Turkey

       

We've been back home for two days now. Sort of. My body is here, but the rest of me is still in Turkey, sipping tea and listening to the calls to prayer. More soon.

Clouds at the beach / sun at the park

   
I've said it before: I'm not a beach person. I've been thinking recently that maybe I should change the tense on that statement: I wasn't a beach person. I still hate the heat and the sun, but there's something primally good about sand, wind and water. I have found myself, in recent weeks, plotting beach Saturdays for this summer. We're going on vacation soon, and it will involve some beach time.

I would ask myself "why this change of heart, why this sudden appreciation of sand and wind and blah blah blah..." but the answer is just so obvious:
 

I love helping him discover all these simple, natural things. What a kick to watch him sift sand through his fingers. There is nothing cuter than holding him back from running headlong into the water, then standing back as he points at the waves. "Da!"

This was our "dry run" today - a trip to Coney Island. It was cloudy and cool by the water, so we kept our jackets on and enjoyed having the beach practically to ourselves.

In the afternoon the clouds cleared, and by early evening it was absolutely perfect outside. Sunny and cool. We had leftovers in the fridge and a strong desire to be outside, so we grabbed the necessities for a picnic. Dinner out in Prospect Park, another highly anticipated summer activity! Potato salad, radishes on bread, kefir, and the chance to run around in the grass.

Our crocodile pull toy came along for the fun. And when the crocodile got old, there was a ball to practice throwing. A perfect evening. Made me look forward to summer.

A conversation not too long ago

(Anything pop out at you in this photo?)

O: When we have a second baby, that one can be yours.

A: Huh?

O: Nils will be mine. You can have the other baby.

A: Huh?

O: I get Nils.

A: Okay, I don't even know where to start with that.

O: And when he's 16, we'll bike from Germany to China. All the way across Eurasia.

A: That sounds really cool, but it might be a bit too much for me.

O: You're not invited.

A: Wha??

O: You can stay home with the other one. This will be a trip for Nils and I.

A: Wait a second...

O: And then once he's old enough, he and I will start our robot-making business.

A: Oh good lord, don't rope him into that. What makes you think he'll even want to be an engineer?

O: Please, it's so obvious. You've seen how he plays with his stacking cups and gears.

A: Suuure. Can you see me rolling my eyes?

O: You're just jealous because he's not going to be a librarian.

A: Still rolling my eyes. (Turns away to hide smile)

(Do you notice it now?)

Tomorrow when you wake up

A few weeks ago I had to take Nils to the emergency room. It was the best kind of "emergency" in that it wasn't, really. The pediatrician's office had just closed for the day. It was best, they said, not to wait until morning. No need to panic. Just head on over to the ER.

There was a lot of waiting, and there were some tears (oh Nils, if only you could understand that an underarm thermometer is nothing to be afraid of!). There was a lot of medical jargon and a few reassuring statements that only made me more anxious ("This doesn't mean it's asthma", they said over and over again). Otherwise, it was okay.

We ended up spending a few hours on a rolling bed in a hallway. Nils did his best to sleep, and with nothing else to do I listened in on the conversation at the bed next to ours. A boy of 12 or 13 was talking with a psychologist. Were the kids at school giving you trouble? Yeah. How had you been feeling lately? Okay. The mother piped up: before today he hadn't acted out at school in some time, and he had been doing better at home, too. They talked about adjusting medication. Getting up to stretch my legs I noticed a security guard posted at the boy's bed. I also saw how tired his mother looked. How had he acted  out today, I wondered.

Eventually, Oliver was able to join us. He came bearing bagels - even better. "Did you see the girl two beds down?" he asked. "She has cuts all up and down her arms." She was maybe 14, and she chatted happily with the security guard posted at her bed. "You gotta ignore those girls," he said to her. "You're absolutely beautiful. They're just jealous." Her mother dozed in a chair at the foot of her bed, arms reaching up in her sleep to hold on to her daughter's legs.

We eventually got the okay to go home, and as we were getting everything together the boy approached us. "Would you like this?" he asked. It was an origami crane. Rusty orange. Impressive.

