- to greet him with a big hug and lots of giggles.  (Now THAT made me cry, I am not ashamed to admit.  I am not made of stone!)  And on Saturday at dim sum she pointed at him and said, "I nike dis one."  And then I died.

I wish you could hear her little voice.  It's so...little and sweet, and it amplifies the cuteness of the little things she says by a power of about a billion.  Like she'll put some toys in a bag and say, "I put dis in here.  For later."  I mean, FOR LATER?  It kills me!  She points at Allison periodically and says, "Dis my mommy."  She likes to designate things as "mine" and one night when I kept grabbing one of her board books, she said, "Dat mines.  Look in my eyes.  It mine."  I about fell off the couch laughing.  "Look in my eyes."  COME ON.  Where did she get that? 

Also, when I was holding her in the line for the potty at Starbucks (seriously, what do people DO in the bathroom at Starbucks?  They camp out in there for HOURS), she was looking for Allison, who had been waiting about 100 years for our drinks, and when we watched Allison finally go sit down, Maggie said, "Mommy sit in MY chair."  Hee!  Oh, and when we were getting ready to go to the park, I got out a towel for her and she pointed at it and said, "I wanna cuddle with dis one." 

I don't know if it's borderline annoying to hear people GO ON about other people's children, but I'm going to gush for a moment and say that, while we had a couple of very brief tear-laden, big-lipped moments (and one time out for sassing her mama) during their visit, Maggie is exceedingly good-natured and truly a joy (are you rolling your eyes yet?) to be around.  We messed her schedule all up, had her out in the heat and rain, gave her all sorts of new foods, denied her naps, and subjected her to endless crowds and stroller rides, and she was cool with all of it.  She did get pretty loopy toward bedtime ("Are you punchy, Maggie?" "Hee.  I punchy!") but that was pretty much it.  There were times I thought *I* might have a tantrum, and she was all smiles.  She did get a little cagey at Build-a-Bear when the bear-stuffing lady wanted her to do the bear-stuffing ritual they have there, but that was pretty much it.  She's one cool customer.  And one CUTE girl.

I will close with a photo of Maggie's best expression of the weekend, which was this hilarious Face of Consternation she did at the park on the first afternoon they were here.  I'm going to look at this picture whenever I need a boost in mood, because it's maybe the funniest little face I've ever seen.  After I took it, we kept coming back to it and cracking up, so whenever I look at it now, I hear Allison's laugh in my head, and I can't help but smile.

Lots more pictures on Flickr!

Comments

[Suze]

I've been reading your blog for a while and thought I'd say hi. The pictures are adorable and you're going to be a GREAT mom!

[-R-]

Look in my eyes - ah! Too cute!

In news totally unrelated to this post, I finally read Prep, and I loved it!

[kathy]

I can't wait until you are relating sweet and funny stories like this about Noelle! And for Maggie and Noelle to meet!

[Lara]

Oh my gosh, this was so sweet and cute! "I punchy!" (heart melts).

[Becky]

So, so, so cute! It is amazing how adorable things are that little kids say! My nephew is constantly surprising me... I was watching him one aftenoon and, to my surprise, we noticed a turtle on the front porch of their house. I pointed it out to him, and he nodded with authority and said, "Yes, he is hiding. That's called camo-flodge"

SO CUTE. I pretty much melted.
:) Becky
http://www.stinkylemsky.typepad.com/

[blakspring]

ok, now i want one cutie too. she had me at "look in my eyes".

[Jakki]

Funny, your write as if you are actually talking to someone. I love that. I feel in love with Maggie!!! As the mother of two boys, makes me want a girl.....

[rachel]

Madly adorable. Toddler speak is awesome. It's amazing how quickly they develop the gift of gab.

[Leah]

With a face like that, how could her voice not be completely adorable? That look of consternation reminds me of Shirley Temple a little. Do you see it?

As to what people are doing in the bathrooms at Starbucks, think about it. All that coffee...

[Lawyerish]

I do see a little Shirley Temple in there! So funny.

Also, yeah, I have had that thought about the Starbucks bathrooms, but...I mean, really, people. Take that home with you. I personally do not have the ability to take my sweet time when I KNOW 20 people are waiting in a line outside the door. Y'know?

Thanks everyone for the awesome comments. I am glad we all concur on Maggie's utter cuteness. :)

[kathy]

Apparently all adorable small children immediately fall in love with Joe! Adam still looks at the picture and shouts "Joe!"