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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Ready, Set,...Craft! Celebration Trumps Complication.

     Like so many fams, we let Sophie make a Christmas craft for each family member.  So, I began the search for the elusive perfect craft.  You know, that one that makes her look like a genius and, oh yeah, that she has fun doing.  We came up with some really cool ideas.
     By the time we got to the point of actually executing said ideas, I realized that these crafts were more us than her.  Make your own snowglobe...cool!  She can first cut out little...oh, wait...cutting may not be a great place to start for a 2 year old.  Scrapped.  Back to the drawing board.  Is this the first taste of impending Science Fair project competition?  And...it begins.
     What could we do that was beyond the scribble, at her level still, but looked like something she could recognize as Christmas once it was done?  We settled on a few versions of hands and feet prints in various Christmas shapes and colors.  Sophie then chose glittery stickers, cotton balls, and decorative balls, directing me where to place the glue and mashing them down on the canvas herself.   She had a ball painting her hands and feet!  Although our shapes were smudged and imperfect and it looked as if we forgot to decorate the left side of the craft (she was oddly drawn to the right), the trained eye of a family member would be able to see that the beauty and heart of this piece could transcend even the Mona Lisa.
     Sophie did her first painting when she was just a few months old and loved it so much that I went and got brushes, washable paint, and paper.  She has been doing a painting almost every day since.  For her 2nd birthday, which was a Rapunzel party, we put mini canvases and brushes and finger paints out and just let the kids go at it.  Did I mention it was an outdoor party?  It was a big, fun, beautiful mess.  Her first art work, that she painted at a dear friend's house on a small square canvas, sits on display on the mantle in our home to remind us of how to see the world;  Through the eyes of a child.
     She is so proud of her work!  As she walks by the drying pieces she puts both hands out, steps back, and says "TADA!"

P.S.  If you want to know what exact crafts we did or to see a pic, you'll have to check back after Christmas.  Don't want to spoil the surprise for the family!

Monday, November 26, 2012

Too Much Popcorn Makes The Baby Go Barf.

   Today, we took Sophie to Disney's Rockin' On Ice.  Our Zipcar rental was perfectly convenient for getting us out to New Jersey's Izod Center.  From the moment we set foot in the door, Sophie was wide-eyed...taking it all in with "ooh" and "ahh" and "I love it" and "cuuuute."  The adorability factor was just off the charts.  Allow me to take you there for 30 seconds of cuteness.  Prepare yourself.

YouTube Video

So...there's that.
I was surprised with a 15 minute intermission in the middle of a 90 minute show, however...I began to realize the rational as I set out for the potty and found myself in line clamoring for the Rapunzel braid and the light up toy septor.   The lights filled my eyes and I felt I had been brainwashed by some happy robot, as I fell in line behind all the other drone parents, waiting my turn to hand over the plastic and sign the paper.  I was under their spell.
Eric and Sophie were enjoying a bucket of popcorn, when I returned to our seats.  Sophie danced and sang and just generally enjoyed the second half of the show.  As the end drew near, I prepared our things to run out of the theatre.  Eric had to get back to midtown for his matinee, so we were in a time crunch.  Waving goodbye as the cast did their bows, we ran to the parking lot, buckled Sophie in and headed for the Lincoln Tunnel.
I turned and asked Sophie what her favorite part of the show was, to which she replied,"Dancing!"  I looked away for a second to tell Eric to keep right and when I turned back to Soph, this is what I found.


As our tiny car fell victim to the stop and start of the Lincoln Tunnel traffic, Sophie was jolted awake.  She groggily looked at me, muttered something, and grabbed at her chest.  Then, like a chunky, greenish, yellow waterfall...a straight gardenhose-like stream of barf streamed from the princess's mouth and filled her seat.  The spell was broken.
Jumping into the backseat, I assessed the situation.  I told her it was ok and mommy was cleaning it up. Got my trusty canister of wipes and began cleaning off her hands, coat and face.  There was no hope of getting it out of the seat in this moment.  I informed Eric that he would have to take us home, instead of us dropping him at the theatre as planned.  There was no way, I was going to drop off the zipcar and then walk 3 blocks home with a barfing toddler, a carseat, and our show swag.  When he pulled up to our building, I removed Sophie (still in her car seat- which was d-ripping with liquidized, semi-digested popcorn.)  Once we got upstairs, I left everything in the hallway, cleaned her up, and put her to bed.  Then came the daunting cast of washing the coat, clothes, and carseat crevices.  The stench entering my nostrils tried more than once to elicit some puke from myself, but was no match for my mind over the matter.
Again Sophie has taught me a valuable lesson:  Too Much Popcorn Makes The Baby Go Barf.  Maybe the bigger lesson for me was that while I want to let Sophie have a great time, but too much of a good thing can go south.  We have always applauded ourselves on giving Sophie experiences.  The experiences of life are enough to give her.  The plastic knick knacks and popcorn all go in the trash...or the toilet as the case may be, but the togetherness and experience are what transcends the moment.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Heart of Thanksgiving.



