July 27, 2009

A few days after my sister left, we were getting ready for our trip to the North of the Country!! Robert, Mikey, Jules, Rae and I went to Vermont for a house warming party at Matthew and Mary's house. Robert had planned a great trip for us!!!

Our first stop was NYC, where we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria to celebrate Jules' birthday. It was awesome!! We got a corner room and Mikey loved running around through the great corridors of the hotel!! I can only imagine how all the celebrities spent their time in this hotel. The only down side was that the food wasn't that great, but that didn't spoil our two night stay there.

On Wednesday, July 15, we took the subway to Ground Zero. Mikey loved the subway and was flirting with two young girls next to him. They loved it!! Ground Zero was very impressive. Robert and I went there about 6 years ago and nothing had changed much since. It still looked like a huge gaping whole where once the Twin Towers were located. So sad!!!
We walked to Battery Park and we found a little play ground where Michael was having a blast!!

Ground Zero

Jules at Battery Park with the Statue of Liberty in the background

Robert and Mikey at a playground at Battery Park (together with all the nannies of NYC :) )

Jules and Rae at the park near Ground Zero

Later that night we met up with Robert's cousins Miles and Alexander. Miles owns a yachting company in Manhattan and we were going out on his sail boat for an hour and a half cruise. It was so much fun!!! I loved it!!! And Miles and Alexander were so nice!! I never really spent that much time with them, but I had so much fun. We went to dinner afterwards to a restaurant that was once a building owned by Lester Pincus who was somehow related to Jules and his family. We had a fantastic night!!

Miles' yacht!!

Robert, Rae, me and Alexander

Jules was helping to pull up the sail!!

He said that it was heavier than he thought :)

Mikey loved the boat ride!!

Mikey in his Sit 'n Stroll, a car seat that turned into a stroller, perfect for our trip

He is the perfect traveller!!

Cousins Miles and Alexander

The Statue of Liberty

Thursday we took a train from Penn Station, NYC to Springfield, MA. Of course we had an hour and a half delay, no surprise. And when we got to Springfield, MA our rental car was not available. We had to wait an other hour or so. Hertz didn't do a great job. They couldn't pick us up at the train station as promised and we had to go to their office in two different trips. Michael and I waited at the station and Robert was sent back to get me in a city that he did not know. I have no idea how he did it, but he found us and then he found his way back to the Hertz office, which was about 20 minutes driving from the train station!! With about 3 hours delay we were on our way to Springfield, VT!! Woohoo!! Of course Robert found a BBQ place in the middle of nowhere on our way. I honestly think he smells it!!! :)

Robert in the train with all our luggage!!!

Rae and Jules in the train. Mikey was sleeping in his seat :)

Friday and Saturday we spent time with Matthew and Mary and met her family. She has a great family. We loved their new home and their 6acre back yard was amazing!! Friday night we had a Pizza BBQ in their backyard and it rained all night!! Luckily they had put up a huge tent.

Friday was also our 5 year wedding anniversary and Mikey's 2 year home coming anniversary from the NICU!!!

Saturday we drove around Springfield and drove through New Hampshire. It is sooooo beautiful up there!!! Mikey said a new word: Tree!! No wonder, there were trees everywhere you looked.

Saturday night we had a great party at Matthew and Mary's with great food, Badminton and a camp fire. So much fun!! Thanks for a great party!!

Michael loves rocking chairs, this one was in New Hampshire

Michael and Jules in NH

Rae enjoying the sun

We found Le Moo Dairy Farm, they had the BEST ice cream!!!

Michael did not want to leave the swing at the Dairy Farm

Mommy and Mikey having fun in Matthew and Mary's backyard. He is so ticklish :)

Aunt Lesley was helping him with his umbrella

Matthew takes the best pictures!!

Anna, our cute niece :)

Another great picture Matthew took of Mimi

Mimi, Anna and I

Anna, Mimi and Poppy

Robert and I

Matthew and Mary's back yard

Mary's sister, Mary and her niece Nikki (who was born at 26wks, she is now 6!!)

Mary's other sister and Mom

Mikey :)

I love this picture!!

Mimi, Anna and Mary

Lesley and Anna

Sunday, after saying good bye to the family, we drove to Holyoke, MA where my grandmother lives with her husband, Richard. They got married about 5 years ago, after they had lost touch since their twenties and relocated each other after about 65 years!! My Grandmother had never met Mikey before, so it was very nice to see them together!! That night we took them out to dinner and Richard's daughter Antoula also accompanied us. She has been a great help to my grandmother and Richard. We had a great night!!!

My Grandmother (Savta) and Mikey, her great grandson

Savta, Richard, Antoula, Michael, Robert, Rae and Jules at the restaurant

Me and my grandmother :)

My Grandmother and her husband, Richard

Robert and my Grandmother

In fact, we had an awesome week!!! It was a very easy trip and we couldn't have done it without Robert's perfect planning!!!

Mikey did not get sick and he was an awesome traveller!! Every hotel had the same crib, so that was easy for him to adjust every time. We had brought a car seat that pops out into a stroller and it was so easy to travel with.

Michael has not started his ST yet, but he has been saying so many words!! He is really trying. I just took him out for a walk and he is pointing at everything. He pointed and said: 'water', 'car', 'tree', 'sky'!!! Can you believe that? I am so proud of him!!! He is such a happy child.

Last Wednesday we put him in the Booth with Auditory Verbal Therapy and he tested at 10DB, which is normal hearing!!! We were so excited!!! Of course, with Auditory Neuropathy this could change again, but for now, we take it!!!