New York, New York

Hello from 30,000+ feet! I am all smooshed in in my window seat on my way back from a whirlwind trip to New York. My trip was so incredibly much fun and I am so glad I made the decision (and Scott gave me all the nudging I needed) to make it happen.

Kate and I at ABC Kitchen. Seriously one of the most incredible meals of my life!

City Fun

This trip was jam packed and perfect! I landed in NY Friday morning and we hit the ground running and didn't stop for the next 48 hours. We walked so much on the first day that I got blisters on my heels, balls of my feet, and toes. Kate was an amazing tour guide and we seriously packed in more than I could imagine. I have been to New York a few times before and can't say that I was the city's biggest fan. That was until I got to see Katie's New York! This time it felt charming and fun and not at all like the concrete jungle that I was remembering. I feel like I got to see so many different parts of the city and experience them from a local's perspective. We ate and drank ourselves silly and I savored every last moment of the experience! I am already anxious to plan a return trip and bring Scott along (Mom, we'll drop Noah off in St. Louis with you!).

Day 1: Chelsea Market, Highline, Frying Pan, West Village, PH-D, Beer Garden, Buddakan,Wilfie & Nell.

Highline. Old train tracks that have been turned into a walkway with benches, tables, and little vendors (wine, ice cream, etc...) along the way.

Chelsea Market. Very similar to our Ferry Building but with more nooks and crannies.

Hogs and Heffers...THE Coyote Ugly bar.

Drinks on the Frying Pan (an old barge on the Hudson).

Carrie Bradshaw's house.

Drinks at PH-D bar. Amazing view of the city from up here!

Buddakan. This is where the rehearsal dinner scene in the SATC movie was filmed. Gorgeous place, amazing food.

Robin!

Day 2 (a little slower after the food & wine tour of day 1): NY Bagels @ Essa Bagel, SoHo shopping, Eataly, Central Park, Boat House, ABC Kitchen.

My bagel. They are all they are cracked up to be.

Our lunch at Eataly. Eataly is Mario Batali's brain child and it is almost indescribable. Just go.

Just one of the cheese fridges at Eataly.

Most of my trip was fairly "un touristy" but I caved and got a charcoal drawing of Noah done in Central Park.

The Boat House. I loved it here. I would like to attend a wedding here one day...just putting that out in the universe so that someone with a lot of money can invite me.

My celebrity sighting. Jennifer Morrison (aka, Dr. Cameron from House) was sitting right behind Kate at ABC Kitchen.

Leaving Noah

Thursday night I put Noah down for bed and did all my final packing in preparation for my red eye. I am SO glad I took a red eye so I didn't have to say goodbye to him mid day. The departure from the house and drive to the airport were pretty agonizing. I was definitely leaving my heart behind! There were a couple of moments where I thought, "I can't do this. I'm staying home." but I knew that was completely ridiculous and kept putting one foot in front of the other and made it to the airport.   As expected, once I was all checked in I had calmed down (well, as much as I can with a fear of flying...yeah, I was a hot mess!). I popped my Ambien and woke up in New York excited for our adventure.

Of course, Noah was always top of mind. I thought of him at every turn and probably made Kate want to kill me with talk of a seven month old all weekend! I was surprisingly relaxed being away from him for the first time. From time to time I would yearn to be able to get my hands on him but for the most part I was able to just enjoy my vacation (while looking at pictures of him on my phone at least once an hour).

Noah sporting his I heart NY tee the day I left. (notice the hand holding the shirt!?)

The moral, leaving Noah was hard but it was also so good for our entire family. Kind of like I blogged about a couple weeks ago, we all need our time and separation and none of us are too much worse for wear! That said, I am pretty sure time is moving backwards on this flight...I want to get home SO badly!

The great pumping adventure

Leaving a breastfed baby to galavant around New York comes with it's own fun set of challenges. The number one for me was having to pump every 2.5 hours. I pretty much lost all sense of socially acceptable behavior and pumped anywhere and everywhere (with a cover) I needed to including bars, a bench on a random sidewalk, dressing room at Bloomingdale's, Central Park, a hotel lobby, back of a town car (prompting my driver to ask me if I was having a medical issue)...you get the idea. It proved to be an interesting task and Kate was a trooper dealing with me and my pumping needs all over Manhattan. Here's hoping it was all worth it and the transition back to feeding goes smoothly when I get home.

Pumping on the way to the city from JFK.

Now, for the final question...do I pump in my seat or lock myself in the airplane bathroom for 15 minutes?! (update: I pumped in my seat...the girl next to me didn't seem all too phased by it!)

My wonderful Scott

I mentioned that Scott gave me some nudges to make this trip happen. I cannot say enough about his support of this getaway. He dealt with my constant frenetic energy the 48 hours leading up to my trip, listened to me go over instructions on how to care for his son, and kept reassurring me that this was best for everyone and that everything would be ok. He demanded that I let go of home and truly enjoy my trip. Because of him, I was able to do that and didn't have a worry at all about the two of them back home. As far as I can tell, he and Noah had a great time without me! I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful husband.

Well, that about does it. Stay tuned for some Noah news later this week!