The first time getting out

My precious bundle of joy is two and a half weeks old and every day is a learning experience. From birth to breast feeding to sleeping to soothing to pointing the penis down in his diaper so he doesn't pee out, each day presents a new challenge. But as I learn more about my baby and he learns more about the world, each day is easier than the day before.

The first time my husband and I attempted a real outing, the baby was 1 week old. I was terrified. I thought I was pushing a time bomb in the stroller that could detonate at any moment. We went to a diner for breakfast only 5 minutes from our apartment. I had the most insane anxiety about the baby waking up and screaming his head off. I wanted to order our meal as fast as possible and get the hell back to the safety of my cave. As the time passed without an explosion, I began to feel more comfortable. In fact, he never woke up in the restaurant despite the clanking dishes and people talking. After breakfast, we even went for a walk in the park to extend our time out of the house. Since that first outing, I try to get out of our apartment everyday to get some fresh air. It's good for me to not feel claustrophobic and interact with other adults. The hardest part is training myself to not feel scared to try new things with the baby.  I've learned that as long as he's eaten, I have about a 3 hour window to run around and the baby does not care one bit.


Whether for a casual walk or to run an errand, my baby loves the bounce and noise of city streets, which is great, because walking is how we get around our neighborhood in New York. We're also in a great location for walking to West Village restaurants, Washington Square Park, Hudson River Park, Union Square and Tribeca. We can walk nearly everywhere we need to go.


Additionally, I love my stroller! We chose the Uppa Baby Cruz, a smaller version of the Vista. It's tough enough for going up and down curbs and narrow enough to take indoors. (I think the Vista which is wider and has bigger jogger wheels would be too much for some of the small spaces in New York.) I also love the huge basket for my diaper bag or groceries or whatever. It's like my mini all-terrain vehicle!


I'm so thankful that I can just lay him in the stroller and GO versus the hassle of getting in and out of a car for every little errand. Another PRO of New York City life! I guess if you have a car, you don't know any better. But me for, it's just too easy to walk 5 minutes to go to lunch, the drug store, or Starbucks or 10 minutes to the Park or the River, or 15 minutes to the grocery store or Pediatrician. I never thought I would be happy without a car. I always thought a car was a must when you have a baby. Maybe I'll change my tune in the winter months, but right now walking is perfection!