Grandma and Grandpa at the Central Park Zoo

Afer an eventful day at IKEA on Saturday we decided that it would be unforgivable not to take Grandma and Grandpa into the big city for a proper outing. Markus, not being a car baby anymore, wasn't too please with the ride through the Lincoln Tunnel, but once we arrived at the Hudson Hotel for brunch his mood improved markedly.Again, he was surrounded by people eager to give in to his every whim. Everyone took turns walking him around the halls to keep him entertained (well, everyone but me, that is!).
Once we finished our meals we were off to the Central Park Zoo to check out the Children's Zoo - Markus' favorite. Other than an incredibly LOUD wipeout on the concrete outside the gates of the zoo (loud enough to warrent the attention of some random do-gooder man who came running over to pick Markus up - which was kind, but weird) all went extremely well. Basically, Markus adores the zoo. And he is completely unafraid of the animals. And when I say completely, I mean completely. Which I think is phenomenal. Needless to say we became members and plan on going again and again and again....not to mention because of the special relationship grandma fostered with a gianormous white goat!

IKEA

Who knew going to IKEA would be akin to traveling to playland and spending a blissful afternoon frolicking amongst the little people!?!? We decided, as a result of inclimate weather, that we would make a trip to IKEA with grandma and grandpa to pick up a few things. Once we entered the children's area, we soon realized that Markus would not - under any circumstances - remain calm in his cart. So, we decided to let the monster loose. Fortunately, grandma and grandpa are inclined to do anything for the little guy, so they allowed his father and I to go check out the items we intended to buy.


He had a WONDERFUL time playing with toys and furniture and taking umpteen rides on the slide that those IKEA folks ingeniously installed in their showroom.


The highlight of the trip, however, was our stop at the cafeteria. For some reason (I think it might have something to do with the gravy), Markus absolutely adores the Swedish meatballs. After eating a few of those (which I must stress - is a lot for his tiny belly to handle) and using a french fry as a conduit for ketchup (and I'm serious here - the french fry was never eaten, but a lot of ketchup was consumed), the little man did something that he never done before: had chocolate milk. As he sucked this nectar of the gods through his straw, he had no idea what was coming....


Once he realized, however, it quickly became clear that this was something serious. He was not even going to spare a moment to breathe as he inhaled a third of the carton down in one fell swoop. This was one - happy - baby.


All in all, this was a very successful venture on a rainy day. Ask Markus and he would say it was the best!

I Like Almond Butter

'Nuff said.

Some Videos We Have Neglected to Post

These videos were taken in the last month or so, but we hadn't posted them to YouTube. Enjoy!

Welcome to Markus Kari's Life!

Well, my Hoboken mommy friends have inspired me to start a blog for the little man. It seems like a smart and fun way to keep everyone posted of things going on in our lives :)

Grandma and Grandpa Merriam are visiting this weekend and, while the weather is not really cooperating, we're looking forward to a nice weekend filled with attention!