it’s our first family vacation since exactly a year ago, when we were in Costa Rica for a friends wedding. We haven’t been in new york together, in an even longer time — not since five and half years ago when we got engaged.

it’s also sparklet’s first train ride, which is great timing considering her recent obsession with all things choo-choo. speaking of obsessions:

• she’s counting to five now — english and spanish. she needs props (nuts, crayons, figurines) but counts them off completely un-prompted.
• she’s half potty trained now — about four days ago, mommy sat her down and told her that she’d get gummi bears for each time she uses the potty. within the first 2 hours, she had gone thrice, and it’s been mostly dry diapers ever since.
• her vocabulary is growing — she’s definately in the identification phase, where she has to call out the make and color of every object she sees. Cute, but a bit of a liability when you’re hurtling down the highway and she’s screaming at you for each car, bus and taxi she sees.

we’ll be here through Tuesday — my family used to come up to new york every winter for years and years, to see the decorations and the store windows, and we’ll be doing just about the same thing.

it’ll be good.