Hacklebarney Farm, Chester NJ

Nate took Zadie and me to Hacklebarney Farm in Chester NJ for my birthday a few weekends ago.  We ate cider hot dogs with baked beans and apples, had some delicious hot apple cider with apple cider donuts.  The donuts were still warm and crispy.  They must have been made minutes before we got there.

Sleepy little sweet pea

In the pumpkin patch

You can't even tell there's a baby in there

In the corn maze

still in the corn maze

I see a Zadie foot peeking out

I've always loved the area around Hacklebarney Farm.  There are long twisting roads, winding streams, little cottages and quaint homes hidden behind the trees.  It's the kind of area I've always wanted to live in.

3 Months Old

3 months old.  THREE MONTHS!  Zadie is growing up so fast and is slowly turning into a little girl right before our eyes.  She's an amazing little being, that Zadie May.  She smiles with her entire face and I swear her eyes sparkle too.  She's now giggling a little bit and cooing more often.  It's my favorite thing in the entire world.  Nate and I both talk to her as much as possible and I'm reading Alice in Wonderland to her.  We've heard it's really good for them to hear you speak as often as possible.  We also sing songs to Zadie.  We make them up on the fly and then go with it.  The favorites for this week are "Oh, Zadie", "Panda Laser Cats" and "What's This? A Present for me? (is it a poop or is it a pee?)".  

'Zadie, Oh, Zadie

You're my sweet little lady

Zadie, Oh, Zadie

Sometimes sweet, sometimes crazy

Zadie, Oh, Zadie

who wants to meet a boy named Brady

Zadie, Oh Zadie

who likes to have turkey and gravy'

etc, etc

Some things I love about Zadie....

• I love the way she smells.  I mean LOVE!  I never knew babies smelled so good
• I love to watch her suck furiously on her binky and then stop, and then start again
• I love hearing her sweet little voice and her shrill little cry
• I love her grip and her tiny little hands
• I love her eyes, especially when they are staring up at me
• I love her smile
• I love her laugh
• I love her yawn
• I love how she's so curious and looks around, taking in everything that surrounds her
• I love how she clings to me and rests her little head on my shoulder or chest
• I love her feet and her long legs, especially when she crosses them like a little lady
• I love her eyelashes and faint little eyebrows
• Okay, you guessed it, I love every little thing about her!

Going to the Fashion Institute of Technology today

 

No, that's not Zadie's new outfit, I promise.  Zadie and I are going to our first museum today.  The Museum at FIT.  They have a great exhibition on the evolution of Japanese fashion and another on Eco-fashion.  I'm meeting up with Stephanie, a museum educator and new mom in Carroll Gardens.  She organizes weekly trips to museums (this is the third one - we were away during that last two trips).  Mama Jones is quite excited to meet another art loving mom in the area.  

Family Vacation Part 2

The next few days were nothing short of amazing.  The weather was perfect - highs 70s to low 80s and sunny.  We swam in the ocean, took walks along the beach and the sound, built a sand castle (and a pit of despair), went shelling, and relaxed in the sun.  It was effortlessly fun. 

Looking out at the sound

 Watching the waves

 PJ, Zadie, Chris and Caroline

 Joanne

 Grace and Hannah

 Hannah

 PJ and Zadie

 Joanne and Zadie

PJ and Zadie

In the evening we played with Zadie before her bedtime then enjoyed drinks and each other's conversation.  A day at the beach really tires you out.  We all went to bed early.  

 Zadie smiling at Hannah

 Chris and Zadie

 Looking at Daddy taking the photo

 Zadie with Chris and Hannah

 Getting sleepy before bedtime

 Caroline and Zadie

PJ and Zadie

 The Joneses

Miss you all!

Family Vacation Part 1

Nate, Zadie and I took our first family vacation in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina during the second week of October.  We split the road trip in half and stayed at Bob and Susan's in Reston, VA the first night. 

 PJ and Zadie

Nanni and Zadie

After our pit stop in Reston, we began our trip down to Kitty Hawk the next morning.  It took a little over 4 hours to get there and Zadie slept the entire time.  

St. Somewhere!

The house is gorgeous.  The love and care that goes into the house is obvious from the second you pull up out front.   There are bright colored chairs and cheerful flags outside.  In the backyard, there's a pool and a hot tub and more bright chairs and beach decorations.  Once you enter, you immediately forget any worries you may have had.  Work?  What work?  Stress?  None at all.  We were relaxed even before we kicked our shoes off.  After we settled in, we put Zadie in the baby bjorn and headed out.  The beach is only one block away.  It was chilly out the first day, but the sun was warm. 

Zadie finally likes being in the bjorn

 Mmmmm, there's that North Carolina beach I love so much.

The tide was low and there were shells everywhere

Prospect Park

Some photos from a walk around Prospect Park one Saturday afternoon.  Zadie wasn't too impressed and slept the entire time. 

 It was a beautiful fall day.  We couldn't believe there weren't more people around. 

 Joanne being silly

 At the boathouse

Grandad Visits

My dad came to visit a few weeks ago on a Friday.  We caught up on each others lives while we played with Zadie and then went out to lunch with Jeff Grant, my Dad's best friend and an uncle to me.  I got to hear about how they became friends in high school and about some of the crazy things they did as kids.  After lunch we strolled around the neighborhood and picked up some sweet and spicy Italian sausages from the pork store and some Italian cookies from Monteleone's.  If you know my dad, you know these are his absolute favorite treat.  The next morning we took a long walk down to the new park at the end of Atlantic street.  I can't wait until Zadie is old enough to play there.  She's going to love the water park and the giant sandbox.

 Grandad capturing Zadie on his droid

 love this one

 Grandad and Zadie being cute

Strolling

Zadie and I both love going for walks.  I usually take her out in the morning - she naps while I caffinate and catch up on the news.  Sometimes I sit in Cobble Hill Park, other times we'll do a big loop through the neighborhood and sit in Carroll Park.  My favorite walk is to the promenade, where you can catch spectacular views of the city and the Statue of Liberty.  If I'm really feeling up for it, I'll continue to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge and then hop on a subway and head home.  Of course, that's only if I have someone with me to help.  This day, I did.  Nate was with me, as were some of my dear friends from high school. 

Not always a happy baby

I can't blame her for being upset.  This was taken after our trip to the pediatrician's office where she got two vaccinations.  Zadie was beyond fussy that evening.  Nate tried every method to calm her down and nothing worked.  I eventually got her to relax after letting her cling to my chest for 45 minutes.  Poor thing.  It breaks our hearts to hear her cry so much.  Luckily, she was back to her old self the next day.  Phew! 

Two Months Old

And already so big!  She's 24 inches long and no longer fits in her newborn outfits.  Tears were shed by Mommy when she discovered this.  Now Zadie is wearing 3 month old onesies and 3-6 month pajamas and pants.  Baby legwarmers are the way to go.  Need to knit or find some stat.  It's getting chilly in New York!