Friends From New York

I was stunned when Linda dropped off Eliot last Thursday and she told me that he had told her we had friends coming to visit us from New York. I had told him that we had friends coming, but I never mentioned (to him anyway) where they were from. Funny the things he picks up on. I wonder if he knows where New York is on a map (just kidding).

So, yes, we had friends come from New York. They stayed at a nearby hotel (because we don't have the space to host them quite yet). They arrived Thursday afternoon and came here for some pizza. They have two little boys; one is 4 and one is Eliot's age (2.5ish). The boys (who had been couped up in a car for four hours previous to this little pizza party) were so excited to get their hands on some new-never-seen-before toys that they dumped Eliot's toy bins all out and ruffled through to see what treasures they could find. Eliot did NOT like this. In fact, it was the first time I visibly saw him get overwhelmed and anxious. He started to cry and locked himself in the bathroom. I went in there to calm him down and he asked me not to go back out and to stay with him. It BROKE my heart. It is no secret that I suffer from terrible anxiety and this was the first display of intense anxiety I had seen in Eliot and that is the LAST thing I ever want him to deal with.

I sat in the bathroom with him for a few minutes until he was ready to come out. He came out and things were instantly so much better. He started to play with the boys and I felt my shoulders drop (down from my ears). Whew.

After that everything was fine. We all got along well and we had a wonderful time. During their visit, we went to two zoos, had a photo session, Ted & I went on a double date with our couple friends while the kids all had sitters, and we cooked, had dinner, and played at my in-laws while they were at a wedding. We packed as much in in 4 days as possible and it was a ton of fun!

This photo lies: Eliot is exactly 3' tall!