Better late than never, right?

Jacob managed to fit all our earthly belongings into a mini van. Yes, a mini van. We left our mattress (it was a cheap IKEA one that we never liked) and a few other odds and ends but other than that he fit it all (which is way more than I’d predicted!) We had to stop at the post office to mail a box that wouldn’t fit and since we were down the street, I decided a last treat from Make My Cake was in order. Driving across the George Washington Bridge was bittersweet. But we were relieved to finally be on our way at noon. We stopped the first night in Toledo, OH.

(Hello satellite radio.)

Boxes piled right up to the back of our seats.

The second day we stopped in IA first to visit Jacob’s sister Erin and her kids and then to visit my Grammy. We made it to Lincoln, NE that night.

The third day we drove across never-ending Nebraska and Wyoming and finally made it to my parents house around 9.

Finally on the fourth day we made it to Vegas. Home, ugly home. (I’m sorry, it’s true.)

The hardest part about leaving NYC really was leaving this delightful creature. She had me wrapped around her chubby little finger. Madeleine and I had a wonderful relationship and I will forever treasure the time we spent together. It was hard for me to narrow down the pictures of all our fun times.

We spent many hours playing at one of several parks nearby, especially once the water was turned on. She couldn’t get enough water play. She liked to get her hands wet and then suck the water off of them, which always made me laugh. Most days during the summer Jacob met us for lunch and to play at the park. He was so good with her and she loved to flirt with him. He always got soaked playing in the water with her. We took her with us to Chinatown once and she was so good to sit in her stroller, especially once I gave her a bun from a bakery to munch on.

She loves bubbles.

She gives kisses, blows kisses, and gives herself kisses in the mirror.

She likes to run around, wave at everyone (and then run back to me and pretend she’s shy), and play peek-a-boo. She learned that touching my toes made me laugh so she’d “tickle” my toes every time my shoes were off.

She loves to eat! And she’ll let you know exactly what she does and does not feel like eating.

She signs. We watched Baby Signing Time everyday. She did the cutest sign of baby and time sort of combined together to let me know when she wanted to watch it. Usually she asked for it about 10 times a day, but we only watched it once a day which is plenty if you’ve ever heard those songs. They’re permanently tattooed in my brain. She signed lots of other words, especially “all done” while saying her version of the words in her high pitched baby voice. This is her signing “eat” in an attempt to convince me to give her more animal crackers.

She was most happily entertained with anything that came out of my purse, particularly my ipod and my cell phone. When she was going through her phase of refusing to hold still for diaper changes I started letting her watch Sesame Street podcasts on my ipod. Even without sound she was transfixed. And the podcasts are only a few minutes long so it’s perfect. The only problem is that she saw me using it and would mimic tapping the screen, accidentally turning off the program every 10 seconds.

I sure do miss that sweet baby. Being her nanny never felt like work. I couldn’t have asked for a better job while we were in NYC.

Our last Saturday in NYC we went to Long Beach with Norris, Jenn, and Madeleine (the 1 yo I’ve been nannying.) Madeleine is a total beach bum. Follow her guide and you’ll have a great day at the beach.

1- Go crazy on the train, eat many snacks, and play with everyone’s cell phones and ipods.

2- Eat lunch at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries. Stuff as many fries in your mouth as possible.

(This was our first experience at 5 Guys and we are now fans. Love the cajun fries.)

3- Get your feet wet.

4- Laugh.

5- Play in the sand. Eat some.

6- Run around, tumble, and tickle with mom and dad.

7- Have some dessert. Puff recommends chocolate cookies.

8- Relax under the umbrella.

9- Fall asleep on the train home with sand in your hair.

We crammed so many wonderful experiences into our final days in NY. Here are some of the fun events that don’t warrant their own post.

My brother came to visit. I was working so he spent most of the time with Jacob (and therefore, I have no idea exactly what they did.) I think Jacob’s favorite event was the Met’s game. Mostly I just got to meet up with them for meals. My favorites were Caracas Arepas bar and dessert from the Dessert Truck (and Jacob got a crepe from the Tripie crepe truck.) We also went with Ian to the Union Square greenmarket and walked through a street fair where we all bought knock-off sunglasses. We we took him to Sylvia’s but I didn’t take pictures that night.

Jacob and I spent a lazy afternoon/evening at the Hudson River Park.

We visited the East Village a few times, eating delicious food at Crif Dogs and Pomme Frites.

- We saw Blithe Spirit, starring Rupert Everett, Angela Lansbury, and Christine Ebersole. It was wonderfully funny. On the way to the theater we walked through a huge crowd of people in Schubert Alley at an event for the ASPCA. We didn’t realize why there were so many people there until I saw Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters on the stage! (Pardon the blurry picture.)

- At Dad’s suggestion, we waited an hour for brunch at Clinton Street Bakery. He saw the Bobby Flay Throw down and thought it looked fun! I have to say, those blueberry pancakes were worth the wait!

- Enjoyed an afternoon with Heather and the kids. We ate lunch at Mars 2012. The food wasn’t very good but the kids had a fun time. Well, except Dallin who didn’t appreciate the aliens walking around! Then we went to the Heckschler Playground in Central Park to play in the water. Loved seeing them in the city again before we left.

Does it seem like we just ate through the month of July? It sounds that way but it’s not *entirely* true!

Other things we did but don’t have pictures to prove it:

- Went to the Bastille Day festival

- Had lunch with Jacob’s friend Angela in Bryant Park (and with little Madeleine. You’ll see more of her on the blog soon.)

- Visited the very fancy Gotham Bar and Grill. They were having a special in July with a menu at the “80s prices” from when they first opened up. The food was amazing. We decided to visit again after Jacob gets a real job (post residency) and order off the normal menu, just to feel like we have come full circle!

- Dinner at Rickshaw Dumpling with Rubi & Stanton

- Got a haircut. Kept the length but just added layers. (Thanks Rubi!)

- Met up in Union Square with Jacob’s school friends. So sad to say goodbye!

- Saw In the Heights with Jenn, Madeleine’s mom. I adore her (and Madeleine, but again, that’s a whole other post.) We tried for the lottery (3rd time I’ve tried!) but didn’t get it so we opted for standing room only tickets. It was absolutely worth it. The show is incredible and it was just the perfect last evening in NYC. I shed plenty of tears that night.

A couple more posts coming about NYC and the move. We’re leaving for the family reunion in Wisconsin tomorrow so if they don’t get up until early next week, that’s why!