Field Trip!

Yesterday brought some of the warmest weather New York has seen since 2007. The temperature was a very comfortable mid-50s, and the sun was out in full force. We decided to go for a walk with Izzie so that both her and mom could get some fresh air. It was also a chance for us to test out our Ergo, a type of carrier that allows you to wear your baby on your body.

We planned on talking a stroll through the middle of campus, and then maybe walking 15 blocks or so along the Henry Hudson (which is only one block away from the campus border). So we packed up our stuff, got dressed, and headed outside. Getting Izzie in the Ergo took some effort on the part of the parents. It was really our first time putting her in it except for one or two indoor test runs, so it took us awhile, and Izzie made sure to let us know she didn't like that. On a side note, I think Izzie has just started to learn how to scream or something; it's definitely something new that wasn't always in the repertoire. And she can scream really loudly. It hurts my ears when I'm holding her on my shoulder. So anyway, we're in the hallway trying to get her fastened in, and she's screaming her head off in protest. It went on for so long that one of our neighbors came out to say hello because he heard the baby. When we finally got her in, I ran outside because I knew she was probably feeling hot from all the outerwear we put on her.

Once outside, Izzie settled down, and even quickly fell asleep. It's about 5 minutes to College Walk, which is right in the middle of campus. The weather didn't go unnoticed with the undergrads either, as they packed the stairs in front of the alma mater. We stopped to take a few pictures:


Me and Izzie in front of our Alma Mater statue, with Low Library in the background


Me and Izzie in front of the main University library.

After we wrapped up with campus, we started heading off to the Hudson. Sophie made a casual, off-the-cuff comment saying it would be funny if we went to her office and surprised her co-workers. So I thought about it, realized I had a few hours and said, "sure, why not?" This took Sophie by complete surprise, and she immediately started saying how we weren't prepared to make that trip. I dismissed the concerns, saying we would only be gone for a few hours, and starting heading towards the subway station (which was only a couple hundred feet away). And so just like that, Izzie took her first ride in a New York subway.



The trip went pretty quickly, and before we knew it, we were at Sophie's office. Once we stepped in, it only took about a minute before word got around that the latest office baby was making a visit, and soon everyone crowded around to see the new addition. (Sophie works for a small firm, with not that many employees, and a handful of them were gone at client sites.) Everyone thought Izzie was really cute. And she was. I think she's peaking in cuteness right now or something. She's had her ups and downs when it comes to cuteness (mostly ups, of course), but yesterday she was just showing off. She let other people carry her and didn't flinch at all. Her eyes were wide open, and she would either look around curiously or on occasion even laugh and smile. Sophie and I were basically busy trying to answer the rapid-fire baby questions that everyone was throwing our way. One of Sophie's co-workers made the observation that whenever Sophie or I talked, Izzie would turn her head and look at us. This was significant because we weren't any closer to Izzie than anyone else, and there were a lot of people talking, so Izzie actually can recognize our voices. I never noticed this before, so it was pretty cool to hear. The baby gaga lasted about half an hour or so, then we let everyone get back to work and headed back home.

On the way home, we got the subway a few stops early, and walked up the Hudson, as we originally planned, on our way home. It was a terrific walk. It was mid-afternoon, the sun was at a great angle, and there were kids and nannies all over the place in Riverside Park. Of course, Izzie fell asleep again on the subway, so she was asleep during the walk too. (Sidenote: suburban parents like to put the babies in carseats and drive around to make them fall asleep. I guess the subway is the city's answer to that.) Halfway home, we sat down a bench for awhile and just enjoyed the air and took the moment in. We also took some time to reflect and then pray for Izzie and our family. Parenting is certainly hard work, and we can't do it alone. We're going to consciously try to savor these moments, as we're already seeing how Izzie is growing up so fast. Hopefully, the weather will stay nice, and we'll be able to take more trips outside. I'll leave you with some more photos from our trip: