Hello out there.
I can’t believe our move is next month. I’m in that weird transition period where I don’t really know how I feel. I think I’m sad to leave and nervous for the logistics of moving. We’ve finally decided on a moving company (why do they all have horrible reviews?). Fingers crossed, we also have someone interested in taking over the last 1.5 months of our lease, which would be a huge relief.
Matt and I are fitting in a bunch of date nights over the next month, including a wonderful evening of pizza and the Broadway show Dear Evan Hansen (thanks to my mom for last year’s Christmas present) last night.
We went to Don Antonio in the theater district and had life-changing pizza. Seriously, this was the best gluten free crust I’ve ever had and probably some of the best pizza of my life. The waitress told us we had to get two pizzas, so we changed our order last minute to get both the hot soppressata pizza and a pesto, pistachio, and sausage pizza. We managed to finish all but the crust.
Dear Evan Hansen was a beautiful performance with a feel-good message about connecting with others and finding purpose. I loved the intimate theater and the music was wonderful. Would highly recommend!
Fall is just beautiful here, and I’m hoping to take a lot of walks and brave the cold for park dates with Emerson over the coming weeks. I’m going to miss walking everywhere, being by the water, apartment living, the convenience of living above the Y, and the friends we’ve made here. But I’m very much looking forward to having a car (well, we have to find and buy one), having a yard, exploring a new city and our new neighborhood, and meeting some new people.
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On another note, thanks for all your comments about potty training. It’s so interesting to hear everyone’s take on it and I just keep reminding myself that every child is different. I also wonder if I should read a different book/training method before I decide which one is best for us? I think Emerson is ready and I’m afraid to miss ‘the magical window’ But, I think for my own sanity, I just need to put it off until the spring. I know the book suggests that 30 months is at the very end of the window, so hopefully this won’t be too late.
Erin
November 9, 2018 at 8:54 amI didn’t comment or read the comments on the last post re: potty training, but just wanted to pipe in now that you’ve mentioned it again. I waited to train my son until juuuust before 3 (literally 2.5 weeks before his third birthday) bc we had our second child when he was 33 months and I wanted to give him/us an adjustment period (and did not want to deal with a regression as a response to a new baby). I did not use the Oh Crap! method, just kind of an old school bring him to the potty every X minutes, rewards for pees (stickers and stamps) and poops (matchbox cars), slowly stretch out the interval and remove the rewards. It really couldn’t have gone any easier – we had literally one “bad” day and that was it – and he dropped the naptime/nighttime diapers easily and on his own/at his own request. Like you, I have a psychology background, so I ignored the Oh Crap! hoopla and just went with what made sense given my intuition about when my child was ready and my knowledge of conditioning from a psychological perspective. All this to say: I think the “window” thing being so age-specific is largely, well, crap and I don’t think there’s a magical window you can miss. And anecdotally, I waited later to train than the majority of my friends with same-aged kids and we truly had the easiest experience (even with an 8-week-old in the mix). Good luck with the move & (eventual) potty training!
Lauren
November 9, 2018 at 5:05 pmEnjoy you last few weeks in Brooklyn. That pizza looks gross to me, I’ll have to trust that it was delicious. 😄
I waited a month or so before three to potty train. Both my kiddos were potty trained within a week. No method and I wasn’t locked inside with them for a week. We still went about our regular routine. I also used stickers and bigger rewards for poops. All kids are different, so if you feel she’s ready, maybe she is. Good luck!
Laura
November 9, 2018 at 8:07 pmIt was pretty greasy, but soo good. This is what I keep hearing with older kids. Thanks!
Patricia
November 9, 2018 at 8:03 pmI agree Erin. I think there’s too much stress put on parents, and therefore kids, to have their children meet, what I consider, arbitrary benchmarks. My children were potty trained when THEY were ready—and it went quickly. I just made sure I could be home for the few days it took. And none were exactly the same. One took a little longer than the others, meaning the first couple of times we tried, she didn’t have “success”. When she was ready, she was ready. It just wasn’t worth stressing that it didn’t happen the first time or two we tried. Perhaps it helped that she wasn’t my first child. I knew that in the big scheme of things this wasn’t worth stressing about.
Hope your move goes well. I’ve always loved moving to a new place. I think it can give one new perspectives, forces one to figure out a new city, neighborhood, etc., opens one to new opportunities. The actual process of moving is, of course, not always easy, but it doesn’t last forever. Hope you love your new city.
Laura
November 9, 2018 at 8:10 pmThanks! I always enjoy a fresh start too, which is why I think we got a little bit addicted to moving for a while:) I agree – I’m not sure why people are in such a big rush, and I kind of wish I hadn’t listened and read the book…
Laura Swanson
November 10, 2018 at 8:50 pmWe followed the Oh Crap method and my daughter was at the end of the window as well at 2 1/2 and I thought it was great timing! I don’t know if she would’ve been ready when she was only 2 years old. By day three she was telling us when she had to pee. Poop took awhile for her to master though!
Anna
November 12, 2018 at 3:56 amWhat do you mean by too late, lol, every child has mastered it so far, only sooner or later! I think it is the people surrounding us that keep putting pressure on parents, in the kindergarten, in the family, etc. My son is 3.5 and we had a hard time with his potty Training. He just wasn’t interested. Until, all of a sudden, it started working. Without us having done a particular potty Training. So I really believe that it is up to a child. Each child is different and we should not force them. One day we will miss the days when they were babies and not potty trained!
Laura
November 12, 2018 at 6:55 pmI am definitely going to miss the diapers – I’ve never minded them at all! And I’d rather change her diaper than think of Emerson sitting in a public bathroom 🙂
Lauri
November 12, 2018 at 8:41 amAlso just chiming in on potty training – My son was trained at 2.5 years but I can’t take credit, he basically trained himself! My daughter, who came along 7 years later, was different than him in every single way, potty training being a major one! I waited until I had the time because she showed ZERO interest. When I trained her she was 3 years, 3 months. I took a week when I was off work and went for it. I’m sure it was considered “late” but my only point is do not feel pressure based on age, do what you feel is right for you and Emerson!
Laura
November 12, 2018 at 6:53 pmThanks:)
Rosie
November 12, 2018 at 2:50 pmIn response to your request for restaurant recommendations in a previous post: Cafe Cluny in the West Village! Especially in the colder months, it doesn’t get much more charming, cozy or classic New York than this place. And it helps the food and cocktails are delicious!
Laura
November 12, 2018 at 3:38 pmSounds awesome – thanks!!
Anne
November 20, 2018 at 7:25 amIn some cultures, they trained them around 1 1/2… So it is part the child decision, part the parents and the culture…