What have you been up to this summer so far? What are you looking forward to still? We decided we wouldn’t take a summer vacation until late August this year, so that Rob could go full force with Huddle Up NYC in June and July. We’re definitely looking forward to our trip but we have also been excited about summer in the Big Apple. At the beginning of the summer, I wrote down some things that I thought would be fun to do in and around the City.
- Shakespeare in the Park
- Rockaway Beach
- Smorgasburg
- Rooftop Exhibit at the Met Museum
- Picnics in the Park
- Sprinklers on top of the Natural History Museum
- Pool Day in Harlem
- Central Park Zoo
So far we have had the chance to do a few of these plus have added others to the list that we hadn’t thought of originally like going to Governor's Island, checking out a snow cone restaurant in Forest Hills and maybe re-creating our Five Boroughs in One Day from a few years ago! Let us know if you have any ideas too!
This is a pretty long update and we have tons of pictures for you to check out of what we have been up to lately.
Shakespeare in the Park. One Saturday we spent almost the entire day in Central Park, starting off the morning waiting in line for tickets to Shakespeare in the Park. Waiting in the line can sometimes be the best part! We hung out and had coffee and bagels, some worked on a cross word, some napped and some of us played Harry Potter Trivia. After we got our tickets, we made our way to the top of the Great Lawn to say farewell to some sweet friends. Then after a brief couple of hours at home, we came back to Central Park and enjoyed dinner al fresco at Turtle Pond. After that we made our way to the Delacorte theater to watch the Shakespeare play, Taming of the Shrew. Days in the park are some of my favorite days!
Lucie helping with the crossword puzzle
We miss you, Payne family!
Red Hook. Being out there felt like a vacation. We took the Ikea Ferry to Red Hook and had a late lunch at Brooklyn Crab. We split a 10” Key Lime Pie with our favorites at Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies. Then we went to the Widow Jane Distillery and the Van Brunt Stillhouse Distillery. After a very unwise run for the ferry (that we missed) we had snacks at IKEA and then got in the line for the next Ferry like civilized human beings. Like I said, it felt like a vacation : ).
Rockaway Beach. Rockaway is far. Really, really, really, far. And the trains that weekend were not cooperating. For a moment there, underground after our 3rd detour, Rob and I wondered, should we just go home? It’s been an hour since we left our apartment and we’re still in Midtown! I’m glad we were able to rally though and Lucie was doing great, which made it easier. An hour and a half after that, we were staring at sand, boardwalks, umbrellas and beach! The water was great, even if I am the only Hickson who thinks so. Lucie and Dada thought it was toooo cold! We had arepas, coconut milkshakes and a strawberry shortcake good humor bar! (The best one, in my opinion. It tasted just like I remember from when I was younger.)
All the service changes and delay advisories for that weekend. The trains were a mess!
33. Robby turned 33 and on his birthday, he hung out with Lucie at the splash park and our sweet neighbor made us an authentic Mexican dinner with homemade limeade.
4th of July Weekend. The weekend was sandwiched between two nights of thunderstorms on Friday Night and Monday Night, which is somewhat unusual, but made for the weather being absolutely glorious on Saturday, Sunday and almost all of Monday. On Saturday we spent the entire day outside on the Braun’s terrace for the first ever All Day-All-Day-Day. We had brunch, made a brisket (all day), listened to music, and watched Lucie walk backwards! After giving the Goose a bath and putting her and Elle to bed, we all ate the delicious brisket, had frozen yogurt popsicles, made s’mores and played One Night Ultimate Werewolf. So much fun! We decided to go to Smorgasburg on Sunday and we excited when Brett and Erin said they'd come with us. Smorgasburg is an event every weekend in the summer that showcases dozens of local food vendors. We’ve been once before, when they used to meet at Brooklyn Bridge Park, this time we made our way to Prospect Park in Park Slope, Brooklyn for the first time ever, which is crazy since we have lived here almost seven years. Thankfully, the trains were much friendlier to us this weekend. We met up with Jossie, my friend who I have known since 3rd grade, and her family! Lucie got to play with her daughter, Alana who will be one at the end of the month. There was so much delicious food, they even had a Mofongo tent set up. The line for that vendor was insanely long, so we will have to go back to try it, or just go back to Puerto Rico : )! We all tried the lobster roll, truffle fries, bourbon boneless chicken wings, a ramen burger and a scallion pancake sandwich which was my favorite! For Independence Day on Monday, we had a combination birthday celebration for Greg, Rob and the good ol’ U-S-of-A.
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
Lucie taking her nap way back there in the shade
Daycare. Lucie is in daycare for the month of July. Our hope is that things will continue to ramp up for Rob with Huddle Up NYC and if that is the case, then Lucie may continue to have some form of daycare/ babysitting arrangement on a daily basis come Fall. When Rob transitioned to take care of Lucie full time last August, it was quite an adjustment. He dove in whole heartedly and this has really been an truly memorable year for him. It has had its challenges, especially since he also launched his business at the same time. Having Rob home with Lucie is such a blessing. His physical education and coaching background have been incredibly valuable when it comes to her ongoing therapy. He is able to jump right in while the therapists work with Lucie in a way that is not second nature to me and so much of her progress is without a doubt, thanks to him. Still, many days we both felt exhausted and like we were burning the candle from both ends. (What parent doesn’t?) Add to that the many therapy sessions Lucie has in a week, both while I am at work and as soon as I walk in the door. We thought that having Lucie in daycare for the month of July would provide us both with a bit of breathing room, so it was surprising to both of us how sad it felt to know that Lucie wouldn’t be with Rob all day anymore. It’s funny how sometimes you can dread change, even want to stop it from happening and then when it does, you think, that wasn’t so bad. Lucie has been at daycare for all of two days and we already have our new little ‘normal’ rhythm. Lucie comes with me on my commute to Midtown and waves at every single person on the subway. I have never seen so many smiling faces at 8 in the morning. I take Lucie to daycare and she happily goes right to the big blocks. A couple of her therapists have been able to go to the daycare center to have their sessions with her, so it’s great that she gets to see familiar faces. I pick Lucie up and Rob and Bess meet us when we get out of the train. Yesterday, when Lucie saw Rob she tackled him on the sidewalk. (Awww!) Rob has already been able to plant some great seeds for HUNYC, which is really encouraging and hopefully will work out as he continues to pursue them throughout the rest of the summer and in the Fall.
Lucie's amazing team of therapists!
Early Intervention. We will be meeting with Lucie’s Early Intervention Service Coordinator soon to review her first year full of receiving services and to discuss what the next 6 months could look like. (It's already been a year!) Even though she gets 10-12 sessions of therapy a week, her speech/ feeding is only twice a week and is starting to come into focus as the area to work on the most. She may receive an increase there, which would mean she’d receive 12-14 sessions a week! We don’t expect it to go up much more than that. We will also discuss the possibility of her getting to participate in center-based therapy where, “children from diverse backgrounds, birth to age three, receive a comprehensive array of therapies as they play and learn with one another and with nurturing and attentive teachers.” This would take the place of some of her current home-based therapy. We’ll share more as we learn more of what that could look like, but it sounds really amazing and is also a benefit offered through the Early Intervention program in New York. Very cool!
Much Love! Happy Summering, Los Hicksons
PS - In case you missed it, I shared a fun memory from our wedding, the other day.