The BBG

Welcome to...

...our new favorite hideout in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.  

The Children's Garden has a selection of hands-on activities, like a stream, a water pump, a water table with floating aquatic plants, and a compost pile with worms and shovels for digging, plus fragrant plants, butterfly plants, and flowers that tower over even me.

Exploring the rest of the gardens provides an escape from city living as we walk among tall trees and through open spaces.  Our favorite places so far include the Japanese Gardens for the koi and turtles swimming in the pond, the Native Species Garden for the ten foot tall walls of thick prairie flowers, and a little tree cave that covers a portion of a stream running through the middle of the gardens.  

One of the things I love most about our neighborhood in Brooklyn is that we're surrounded by playgrounds.  We have more than I can count within a one mile radius of our home- at least 10 or 12.  We can stop for a quick climb on the way home from running errands or have Tye ride her scooter to one without worrying about her tiring out on the way home.  We could easily visit a new one each day of the week.  The playgrounds provide Tye with a great opportunity to climb, run, jump, hang, and usually interact with other kids.  

Recently, though, I've begun to feel playground overload hitting.  Maybe it's just the end of summer, or maybe we need to walk further and explore some new locations.  Maybe we really have spent too much time in the chaos of kids running, screaming, tumbling everywhere we look.  Whatever it is, I feel like the BBG provides exactly the opposite- peace, greenery, quiet, opportunity to explore- while also outdoors.  

The Gardens have boulders for Tye to climb and jump from, open spaces for running, and stairs to tromp up and down.  I can put Etta down in the grass.  We can all engage our senses smelling flowers, leaves, and dirt, looking at the colors and shapes and light and space, feeling the water and plants, and listening to the sounds of nature- which Tye points out by saying, "Do you know what I hear, Mommy?  A jungle!"  

Do you know what I hear? Imagination growing.

Prospect Park Zoo

We've lived in Brooklyn almost 4 months, but it wasn't until yesterday that we made the mile trip to Prospect Park, which includes the Prospect Park Zoo in its 585 acres.  The tiny zoo has some great exhibits and even houses some creatures I don't remember ever having seen before, like red pandas.  We spent a long time feeding the water fowl.

Tye was able to see a male baboon up close- very close.

But the highlight of the day, hands down, was feeding the sheep and goats.  Rows of gumball-style machines dispensed a handful of pellet food for each pair of quarters, and we donated a decent sum in quarters by the time we left.  

 As they used their soft lips to nibble the pellets out of our fingers, the goats and sheep had Tye cracking up.  Feeding the animals made Tye's day.

Snow Day in Brooklyn!

Saturday, we received our first snowfall of the year.  Tye awoke from her nap to a wintry wonderland.  From reading books and watching movies, Tye knew of snow, but I don't know how much she remembered from last year.  As we walked outside, she gasped and commented on how cold it was.

Tye loved watching her boots leave footprints as she walked.  Almost immediately, she picked up a small chunk of snow from the seat of her bike and put it in her mouth, then giggled as it melted in her mouth.  

Our little play time on the back deck didn't last too long before Tye became really cold (Mama has not yet found snowpants or waterproof mittens for this winter) and we quickly came inside to warm up.  


After that, we embarked upon a family trek to search for a pumpkin during the hardest snowfall of the day.  The wet, icy chunks falling from the sky turned out to be pretty miserable- our faces stung as they were pelted with heavy snow, and our clothes were quickly soaked.  I resorted to keep Tye dry in her stroller with a garbage bag.  We can say we made an effort, though, and we did our best to enjoy participate in the snow.  


As soon as we found what turned out to be the last pumpkin in Fort Greene (and it was therefore, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree of pumpkins), we returned home, warmed up, and carved our pumpkin as the snow continued falling.  This was one snowfall best enjoyed with a mug of spiced cider and a bowl of freshly baked pumpkin seeds, wearing warm slippers and "jamas."  So yes, we enjoyed the snow, after all.

