Nemo and Bessie

DAY 13: Friday, October 30, 2009
We attempted to go to a Halloween party this morning on the Upper West Side with our friends Lizzie and Caroline, but discipline issues kept delaying us, so we headed to Madison Square Park instead for lunch at the Shake Shack (finally!), a trip to the holiday market, and an afternoon on the playground. It was a fabulous New York day! At lunch, we sat next to a filmmaker from New Zealand who just won a prestigious contest sponsored by Bloomingdale's, his sister visiting from his homeland, and his four month old son. We talked about the struggles of trying to work from home with an infant and then toddler and the best source for homemade baby food recipes. It made for a lovely conversation, and the long-awaited trial of Shake Shack was worth the wait. Not as good as In-N-Out, but a close second, especially with the Oh My, Pumpkin Pie concrete. Yum!

Following lunch, we went to the holiday market and found a few really cool gifts, added a new monkey to our breakfast room collection, and finally, purchased two adorable hats and mittens. Tucker chose the fish, or Nemo, for himself, and the cow, or Bessie, for Henry. (Henry was sleeping in the stroller.) Then, after giving the merchants high-fives and pounds, Tucker bid his new friends goodbye, and we headed to the playground. Since it was the day before Halloween, there were a dozen or so kids in costume, and Tucker befriended a mermaid named Megan. Megan's dad took him for a spin on the tire swing, which he loved, and the two kiddos played on the slide and climbing wall. Thank goodness for kind strangers! Of course, Tucker pitched a fit when we had to leave, but I think he was adequately exhausted. He fell asleep on the way home, woke up for supper, and then went back to sleep to prepare for his big day tomorrow. It's almost Halloween!!