Georgia Grace woke up with a runny nose and a slight cough — just enough for her first “sick day” in the first grade. She was such a trooper, carrying her box of tissues around the house, and quietly entertaining herself with her toys.
Sick Day
Month: September 2022
Morning Ritual
Nearly a month into the new school year, all three of us are very much enjoying the quality of life our new route affords. We’re able to sleep a little later, we’re able to walk to school together, and, almost every day, we have some happy, fun family time at Laughing Man, one of our favorite neighborhood coffee spots. At Laughing Man, Dave and I will get coffee, while Gigi orders a “bear” — a bear-shaped financier. We love to sit outside and chat, often talking with our neighbors, while G feeds her “bear” to the birds (I am also known for sneaking a bear ear or two!).
About five minutes before the school bell rings, we join the crowds of neighbors walking to school. In the play yard, Gigi greets her friends and we say our last goodbyes and well-wishes for a great day. After we kiss our sweet girl, she heads in, and Dave and I either walk home together or he’ll drop me at my office (a 5-minute walk!!!) and he heads uptown to his.
It ends up being about an extra hour of “found” family time. It’s an unexpected and much appreciated gift.
A Really Fun Fall Weekend!
We started the weekend off right, with a family walk to Laughing Man, where Dave and I had coffee while G shared a financier with the birds.
After school, we had a park play date with Gigi’s best buddy, Edie. We walked over to Washington Market Park right after school and the girls played.
After, Gigi and I headed home to get ready for our Friday night ritual: family pizza and movie night! We made our pizzas and G watched Mary Poppins for the first time. I have urged her for a full year to watch it, but this is the first time she took me up on the offer. And, let me tell you, she LOVED it. She adored Jane and Jane’s and Mary’s outfits, and her favorite carousel horse was the pink one (same as me when I was her age).
The next day, Gigi and Dave went to Gigi’s soccer game while I went to work out at Bar Method. After the game, we met in the park where we celebrated Gigi’s friend, Livia’s, sixth birthday with friends. G dressed up as a super hero (“Super Sister!”) and ran around the park with her buddies, while Dave and I got to catch up with neighbors.
Later that day, we went to an art fair where Gigi proceeded to plead for us to buy her art. One such example: she realllllllly wanted these acrylic butterfly wings or any of the surrounding pieces, really, for her room. We politely declined, and she was less than thrilled…
On Saturday night, Dave and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! We went to dinner at Indochine — it’s such a special and lovely place… one of my favorites! — while Gigi stayed home with her big girl friend, Elise. When we got in, G was wide awake and thrilled to see us. I have to be honest, the feeling was completely mutual:) She grabbed her pillow and made a beeline for our bedroom and crawled into our bed (that was the deal).
On Sunday, we went to Buy Buy Baby in Chelsea to register for “baby stuff” so we could know what we needed to buy in preparation for Gigi’s little sister. Since it’s been SIX years since we’ve cared for a baby, Dave and I needed a major refresher. Many of the popular ‘must-haves’ had been upgraded, but the basics remained pretty much the same: bottles, pacifiers, crib sheets, etc. Gigi was amazing throughout the shopping trip — she had lots of ideas and things she wanted to get for her sister — and was happy to accept the candy corn gifts I would deposit into her pockets throughout.
Happy 10th Anniversary to Us!
It has been ten years since Dave and I got married! Our actual anniversary fell on a Thursday, so we grabbed our best buddy (and she grabbed her best buddy, Figaro), and headed over the BK bridge for a fun family dinner at Cecconi’s in Dumbo. The view was absolutely gorgeous, the food was delicious, and our server couldn’t have been kinder — he let Gigi behave as though she owned the place, and the two of them surprised Dave and me with an anniversary dessert (ice cream, which really ended up being for G!) at the end of the night. It was the perfect celebration.
Chicago!
Daddy had to take a quick work trip to Chicago, so we said goodbye and got our ‘Gigi/Mama’ time underway. Gigi had her first field trip of the year (to an urban farm in the Battery) and after school, had ballet class. After I picked her up from ballet, we enjoyed a yummy pasta dinner at Rosemary’s in the West Village.
