2011 to 2012

In the Good Ol' Days (1990-1998 or so, which, incidentally, were hardly that good) I would find myself in the City of Boston most Dec 31sts. Boston is always a marginally fun place to be on New Years. The pros: lots of options afforded by First Night, tons of people in the streets, a festive atmosphere. The cons: long lines anywhere you would actually want to eat, poor public transit, and the general paralysis borne by the twin feelings that there is both so much and so little that you can do to celebrate.

One of my earliest First Night lessons was that the Hynes Convention Center was a total madhouse and the "#1 Place to Avoid" in the entire city. The Hynes is Ground Zero for family-friendly First Night events, and while you figure this will mean that it is pretty tame, it is just the opposite; it is a Friedman-esque hot, flat, and crowded, largely by the under-10 set and their parents. If you are over 14 and unencumbered by parents or guardians on New Years, then the Hynes is the absolute last place you want to be.

Which is why, naturally, I found myself at the Hynes most of yesterday.

Andres and Celia are now of an age where we can generally take them places and do fun things without worrying too much about eating and sleeping schedules. They are also both fully in The Formative Years, meaning that memories of these events should be lodging somewhere in their brains. Perhaps we will internalize these recollections differently (I foresee the following conversation in 10 years...me: "Remember that time that we went to First Night and I almost bought you that $10 light-up sword, but then thought better of it?" Andres: "That was a formative event in my life, and I carry its sting to this day"), but the memories of the events themselves will be shared by all of us, not just Natalia and me. So whereas I would be perfectly content with a New Year's Eve at home, there is now added pressure (rightly) to do things that rise above the baseline level of "uninteresting."

We took the T into town in the early afternoon, getting off at Hynes/ICA and walking down Newbury for a bit. It was busy but not crowded, and as always Andres enjoyed seeing the buildings rise row after row, street after street. I think I could take him into Boston every day for a year and he would never tire of it.

The Hynes itself wasn't too crowded when we arrived at 2. We surveyed our options and settled on "Little Groove Baby Wiggle," a musical show for toddlers that promised movement, instruments, and some overly-enthusiastic adult singers. And it delivered! They must have been doing something right, though, as both Andres and Celia were up off the floor dancing and clapping without too much encouragement from us. I would not have expected Andres to have such a good time...but hey, I don't know him that well, I only live with him.

Peek-a-boo, with props and music.

We emerged from the show and then took a few minutes to make some silly celebratory hats. Natalia decorated Celia's with some nice purple ribbon curls; Celia must not have approved, though, as she refused to wear it. Now the convention center was approaching the zoo status that I had anticipated. Kids everywhere, longer lines, and stressed-out parents requiring caffeine. It was 3 pm.

Rest and snack.

Our original plan had been to meet up with friends John, Pete and Elisabeth (and assorted children) and walk around together, but as so often happens when kids are involved, the best of intentions are seldom realized, necessity dictating new itineraries. We were ships in the night, occasionally meeting up face to face, though usually wandering through the Hynes on missions to separate ports.

One highlight was seeing "The Dragon King" performed by the Tanglewood Marionettes. I can't do the performance justice here, so I will just say that Andres sat in rapt attention for the duration of the (30 minute) show, and while Celia's level of activity was somewhat higher, she loved watching all of the moving creatures on the stage in front of her.

An impressive marionette.

Then, somehow, it was almost 5:30 and time for the parade. Our original group all managed to convene for a few minutes at last, and while the kids looked out the Hynes' giant windows and onto the performers below we wished each other a happy, if not particularly restful, new year. Andres had a minor meltdown when I offered the unsolicited advice that he should use the bathroom before going outside. Oh well. It was a strangely appropriate way to end 2011.

Fun with friends.

We took in the parade for a bit, then sensing The Big One (meltdown) was approaching (you can identify the potential faultlines, but nobody ever knows when or where the Big One will occur), we headed back to the T. Andres was miserable enough at this point that not even a donut was appealing. Celia was in perfectly good spirits, however, and while her older brother conked out (in the stroller) on the T, she enjoyed a chocolate donut while she bounced up and down on the seats. It is a wonder that these two kids are related...they are so different in so many ways.

Out.

And that was that--perhaps buoyed by his nap on public transit, Andres managed to make it home in an ok mood. We let them relax in front of the TV for a bit while we regained our own sanity and warmed up dinner (Whole Foods take out, which perfectly hit the spot). Sleep took them both pretty easily.

2011 was an up and down year. Celia was sick for the first few months of it, then Andres didn't sleep much (or well) for a long time. We visited doctors and specialists far more often than we wanted to. Natalia and I were both running on fumes for months, and I certainly felt overwhelmed at times.

But things got better. Andres' tonsillectomy helped a lot, and while he can still be a pill, we have seen a marked decrease in the number or severity of his tantrums. And he sleeps so much better now--he actually sleeps in from time to time, and doesn't fight sleep the way he used to. Celia got healthy, developed a personality over the summer, and is loving life whether at daycare or at home. She talks continually now.

2012's retrospective will no doubt be interesting. We're still trying to move (more on that soon), have a wedding to attend that will require airline travel, and Andres starts Kindergarten in the fall. Kindergarten. Yikes. But free! Yay. Financial relief on the horizon, and hopefully not just a mirage. But if it is the latter, so be it. Money poor, life rich is ok with me.