P, ten days old, with Uncle Blaine and Aunt Micki, flagged by Bric and Marielle...
So, after puking (and such, as P would say) for 5 nights (yes, the popcorn did produce the expected, yet nevertheless unfortunate, result) we were blessed with a regurgitation reprieve just in time for house guests. Uncle Blaine and Aunt Micki came for a visit! P was Beyond excited. As his skeletal little form climbed out of the bath that morning, he asked, for the millionth time, "when will they be here? When will Blaine say he's going to get my toes?"
I lived half a country away from my maternal family growing up. And it felt that far. I understood, everyone was busy, there were lots of kids, work and different schedules. It was the same for E. But we love our families so much we hoped it would be different for our baby. Thus, we moved back to Kansas for P's birth. Ha. So, leaving Kansas a short while later, we swore we'd practically push P on family, give them the chance to be a part of his life as much as possible, regardless of distance. We didn't want guilt to follow us 800 miles. And we freakin' love the fact that they reciprocate - cuz family is the End All Be All to P.
The visit was lovely. (It broke my heart that my camera wasn't able to document the family fun.) P showed them his park as soon as they arrived. We wandered to the center, by his favorite waterfall, where he pondered rock hopping. Blaine shadowed him, hoping to avoid the inevitable.... fortunately it wasn't too cold out that day :)
From then on out, P was fabulous, traipsing about the city for hours on end, sitting through numerous restaurants and sub rides. I was amazed that the kid who spent last winter inside, refusing almost any outing available, went with the flow so well. One outing took us to the Chelsea Market, a lovely indoor space for a cold, rainy day.
And lo and behold, there was a candy store inside. P is used to picking whatever he wants at the coop or Whole Foods, but here there were the traditional plastic bins full of brightly colored gummy whales and Hershey bars. He felt Need :) I mentioned his food allergy, would he like to look around at the other options? No way, there were Gum Balls. So he picked and scooped a mixed bag full of noxious, chemical filled happiness and skipped out of the store. I'm snide here, but it really was sweet and I couldn't help but be excited for his New Adventure. Then we all sat at a table and enjoyed beverages while P picked through his prizes. But he wouldn't eat any. Instead, he fed them to us and watched our reactions :) Then, much to his horror, he spilled the bag onto the floor. "Its ok!" he chirped, "there's still a couple left in the bag! Oh, and I'm still holding my gummy "i." His optimistic mask killed me. After the floor was cleaned he whispered that he wanted to get another bag, so off we went for a re-do...
From there we headed uptown to another indoor mall, of the Trump variety. P, however, wasn't interested, he was ready to go home. But I knew he wasn't jonesing for the cat or anything, he just wanted to spread out his new beauties and fondle them to his heart's content. There was organizing and counting that needed to be done, asap. So I promised we'd hunker down at a table and play with his candy while the other's meandered and he was then happy to schlep.
P, ensconced in my lap, rearranging his candy and feeding it to imaginary BB:
The goods, all arranged and counted, thrice:
The following day we escorted Uncle Blaine to Time's Square to land some Broadway tickets. Extensive line waiting isn't a four year old's forte, so we explored the nearby Hershey's store. Another first for P. Having carefully (and of his own accord) avoided all but one piece of his colorful candy from the day before, P asked me to help him find candy without food coloring. When he found a container of chocolate bars he ran for the register :) The rest of that day is a chocolate filled blur...
I feel a picture of P, savoring a chocolate ball after he finally outgrew his chocolate allergy, is necessary here. The child savored it so thoroughly, he would hardly swallow :) Its been a love affair ever since...
The next day took us to Dumbo, also for candy :) Micki wanted to hit Jaques Torres, the Brooklyn chocolatier. Always up for cocoa filled fun, P prioritized, beach first, fine goods second. So we slid under the bridge and rock hopped by the chilly water. The little man wasn't on the same schedule as the rest of the group (a growing issue as the days passed) so I suggested we choose rocks to bring with us - and visit again the next day. I grabbed a lovely swirl in the sand and P stamped his foot atop a big boulder, telling me That was his choice :)
The chocolate shop was decked out for Easter, eggs everywhere. P picked one, apparently laid by a large, chocolate ostrich. As everyone enjoyed a Blaine dubbed "bio-break" at Starbucks, P squiggled into a chair and unwrapped his prize. He lovingly broke off bits for everyone to try and was egg-ceptionally (yuk-yuk) pleased that his large egg held two tiny eggs, Russian doll style.
The big beauty that evening:
We followed our break with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, P lolling on the scooter base in a chocolate daze, topped by his alligator hat from Aunt Marielle. (As a total aside, P has No concept whatsoever that children are supposed to be "cute." As we entered a restaurant the day before, a group of teen girls were leaving. P yanked the door open, waiting for them to move, and was met by a chorus of "awwww!" He gave them his glare and stood his ground until I ushered him past their grinning gazes. As we moved through the second door he asked me "Mama, why did they say "awww?" Then, as we walked over an unusually busy Brooklyn Bridge, the combo of the chocolate smeared face, racing glasses, crocodile cap and diminutive size all coupled with the royal scooter throne proved too much for many a staring tourist. P seemed to completely ignore the points and Awwws coming his way. That, or he was completely offended and therefore purposefully ignoring them. With him, its hard to tell....)
As we reached the Manhattan side, E headed to work and I led Blaine and Micki home with Alicia's help. For whatever reason, P was in quite a state as we headed home. True to form, his family didn't flinch. Blaine rolled with the punches on the sub platform (notice the blur that is P)
and Alicia humored his insanity on the long sub ride (that didn't take us where it should have):
Blaine and Micki left the next day, much to P's dismay. He'd happily have them on his floor, for forever. And I've heard every day since then "Mama, when will I see Aunt Alicia again?" Yah, P loves his family :) And I must admit, I love the fact that he ate three bowls of vegetable soup tonight for dinner, instead of chocolate :)
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