It was a quick trip, and we were glad for it. The next day, Dave made it home in time to go to my 32-week anatomy scan and celebrate our 10-year anniversary!
Happy Monday!
Ballet in the elevator, feed the birds, off to school!
Gigi’s Baby Shower
From the moment she learned I was pregnant, Georgia Grace has been very certain of one thing: this baby was OUR baby, and we would share in the excitement together. She has expressed consistently growing joy, and is literally counting down the days until her baby sister’s arrival. So, Dave and I have done everything we could think of to help make this time special for Gigi; to make sure she felt like she was a part of it. That’s why, today, we hosted a little at-home baby shower for soon-to-be big sister, Gigi. We picked up a few gifts and, at Gigi’s request, hid them around the apartment (it’s become somewhat of a gift-giving tradition!).
Before the “shower,” I was concerned Gigi would be expecting gifts for herself… but I couldn’t possibly have been more wrong. She understood the point of the celebration, and was just so happy to receive the soft, sweet things and get excited for her growing family. What a sweet, sweet girl.
Gigi was so happy to receive gifts on behalf of her sister: a few onesies with matching hats and bows, receiving blankets, a rattle, and a pair of booties, and, the most exciting gift: coordinating big sister/little sister outfits.
Baby Shower!
We are so lucky to have such thoughtful neighbors. Upon finding out that I was pregnant, our neighbor, Deb, insisted on having a little shower to celebrate. She also insisted on involving Gigi, which meant a lot to both of us. We had a sweet little lunch at Laduree and brought home about a million macarons!
This celebration took place on September 17 — my 15th New York anniversary. To say my life has changed since then would be an understatement. I’m so grateful to this city for giving me so much. Here’s to 15 more, NYC!
New Friends!
We took G to school today and something exciting happened… she made a new friend, Edie! The girls played at Washington Market Park after school, and then Gigi’s big girl friend, Elise, treated her to ice cream. She’s just loving going to school in her neighborhood!
A Cookie and a Quick Hello
Working five minutes from Gigi’s school has its perks! It was Elise’s day to pick her up, but I had a break in my day so I stopped by to drop off a cookie and give my girl a kiss.
Gigi and Mama Time
Daddy had to spend a day and a half in Atlanta, so Gigi and I got some quality time together. On Sunday, we got pedicures and went to dinner, and on Monday, we had ice cream after school and then went to soccer practice. We miss Daddy when he’s not here but we sure do know how to make the most of it!
Fall Weekends
Fall weekends in New York are the best! There’s always something to do, and our fall Fridays start the same way: with family pizza and movie night. This weekend, we made pizzas, watched Monsters, Inc. (she liked it!), played soccer, and celebrated Gigi’s friend Morgan’s birthday. It was perfect!
30 Weeks
First Day of First Grade
After one of the most fun summers on record, today is the day… it’s Gigi’s first day of school!
This year, we made the big family decision for our sweet Georgia Grace to attend school in our neighborhood. We all agreed that it would be nice to have the additional quality family time afforded by having Gigi’s school in the same neighborhood as our home and my work. (Not to mention the opportunity to attend school with her neighbors!) We are so proud of her for being open minded, brave, and excited to try something new.
Today was Gigi’s first day at her new school! We got up early, and grabbed a cake pop and coffee on the walk over.
Afterwards, Gigi went to gymnastics class, where she was reunited with her buddy, Eli.
At the end of the day, we celebrated over dinner at The Odeon. It was a perfect start to what we are sure will be an incredible year!
First Day at Joffrey Ballet School
Our happy little dancer is so proud and excited to attend Joffrey this fall! She has very much enjoyed classes at Dance with Miss Rachel (since she wasn’t even a year old!), but was ready to study ballet a bit more seriously. She wasn’t thrilled about the mandatory bun-in-a-hairnet, but after getting ready she was more than happy with the finished product.
Georgia Grace was super excited at drop off, and had so much to say when I picked her up. She loved Miss Hannah, and her favorite part of class was “playing squirrels.”
Gigi Makes Three 