Saturday in Central Park in June

One Saturday morning in June, we walked 11 miles and saw all we could see in Central Park. And we made it home in time for Sally's nap! By the walk home, Johnny was pretty grumpy. I'd once again planned too much for one day, but I love going and doing. We were exhausted and just relaxed once we got home. Those are maternity jeans I'm wearing in the picture, ha! Not sure when I officially transitioned back to pre-pregnancy pants, but glad those days are here now.

June evenings in Riverside Park

In June, Johnny stopped working with his company and started pursuing his own work. He'd leave the house every day and go work somewhere with free wi-fi (usually Whole Foods) while Sal, Wynn, and I left the house and went to a playground. We really got a good groove going with our life with two kids. I was feeling much more like myself, and getting out with the girls each day kept me sane in our tiny apartment. 

We knew we'd likely be leaving NYC when our lease was up, but we decided to see if our landlord would be open to the idea of us leaving early if someone wanted the apartment. We were still doubtful we would be leaving early, and we decided to just try to enjoy NYC to the fullest until the end of November when our lease was up. Of course, everything ended up happening much faster than expected, and we left at the end of July, but we had no clue of that in these pictures. We started having a routine of going to Riverside park in the evenings to kill time with the girls, let Sally get some energy out, and enjoy some family time in a beautiful, non-crowded area of the city. 

Those evenings were pretty perfect.

An afternoon in Central Park in May

I relished the weekends and Johnny being home those first few months. A few weeks after Wynn was born, and the Saturday before Mother's Day, we took a walk as a family to Central Park. I still wasn't getting out much with the girls yet, so I was so happy to be outside. From the time Sally got sick until the few weeks after Wynn was born, I'd spent most my time indoors, and NYC had begun to blossom. Much of my motivation to get out of the house came from wanting so badly to experience warm weather and see flowers and greenery after the worst winter ever. It was a perfect, albeit kind of stressful being out with two kids. We never knew when Sally was going to throw a tantrum over something tiny or when Wynn might start crying. But it ended up going smoothly, and we enjoyed our time as a family of four. 

Wynn's first week home

Wynn's first week home was absolute newborn bliss. My mom was in town for most of it, and Johnny was home, too. We spent most of the time just relaxing and staring at little Winnie. It was as if the rest of the world stood still as we adjusted to our new life. My mom did all the cooking and cleaning, and my only job was to feed Wynn and sleep and recover. When Wynn wasn't eating, she was sleeping. I love that about newborns. It's their little way of transitioning you into life with them, making it as easy as possible those first few weeks. 

I remember one particular night of Sally dancing and singing along to a song in the living room while we all watched her and while Winnie slept soundly on the couch. With all my crazy hormones, I just wanted to cry at how perfectly perfect everything was. With our scare at the hospital with Wynn, I was feeling especially grateful to have my two healthy girls, and I promised myself that I'd never, ever take it for granted.

Sally was happy to have me home, and she wanted me to give her all the attention I could. My mom was a big help that first week in Sally not being too jealous, since she had Grandmom fawning over her day in and day out. Reality hadn't hit yet, but it soon would :).