Apple Season

I can't believe it's already fall!  Kids are back in school, the water fountains at the playgrounds are turned off, and the beaches are unguarded.  Summer ended abruptly in Chicago, with a 20 degree drop in daily temperatures overnight.  I'm not sure where summer went, but it's been with a strong hint of sadness that we've welcomed the fall season and it's weather.


Today our nature meetup group went apple picking at a farm in the suburbs.  Despite the intermittent mist, the day was a huge success.  Tye noticed right away that there were apples on the tree and gasped with excitement as she pointed to them. Though her basket was filled mostly with fallen apples, we managed to find some delicious apples to pick off the trees and take home.  We also picked our own pumpkins and kale (the latter of which Tye ate raw as we returned to the farmhouse).  

 As soon as we returned home, we cut up a couple of our freshly picked apples, spread them with sunflower seed butter, and enjoyed one of my own all time favorite snacks from childhood. 

While I'm looking forward to baking with our freshly picked produce, by far the best things I took away from today were intangible: watching Tye learn enthusiastically that apples grow on trees, exploring a farm and feeding chickens together, and sharing a nostalgic childhood snack.  This part of fall I love.

Firsts at the Arboretum

Wednesday, we took a trip to the Morton Arboretum with Ines and Marquise and Ines' goddaughters, Morgan and Delanie.  When we arrived, Tye happily chased butterflies until her friends arrived, when she squealed with delight.  We found a fuzzy caterpillar in the parking lot, and after watching it and everyone holding it for quite a while, Tye held her first caterpillar.

In the Children's Garden, Tye loved playing with the water and rocks in the man-made creek.

After the water, we ate lunch in a meadow next to two huge Asian pine trees whose droopy branches created spacious shady hideaways, perfect for playing.  There, Tye climbed her first tree.  It was a wonderful day for our little nature explorer.

Whale Watching

With Chicago's heat index well over 100 today, we decided to take a quick break from the heat and visit the Shedd Aquarium.  We arrived as it opened to take advantage of members-only viewing of their new exhibit, Jellies.  

From there, we walked downstairs to view the beluga whales and dolphins underwater.  We were the only people in that entire portion of the aquarium for almost an hour- precious time to explore before being overwhelmed by hoards of field trip attendees.  

We spent at least half an hour watching, and being watched by, the beluga whales.  Remember my special attachment to the mama beluga with whom I shared months of pregnancy, then months to years of lactating?  It seems Tye feels a special bond with the whales, too.  

As Tye and I watched the belugas swim laps around their pool, they watched us closely, touching the thick glass as they passed.  When we revisited the whales later, they seemed almost to be avoiding the window, perhaps as overwhelmed by the crowd as we were.  I was so thankful for those silent moments of mutual observation.

Mama Fail

Last week, our nature group had a walk scheduled at a beautiful park in Chicago.  The walk is about a half mile, so I knew Tye would love tromping through the forest along the wood-chipped path with her friends.  With new spring growth finally showing itself, I was really looking forward to the experience.


The day of our nature walk arrived with dark clouds and loads of rain.  No problem, I thought, We'll just dress for the weather and make the best of it.  It was a great plan until we arrived and I realized I forgot to pack Tye's raincoat.  Feeling like the worst mom in the world but unable to scrounge up or even borrow a kid-sized layering piece for her, I did what any good desperate mom would do and made her a waterproof coat.  Out of a reusable grocery bag.

At least she loved it.

Those days

Do you ever have those days when you step back and look at the day's events from an outsider's point of view, and you just have to laugh?  If you had been watching my day today, it would have been a series of hilarious clips.  Mostly the kind where you laugh and then the laugh turns into an "ooooh...." as in Oooh, I hope she's okay or  Oooh, that sucks.


Tye woke up at 6 am, giving us plenty of time to switch car seats before we left for our nature walk at 9:30.  We had to switch car seats because we were driving a rental while our car was in the shop and I wanted to use the old car seat, which takes 15 minutes to install, rather than the new one, which takes about 35 minutes, in case we needed to take a cab home after dropping off the rental.  The rental was out on the street because I didn't have a garage door opener to get it into the garage, so I let Tye sit in the driver's seat while I changed car seats.  I spent over 30 minutes changing car seats, during which time, Tye figured out which button honked the car horn.  Can't you just imagine me with my butt out the rear door of the compact car, struggling with seatbelts and harnesses, trying to calmly ask Tye to not honk the horn- for 30 minutes?