     We got to experience Thanksgiving through Sophie's eyes this year.  At 2 years and 4 months, she can really express all she is absorbing and enjoys all the frilly festivities of decorations, parades, and family gatherings.  She had been talking about Santa coming to town since she woke up and squeals of delight filled the room as Santa's float indeed came to town.  In true Petersen fashion, she jammed along to all the broadway performances, pre-parade.  She even wanted to watch the dancing again when we got home last night!  We, of course, enjoyed cheering on our friends who were performing!  Every year, we seem to know more and more people that are performing and it's fun to celebrate our friends success, as it is a sort of cool and legendary thing to get to perform in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Our excitement must of rubbed off on Sophie, cause she had a ball watching it.  Hmm.  I may have that backwards.  It was Sophie that rubs off on us!  Any bit of rigidity or callous that the world puts on us is brushed away with her genuine and easy happiness at the simplest things.

     We were a bit worried when we came here to NYC.  Worried that Sophie wouldn't understand not having a yard, her room, her toys, or just a little space to call her own.  Well, she really taught us something.  Once I told her that this was going to be our home for a while, she accepted the fact with such ease that you would never know she had known any different.  She loves her Tinkerbell Canopy Toddler bed here that we decorated with purple lights.  The head is in the closet and it sticks out into the bedroom.  To make it not feel sterile and awkward, we put wall decals from home all around the bed and moved some furniture around to make a little nook for her.  It actually looks really sweet and most importantly...she loves it.  Her adaptation to a new environment reminded me that we have the most important thing...each other.  We said from the beginning that we felt the most important things was to be together and have experienced that above all things... togetherness is the single most important ingredient to our family's happiness.

   

At this time, Eric and I have two very sick family members.  This serves as a reminder to us that life is short and every day we have is given to us by the grace of God.






Sunday, November 18, 2012

Jaw Dropping!

Our rule for our NYC neighborhood: You must hold hands when crossing the street, but once we cross...you can walk closely without holding hands. As we crossed in front of a diner, Sophie got a bit ahead of us, a man was running across the sidewalk toward the diner, and Eric calmly said,"Sophie, slow down please.". She stopped on a dime. The man turned around and had to scoop his jaw off of the sidewalk. He stammered..."she stopped. I can't believe that.". He pointed at Sophie in disbelief, as if she were a UFO, then smiled and turned back to the diner. Eric and I congratulated ourselves on awesome parenting and commended Sophie on being an awesome listener. We had no idea that kind of obedience was such a rarity in a 2 year old. Apparently, it is.
This wasn't the first time someone has pointed out Sophie's helpful and obedient nature. When we pick her up from Sunday School, the teachers are extremely complimentary on her participation and clean-up. At Ballet class...the teacher directs the children to sit on the brown beam. Sophie runs to the brown beam and patiently waits while the other children are picked up, poked, and prodded to join her. The other parents and nannies look at us with amazement. And...let's be honest, there are a few that have the look of annoyed contempt. I wanted to help the mom of "I get everything I ask for Suzie." Mom of Suzie carried her upside down and wiggling over to the brown beam saying, "if you don't listen, I'll take you outside.". Suzie didn't listen and Her mom never took her outside. I didn't see how anyone could say anything without just frustrating the mom even more. What I can say is, I believe one reason Soph does so well in class is because in the past, I have pulled her into the hallway to take a break from the fun times in class if she can't follow directions. After following through a few times in that dept., she was following directions and obeying the teacher better than ever.
Let me just say, before it's all said and done. Soph is not perfect and there are many times when my plans are met with protest. We are just doing our best and this is something that works for us.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Sophie's First Broadway Show

