DECEMBER 11th 2018
Oli and I recently took a mother-daughter trip to New York and I wanted to write about it because the trip meant so much to both of us.
I started to plan for this trip a few months ago when I noticed that there was a Frozen musical on Broadway. The minute I saw that I knew I had to take her because...come on, Broadway and Frozen together in one magical night? It was the perfect combo for her! And well, it really was. You can’t imagine how happy she was during the entire show. It was totally worth it! The best part was at the end of the show when she exclaimed: “We did it mom!!” I’m not sure why she said this but she was just so so happy that I sense these were just the first words that crossed her mind to try and express the joy she was feeling. It really was one of the best nights of her life and seeing her so excited and happy made it a truly memorable night for me as well!
The trip was, in a way, a belated birthday present for her and it was truly magical in all the ways we could have imagined! The entire time I just felt like we had a huge angel watching over us and making sure we stayed present and got to enjoy every experience in the city we were hoping to. Even with things like waiting in lines for restaurants (which can be a huge hassle with long waits at trendy places in New York – especially in the busy holiday months) we never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a table, even at super crowded places.
I always try to prioritize one-on-one time with each of our three kids, but sometimes it is difficult to do because in our daily routine the kids come as a “package”, you know? Yes, of course I have my moments with each one of them, and you definitely don’t have to take a trip to New York (or any other place) to make those special moments happen, but it was certainly much easier to give Oli my full attention once we were there alone.
Admittedly, Arturo wanted to come with us but I told him that, because Oli is growing up so fast, I really needed some alone time with my first baby girl so we could talk, laugh, make memories, open up and get to know each other better without any interruptions. I know she’s only three years old, but it was just so incredible to pay attention to all of her reactions and opinions about what was going on around us, and listening to the way she sees the world made me feel super close to her. Besides, I wanted to make the trip as cheesy and girly as I could. I mean... American Girl Store, Ice Skateing, The Rockettes, Frozen and all girl brunches and dinners…. How much girlier could it get, really?
I’m so thankful we had this time and that we were able to pull this trip off. New York during Christmas season is one of my favorite places in the world and I loved to see the city trough her eyes because she was just so surprised and amazed about every single thing. The first day we arrived we went to see the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center. I have to admit that at first I was overwhelmed and somewhat annoyed because it was super crowded and we couldn’t really see the tree. But Oli was just so happy to see all the Christmas lights and tall skyscrapers that she could not stop smiling and asking, “Is it Christmas already?!” That’s when I realized that there was no need to be frustrated and I just needed to be present, enjoy the little moments of magic with my girl and go with the flow. She really didn’t have any expectations since it was her first time in New York, so she just made the most out of everything, which I learned from and think is such a pure and beautiful approach for anyone to take in life!
The first day Renata my long, long time friend and her husband Doug (a born and raised New Yorker) helped me make a list of all of the things that I wanted to do. Since they obviously know their way around, they gave me some useful tips (especially about moving around with a toddler). Did I mention Renata is a Special Effects Make-Up Artist? How cool is that?! I made her promise to take me to the Oscars when she gets nominated. (If you didn’t know about Rena, I’m telling you right now!)
So to all of you who asked me if it is a good idea to take a toddler to New York. I’ll have to say YES it is. This city has so much to offer and even more during the holiday season. Central park looked absolutely stunning with all of the orange autumn leaves on the ground. Oh and those squirrels! Oli just had the best time laughing at them because of how fast they eat.
Who saw “Big” with Tom Hanks? Of course I had to take Oli to the giant piano at FAO Schwartz to recreate the moment, though I have to admit that she wasn’t exactly playing “Heart and Soul”… it was more like a free style song (a.k.a. she was just running and dancing around). “Night at the Museum” with Ben Stiller anyone? We also went to the American Museum of Natural History although, to be honest with you, we didn´t go through all of it because it is just so big. We did, nonetheless, see many of the animals and spent a good 45 minutes at the gift store playing with sand play dough! That’s what was making her really happy at the moment, so why not?
When I was 5 months pregnant with Oli I went to New York and I had the worst insomnia which meant I was waking up at 4 a.m and waiting until 8 a.m to go have breakfast at “The Butcher's daughter” (one of my favorite restaurants). Since eveyone was still asleep I would go all by myself. I remember asking myself so many things and wondering what I was going to do now that I was going to have a baby – I just really didn’t know what to expect. Fast-forward a few years and this time, when I returned to that same restaurant with Oli, Rena, Mariana (a friend who is a teacher in New York) and Ana Sophi (who went to boarding school with me in 2007 and has been my friend since), we had such a fun time and as I sat there eating great food and in even better company, I thought of that time when I was alone and confused in that exact same spot. All I could think was: who would have thought?
I really could write about every place, restaurant and park we visited because we really do have a little story everywhere that we went to, but that would make this post eternal. (Luckily for you I made highlighted stories on my Instagram of almost every place).
Although it was only a few days away, these were some of my favorite days ever. I really hope she remembers and holds on to them forever.
Looking forward to many more mother-daughter trips (near and far) with my girls (yes, Lucia you are coming with us next time) in the years to come.
Happy Holidays everyone!
Natalia .M
#newyork#myturnbulltribe#toddlermom#happyholidays#christmas2018
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