"Wow, you can make these?" I asked. "I could make a balloon when I was younger, but the crane was always too difficult."

"He makes them all the time," his mother said. I could hear the pride in her voice. "He likes to give them to people."

"I'd love it. Thank you."

Tonight, some weeks later, Nils was having a little trouble going down for the night. At one point I held him in his darkened bedroom, his security blanket slung over my shoulder while I stroked his hair. "I love you so much, Beansie," I whispered. "You sleep well. Tomorrow when you wake up we'll have pancakes and go to the park."

Thing #3

 Thing #3: spend a day in Central Park.

We've been to Central Park more times than I can count, but it has always been for some other purpose. Oliver runs races there, we walk through it to get somewhere else, we go to festivals held inside the park. I don't think we've ever gone just to go. 

This past Saturday we were up and out of the house by 6:30. Our mission: bike to Central Park! And get there by 7:30 because Oliver was once again running a race. But after that race: park time.

We didn't have an agenda. Some playgrounds would obviously be involved, but otherwise we just wanted to wander around and enjoy being outside. What a cool, beautiful day. We stumbled upon the West 110 St. playground, one of those built especially for little ones.

Soon after that, we found ourselves in the Arthur Ross Pinetum. The Pinetum is a semi-secluded area of the park, full of giant pine trees. We spread out our Zabar's lunch on a picnic table, and the sound of wind through pine needles made me feel like I was in a campground. We spent a lot of time playing this month's favorite game: where does Nils want to wander and what does he want to touch? 

After that, it was time for a quick run in the sun of the Great Lawn. And then, since Nils was clearly not going to nap in such an exciting place, it was time to go home.

A brief mention of Saturday's hero: Oliver. He biked 10 miles with 30 pounds of baby and car seat on his back, then ran a 10K, then helped Nils enjoy some post-race hot cross buns...

 
Then frolicked with us in the park, then loaded up the bike to head home... and when he saw Nils falling asleep in the bike seat and didn't like the way it looked, he pulled over somewhere near the Intrepid Museum, wrapped Nils in a blanket, and sat motionless for an hour while Nils slept (though to be perfectly honest, Oliver may have napped a bit himself). 

Nils was also a little hero, for being so agreeable on his first long bike ride. Such a great kid.

Lake Placid and such

   
Shortly before we moved to New York, I came across a book about Adirondack State Park. Upstate New York, bigger than many national parks, mountains and forests and lakes. The pictures took my breath away. "Oliver! We have to go there this summer!"

And then suddenly it was 2009. That turned into 2010, rolled on into 2011... you get it. It was always at the top of our list of places to go (oh, the hiking!), but always got pushed down somehow. Later. Next season. We've already rented a car so many times recently... let's wait a bit.

Would we ever have gone if my parents didn't book a week for our whole family at a time share? Thank goodness someone else kicked our butts into gear. Because, wow. We are sooo going back this summer to hike. (For real! We really mean it this time!)

Running around outside - can you see the ski jump off in the distance? Built for the 1980 Olympics, I believe.

Hiking up Cascade Mountain. Maybe you can tell by our attire - we weren't really dressed for hiking. We toughed it out. 

Side trip to Vermont. The Lake Champlain ferry approaches. Giving credit where it's due: photo taken by my brother.

Thing #2

Thing 2 on our list of things to do in NYC this year: Go to Harlem. Eat some good food.

We rode the 2 all the way up to 125th Street this Saturday. After the long ride we stretched out our legs at Marcus Garvey Park - first the playground:

then the overlook:

Quite the view up there. And we had the whole plaza to ourselves! We wandered back and forth until one of us decided it was time to go.

After a bit of strolling we went to Sylvia's, a restaurant we have been meaning to visit for the last 4 years. (4 years in New York! How is that possible?) I couldn't wait to see what Nils thought of the food. He loved the cornbread...

but alas, fell asleep before the collared greens came out. Such is life.

And yes, that is a hamburger in front of Nils. Oliver goes to New York's premier soul food restaurant and orders a burger. What can you do?