After our nature walk, we arrived at the dealership to return the rental car and waited an hour and a half for a diagnosis (even though they had had our car for 24 hours).  The dealership is hosting a fundraiser tonight, so employees and party planners were bustling around.  Of course, the ladybud-themed decorations were like magnets attracting Tye, so I was that mom chasing her daughter around the dealership saying "Soft touches!" and "Hands off!" and "Don't spill your water there!"  Fortunately Tye charmed most of the event staff with her shy smile and soprano "Hiiyeee," including special guest Dina Manzo of the Real Housewives of New Jersey.  Of course, after she stopped to talk to Tye, someone said, "You know who that was, right?" (Blank stare from me)  "That's Dina from the Real Housewives."  Oh.  She looked just like every other rich Lincoln Park mom to me.


When I finally received word that the cost of repairs was nearly equal to our car's blue book value, I tried calling Tyler just to discover that my phone wasn't working.  I could make calls, but couldn't hear anything coming out of the speaker.  Hmmm... Could this have to do with Tye slobbering all over the phone just minutes before while I was talking to the service rep?  Maybe...  This was about the time Tye started to lose her cool (after two hours of waiting and only a 20 minute nap, who could blame her?), so there I was, walking around the dealership with a crying baby on my hip, no functioning car and no operable phone.  Sheesh.


As we were paying for the car inspection, Tye continued to chew on her hands as she has been for two days, trying to ease the pain of her canines coming in.  She chose this moment to shove her hand into her mouth so far she gagged and threw up all over both of us- her shirt, my sweatshirt, my shirt, my hair.  I wiped us down with baby wipes as well as I could while calming talking to the service rep.   Then it was another round of wrestle-the-car-seat in our own car while Tye, once again, honked the horn repeatedly, this time inside the repair shop.  Can't you just imagine how happy they were to see the crying, running, puking, horn-honking toddler and her clueless, phoneless mother finally leave?


Even when I look at the great moments in our day, they hold their own humor.  I'm sure I would have died laughing if I were a stranger who walked into the dealership bathroom while a woman was holding her 16 month old daughter over the toilet saying "Pee pee!  Pee pee!  YAAAYYY! PEE PEE!!! WOOHOO, TYE!"   And I actually did laugh at myself when, after two geese boldly approached us on our nature walk this morning, as soon as I asked a friend to take a picture of us with the geese, they hissed at me as if I was invading their privacy.  We got in a shot anyway-from a safe distance.

I've discovered one of the secret best parts of motherhood: on days like today, I'm not alone.  Tye was there to laugh- or hide, or run, as the case may be- right along side me through each fiasco.  She's becoming less of a fifth limb and more of a sidekick as she comes into her own personality, and having a buddy around to laugh with me when I fall is priceless.  In both the situations she creates, like vomiting on us, and exacerbates, like honking the horn while I'm wrestling car seats, I know Tye will laugh with me- if not in that moment, eventually.  Sure, some parts of today would have been easier without a toddler in tow, but Tye kept me laughing all day long.  The kind of laugh that turns into an "Ohhhhhhhh, I love you, Tye."

Nature Museum

Last week, Tye and I visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.  Although we've been several times and Tye loves every visit, this was the first trip she showed any interest in the butterflies as we walked through the butterfly haven.  I guess the huge insects fit in alongside her fascination with all things flying these days- birds, airplanes, and helicopters (could her one-time entomologist mother be any more thrilled?!?).  I tried to capture Tye's awed expression, but looking back, I think it was partly her stillness that communicated her fascination.  

We always spend time in the children's play area, and this time Tye wanted to put on the beaver costume while she played.

We also saw these crazy cool Ferocious Waterbugs.  According to the sign, "A protective father, the Ferocious Waterbug totes fertilized eggs on his back until his offspring hatch."  I think most moms-to-be feel a moment or two during their pregnancy in which they wish they could hand over care to the father.

And finally, some personality shots: