First Adventure of 2013 - "The Event of a Thread" at Park Ave Armory

Our current bedtime routine is a family love fest. Savvy stays up late now that she's an old lady of almost 2 and a half, so Rob is usually home for bedtime. That leaves the three of us in our bed singing songs and tickling while we get Savvy in her jammies and get out her last ounces of silliness before she starts to calm down. Then we read ONE BOOK. But Savvy insists we all take all take a turn reading it. 

After a last minute trip to the bathroom for tooth brushing or using the potty it's time for lights out. That's when Savvy abruptly stops loving on Daddy and banishes Rob to the living room. "GO IN THE LUMI DADDY!"

It's our special time. "Big hug. I love you soooooo much," she says. "Let's talk. Let's talk 'bout what we did today." And so we recount the days events while we hug and I "itchie" her back. 

This is the time that I will miss the most when the new baby is born in March. This ultra lovey dovey Mommy/Savvy time in the quiet darkness of our bedroom. On days we don't anything and the talking "'bout what we did today" doesn't include anything more exciting than a trip to the supermarket, I get sad that pregnancy has slowed me down and kept us from having as many adventures as we had during the first half of 2012. 

After shedding a few tears Wednesday night about this very dilemma, I was excited to learn about an Ann Hamilton art installation at the Park Avenue Armory featuring giant swings when I checked Facebook Thursday morning. Indoor swings! A perfect mother daughter date! The exhibit closes this Sunday, January 6th -- definitely check it out if you're looking for last minute weekend plans.

Upon entering, you're confronted with a table of caged pigeons and performance artists reading from a scroll. Their voices are amplified in dozens of speakers placed in paper bags throughout the space. The swings hanging from the expansive space are connected to a large white curtain through a series of pulleys and ropes that make it sway. Even the swings sway on their own because they're interconnected.

Savvy wanted to ride by herself. The swings didn't go very high, but they certainly traveled 20 feet back and forth without so much as a push from me :)

She held on like a champ. 

 Notice in the video that I'm more afraid of her solo riding the swing than she is!

The best shot I could get of us swinging together. 

 Sav's favorite thing to do was push me on the swing. I got some serious distance! And she didn't get hit by the swing even though she would chase me after pushing. Always backed up enough afterwards. Phew.

So grown, yet still so small.

That night when we recounted our day in the darkness of bedtime ("We went to a art 'stallation!"), I told Savvy that I felt so blessed to go on exciting adventures with her. "When your new baby sister is born, things are going to change a lot. Instead of going out on adventures, there will be lots of new adventures right here at home that will keep us busy for a while."

"But we can take my baby shitter with us!" (Yup, that's how she pronounces sister. Love it!)

"That's right, Savvy. We can take your baby sister with us." My first born is wise beyond her years. She always knows what I need to hear.