Soph and I were invited by our friend Leslie to a very special date night to see Elf!, the holiday movie turned musical, on Broadway.  This was Sophie's very first Broadway show.  We saw the tour of Mary Poppins and as a sweet surprise, she sat enrapt through the entire thing.  As her verbal skills continue to grow, I wondered if she would be able to keep a lid on it, through this one.  She did yell out at times, but at all the right ones.  She said "Hooray," when the songs ended.  She clapped during the upbeat songs and danced in her seat.  She looked to me and said "upset," when Buddy was wounded by his father's words.  With that being the height of emotional complication here, Soph was easily able to handle this story.  Filled with jazz hands, bright colored sets and costumes, and finger snapping, toe-tapping dance numbers, Sophie enjoyed every last drop.  She turned to me to share laughs each time the audience did.  Nothing makes you feel so special.  The only challenge was that our normal bedtime was at intermission.  The perfect perk up was a brightly colored lollypop that kept her in her seat, enjoying licks and kicks throughout the second act.  Leslie brought the house down with her jazzy, belty voice and her red party dress.  Sophie cheered with extra excitement as she recognized her as our friend!  We had such a special time together.  And I can't possibly hold back that I was so proud of the way she acted like such a big girl and the compliments from all those around us and everybody who passed filled our ears and hearts.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Christmas Story on Broadway

"A Christmas Story" on Broadway exceeded my expectations.  I expected a clunky rehash of a story that didn't excite me because I knew what was around every corner.  Boy, was I surprised!  This was fresh!  From the book to the choreography, the creatives, cast, and crew brought us to a point early on where we were ready to accept the back and forth between real life and the dreamlike, heightened state where these characters play melodramatic versions of themselves.  The kids were adorable and there is a kick line with the whole cast that will force your hands together in appreciation of this shows definative style.  We will be sending our family and friends to this show.  You have no choice, but to have a good time!
P.S.  We didn't bring Soph to this and probably won't until she's a bit older.

Just A Walk At The Park

Eric, Soph, and I decided to walk up to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (89th and Riverside) to commemorate Veteran's Day. Wow! What a sight. All around the monument are canons facing the Hudson river. The monument was built in memory of those who fought on the side of the Union. With a heart for those who have served, these dedications always touch me.  I am constantly amazed by the bravery of people like these men, my grandfathers, Eric's grandfathers, and all the people that continually work on a daily bases to preserve our freedom.  Sophie shares my curiousity and amazement as she walked up and knocked on the epic door.  If we knew what we know now...  In an effort to find out what was inside, I found thru some research that we were just a few weeks late.  Apparently, every October is a huge event called Open House New York.   It is considered the biggest American architectural event, where they open historic monuments, including this one, for public viewing.  We will just have to come back some October to see the inside for ourselves. Our little fam walked down the entirety of Riverside Park on the water side and had a time of reflection.  By that I mean, Eric and I chatted and Sophie...slept.



Sunday, November 11, 2012

Rise Of The Guardians Premier in NYC



   We feel super special that we have been included on the invite list for the premier of the last 2 Dreamworks Animation films.  It became a date night for Eric and me.  We had both been excited for a while about seeing this film and it was everything we hoped it would be.  All the characters that continually awaken our inner child throughout the year, came together to rescue us from droning on as boring adults.  The kids in the audience, with their chorus of reactions, took us along their journey, as if we were on a theme park ride. And I just have to say that that was the greatest 3D technology ever.  Super clear and it felt unobstructed.  A truly great escape.  After the movie, it took me a few blocks walk before I became a part of this world again.
    If you get a chance to see anything at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York, that, in and of itself, is a special experience.  The theatre's embellished details and deep red traditional curtains cloak the whole building in magic from another era.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Upper West Side Tour Guide Extraordinaire

A visit from Cousin Kyle.  My 1st cousin Kyle, from TN is here in NYC presenting a paper on Social Business and we got to take him out and show him an afternoon on the Upper West Side.  We met for brunch at Jacob's Pickle (85th and Amsterdam).  This restaurant is New York's spin on Southern Food.  The do a few things really well...You guessed it...pickles (fried mainly) and biscuits.  We then continued walking East toward the 85th St. entrance to Central Park.  Sophie got down and played at Mariner's Playground.  It's one of my favorites because there are 3 different sizes of "ship" shaped structures, in order to accommodate all sizes of little ones.  She loves steering the ship and when I'm feeling especially brave, I let her play in the giant sand box.  Today was not one of those terribly brave moments.  With Hurricane Sandy just having reeked havoc on NYC, I shutter to think what may have washed into that sand box...so I'm going to leave that discovery to someone other than myself.   We then headed down and further into the park to find Bethesda Fountain, a must for those visiting New York and Central park for the first time.  If they haven't seen this in a movie yet, they will.  Taking the Promenade with the tree canopy and statues looking down on us closer to the south end of the park, we stopped and paid a dollar to hear a joke from a street performer.  At Columbus Circle, we exited the park.  Eric left to go to work and I went into the Time Warner Center to use there wonderfully clean bathrooms.  Kyle, Sophie and I headed up Broadway and Sophie took a nap in the stroller.  We walked past Lincoln Center and then took Columbus up to 81st, where we spent the afternoon in the Museum of Natural History.    With a stomach full of Mamma's Famous (86th and Broadway) NY Pizza, we sent Kyle back to Brooklyn via Times Square.  This was an awesome full circle walk that included tons of great Upper West Side landmarks.  I will totally use this walk again, even when I'm not introducing a first-timer.  As for Soph, in true Sophie fashion, it took her about 30 minutes and 4 bites of eggs to warm up to Kyle.  At that point, the switch was flipped and they were thick as thieves.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Hurricane Sandy: Light of Day

      I look through the large duct taped x's I placed across the windows of our 12th floor apartment on the Upper West Side.  The 2 ton crane that dangled over 57th Street during Hurricane Sandy is now tethered to the building.  Where there were once distant lights across lower manhattan lighting up the sky, there is a stillness in the black night.  What a strange bird's nest we have from or 450 square foot apartment.  I realize that literally half of us are without (power, water, heat) and half of us our with.  I prayed through the storm as it battered and shook our windows, that God would keep us safe.  Eric, Sophie and I played together and enjoyed some movies, with an interruption every now and then to wonder if we should move to the hall.  The winds, even with the evidence of seeing a 2 ton crane blow like a ribbon, weren't as worrisome as knowing that this morning, there were people that have awoken to devastation.  Thanking God many times a day that we were not on the worst of sandy's path.
     We have offered our apt., power, showers and what not.  It seems as if everyone across the city who has something, would like to give.  Especially those who we are close too.  As predicted, people have been without power for a week.  Many, most who we know, have had that luxury restored.  The power turns on from the epicenter of the world and is lighting up the many communities that are without.  I easily put myself in there place.  Mothers with newborns, children who should be in school, fathers who can't work, but the bills will keep coming.  Even those people who had evacuated to shelters for the storm are returning home to find nothing.  Petrified of being in shelters where they are ontop of people who have stability issues, mental issues...the existing homeless, who also need help.  On the second or third rotation of the dirty clothes they've been wearing, trying to keep themselves and their children clean on a dwindling supply of sanitizer.  It's the Thursday after the storm, almost 4 days and the stories of need are pouring in.
     Social media is spreading it's collective angel wings and putting the needy with those who can help.   Being a part of the New York community is like nothing I've ever known.  All the chraities in NY are at volunteer capacity.  Amazing.  That is something to celebrate.  Beyond that, we need to find how else we can help.  Just because the establishments can't handle anymore man power, it doesn't mean that there is not still an overwhelming need in communities that they haven't been able to get to.  As the days go on, communities are starting to communicate like a great game of telephone, that they are in desperate need.  Luckily, there are people who desperately want to help.  For most New Yorkers, like myself, we don't have any real legitimate way to get to the hardest hit places.  We don't have cars and I myself have a 2 year old to watch after as Eric was lucky enough to go back to work, pretty much immediately.  I have felt crippled the first few days in the aftermath.  Seeing all this need around us and having no way to help.  The storm clouds are lifting though and the lights are on enough that we are getting specific word of different communities that need our help.  As a stranger to most places we've been living in the past 2 years, our nomadic life led me to the internet for a community of moms.  Returning to NYC in September, brought me to a meet-up group for moms in my area.  This group, along with my Facebook network of people have found ways to give.  People who have reached out for help are being heard and answered.  I'm seeing groups of actors finding ways to give.
      We can do this.  We can help bring communities back and prove that we can be bigger than ourselves.  Responding when you have the chance is when to do it.  Don';t think that next week, you'll do that.  Tonight you have that dinner you are supposed to go to.  Get online and spend $50 giving to Redcross or sending something to the shelters.  If you know a family that has been hit, give directly to them.  It will be weeks until theis is figured out and people return to work and have clean clothes and some semblance of a life they once knew.
      These people are our neighbors.  It's as if it happen to you and everyone around you that you would lean on in a disaster.  Now, who do you turn to?  Social media has made us all neighbors.  Let's get out there.  If you are like me and don't have the freedom to go there, put your money where your mouth is.