Note: I apologize in advance for more typos than usual on this post and others recently – I’m typing this with 9 fingers (see the BONUS at the bottom of this post for more details)

B and I just got back from seeing my parents. While we used to go out to Albany several times of year, our trips back to NY have gotten fewer and fewer now that we have FW. My parents have spent much more time coming to visit us in Cleveland. That’s why when B suggested we take some time off around Labor Day and take a trip, I was excited about the prospect of using part of that time to see my parents.

 

Trips to NY are a little different now that we have FW, but we still were able to have some fun and found a few baby-friendly activities to keep us busy.

Some of the highlights:

Seeing my brother. He was in town from Berlin and I’m so glad I got to see him, even if just for a day. T he last time he saw FW, he was only 6 months old!

Going to a Farmers Market. Saturdays in Upstate NY mean farmers markets – we went to the one in Colonie, but Troy also has a great one.

Checking out the New York State Museum. It was rainy one day we were in town so we spent some time indoors at the museum. The museum is a great place to take your kids – it’s free (just a suggested donation), full of plenty of kids running around, has some really cool exhibits, and even has a toddler-focused hands-on room (that we didn’t get to check out).

Also, the museum has a large indoor free carousel! It was FW’s first time on the ride and he LOVED it.

We met up with Jane and Alisa and her boyfriend at the museum, and then we had them over for dinner. They also hadn’t seen FW since he was 6 months old.

Going apple and blueberry picking at Indian Ladder Farms. I LOVE apple picking and have fond memories of going every summer I as growing up. It was great to go with FW, who was old enough to help pick the apples, put them in the bag and even taste them. We also got to pick some blueberries and after our picking, we enjoyed the local cider and beers at a picnic table with some apple donuts and apple fritters.

Stopping by a local playground. One of the days was gorgeous out, so my parents and I took out FW and had some fun running around in the grass and enjoying the rides.

Visiting West Point. Okay, West Point isn’t in Albany, but it’s not too far away, so the day we left Albany, we headed to West Point. We got in some beautiful sights (they sit above the Hudson River and have some great views) and an informal tour of campus with one of our friends who is a professor there.

BONUS: spending some time in Urgent Care. Ha! Okay, so this isn’t necessarily a “highlight” but I can’t share this post without mentioning this story about my Saturday night. My dad was cutting some vegetables for dinner when the knife slipped and he cut his pinky. It was pretty bad, but not bad enough to need stitches, so he elevated it and bandaged it up and I took up the cutting. I decided to take the opportunity to show him (and my mom and brother who were also in the kitchen) how to properly cut vegetables and the right type of knife to use (the knife he/I was using wasn’t the right kind). Of course, as I got to the last piece of eggplant, the knife slipped and I ALSO cut my pinky. I looked down and knew that this was no ordinary cut – the tip of my pinky was hanging off and bleeding pretty bad. I looked over at my brother and mom and said, “I need stitches.” So, my mom and brother took me to the local urgent care while B stayed home with FW and my dad resumed preparing dinner. Three stitches later, my pinky is in better shape now and I’ll be getting the stitches removed in a week or so.

Some questions for you:

• When was the last time you went to Urgent Care? What was it for?
• Have you ever cut yourself so that you needed stitches?
• Do you like picking apples/berries/etc?