Week 3: The Luck Runs Out

The final week of the New York installment of The Summer of Arlene. Picture a small 1 bedroom walk up apt plus a studio apt. above it in a cute brownstone. Add 11 people, including an infant, a kid who in embracing all that is the Terrible Two's with as much gusto as possible and has recently mastered what is needed for full time underwear, the mom of the previous 2, a deaf and Type 1 10 year old, a 13 year old who is also embracing all that is thirteen, a couple of dating twenty something's and, of course, 4 adults who are taking their sanity into their own hands. Add 100 degree days. That in itself sounds like a recipe for disaster, but when you mix it together in a city that has something for everyone and a LOT of patience, you have an experience that made memories we will be talking about for the rest of our lives.

There were taxis, subways and trains that kept the 2 yr old endlessly entertained. There was food and shows that kept everyone else happy. The l0 & 13 y.o. were completely mesmerized by Chinatown. J's speech therapist would be so proud that he bargained down the price for some bling by himself on a noisy street with a Chinese woman. If that's not skill, I don't know what is! We got to see Spiderman on Broadway with seats where Spidey stood by us before he took off flying. We went to Central Park and rented boats, both the kind you row yourself and the kind you move remotely.

We junked, we shopped, we even found a store that was going out of business so we went in and bought display stuff for cheeeeeaaap. The boys and their parents did museums while Reid and Papaw did playgrounds. We saw Times Square, The Bronx, Chinatown (the one in Manhattan and the one in Flushing), Little Italy (also, both of them), Soho, The Bowery, LES, UWS, UES, the East Village, Greenwich, Queens, Chelsea and Brooklyn and road a bus all over the city (for Reid, even though we were so tired everyone was happy to accommodate him).

The eating, though, was what spoke to all of us. Every one, from the 7 month old to the oldest, LOVES eating. Not a picky eater in the bunch. We had Persian food, ate off of carts, had a variety of Chinese treats at a dim sum place, ate house made cheeses and sausage, squid ink pasta. I enjoy the shows and the shopping and the fun of New York, but most of all, I enjoy the food.

Three weeks of the best time ever. I was pushing my luck. It had to end and it ended in a big way. Family started leaving early Saturday and things went downhill quickly. Eddie was to stay in Manhattan for 2 months to do some work at a hospital there. Our trip dovetailed his schedule so Meg and the kids stayed with us his first week of work so he could get oriented. The plan was to live there the rest of the summer with him. Meg had moved over to Eddie's apartment Friday afternoon. We found out the "apartment" (they called it a studio but I was wise to them) was really a dorm room with a small kitchen space in a jut out against one wall. There was a small table that was too small to serve a meal on, a full sized bed and a love seat. That's it. Cozy for one person, ridiculous for a family of 4. Not only that, the east wall was almost a complete wall of windows and the sun came up at 5:30 there. No good for the babies. They woke up with the sun, no one napped because of the light and each other (Reid still takes a 2-3 hour nap a day and goes to bed at 7:30), and it was impossible to get the kids down for the night because everyone was in one room. Reid had to sleep on the loveseat and Nell was in a pack and play type thing. After 3 days of sleep deprivation, everyone was crazed. Reid was confused since he had to change apts and everyone left so the fun stopped. To top it off, Eddie worked such long hours they never saw him and he couldn't help out. Reid was afraid of the "elegator" and refused to get on unless someone carried him (they were on the 8th floor so stairs weren't an option). He regressed on the potty training to the point that he was back in diapers (he'd been in undies since the first of the year and completely reliable during the day for a couple of months), he started throwing kicking fits and was running from Meg. He ran under a turnstile in the subway before she could get through with the baby scaring her to death, but the straw that broke the camel's back was right after I left. They were at the park and Reid opened the gate and tried to take off down Lexington. Meg had to chase him with Nell strapped to her chest. He was juking and jiving, I'm sure it was a sight to see. She got them home and didn't leave again. Couldn't even get groceries.

I got home around 4 and she called around 9 saying she had thrown in the towel. All the New York fun had been used up in the first 10 days and she HAD to get out of there. I took the 7:00 am flight back to NYC, getting to their apt around noon. Reid was still in his jammies, sitting in a poopie diaper, refusing to change clothes. Meg said she even offered to take him to play at the park, but he said no, pushed the stroller into a corner and just sat there, facing the wall. Poor baby! When I walked in the door, he ran to the suitcases and said, "I'm packed and ready to go!"

He let me change him and put on his undies. We went out for pizza, got a cab and headed to the airport. Within a few days, he was back to the sweet Reid he was before. Since then, it's been a party. Maybe not the fun time in the Big Apple Meg had planned for her summer, but at least a relaxing time for her and a fantastic time for Reid, Nellie and us!

 

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