Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Mommy's Special Chair

When we moved just over 2 years ago from our 400 square foot apartment to our 900 square foot apartment, I was beyond overjoyed. I had the spent the the year prior to the move looking at open apartments on craigslist longing for the day we could move.
I will always look back on that apartment with fondness because that is where Boyd and I spent our first years of marriage. In the beginning, the lofted bed seemed cool and was great because we were able to utilize the space below it. We were able to make due with the small kitchen because there were only 2 of us and since the kitchen only had space for 1, it was fine. It was on the second floor of a brownstone, so it meant walking up a flight of stairs from the street and then another set of stairs to the apartment.
It was going to be a great way to get exercise. It had a lot of character (in new york terms it meant it was old and the rent wasn't so bad)

But, by the 3rd year, the apartment didn't seem so charming. That was the year Gavin was born and that apartment was just not that child friendly. Going up and down loft stairs to calm a screaming baby got old really fast. So, Gavin began sleeping in our bed until he was old enough to move. Carrying a stroller up and down 2 flights of stairs and through 3 doors and 1 gate was enough to make me want to stay home. The kitchen was too small to hold a baby and cook his food at the same time. We needed to do laundry much more frequently and lugging a baby, and 4 loads of laundry to the nearest laundry mat was just too much.

I was ready to move. Once we decided to stay in New York and that is was indeed time to move, I couldn't rest until I found an apartment. In my post- partum craziness, I spent many hours looking at apartments on line prior to that decision, so once we finally decided to move, I knew the market and I knew what I wanted. I even knew the building. Luckily, I found an opening in that building and we found a 2 bedroom apartment for a "reasonable" New York rent. We couldn't move in for nearly 2 months because they were renovating the apartment.

The wait time was almost unbearable. Since we had found an apartment and I no longer needed to be looking for an apartment, I turned my crazed attention to finding furniture for our new apartment. I really became obsessed with it. Those who know me, know that I have a hard time making decisions, especially when it comes to things that really don't matter in the end, like what shampoo I should buy, where we should eat dinner, or what furniture was going to be best for our apartment. I spent my free hours searching and searching. It got to the point that I could go into peoples homes and apartments and know where they got their furniture. Pathetic, I know. It seemed so important at the time.

I struggled with what pieces of furniture to buy. But, in all my indecision, I found one chair that I knew I had to have. I loved it from the beginning. I based the rest of my decisions around it. It has come to be known as "mommy's special chair."

So, you can imagine how I felt when I walked in the room and found that Eli had gotten the bowl of blueberries off of his high chair and had dumped it into my favorite chair. It took everything in me to not scream. But, I did cry a little.

*In my initial post, I failed to mention the outcome of the stained chair! I was able to get most of it out. Luckily, the blueberries were mostly frozen, so there wasn't as much damage as there could have been!

13 comments:

EdaMommy said...

Oh, sorry about your chair--there must be something that can remove the stain. I know Kimberly swears by oxy-clean; they have a carpet version and maybe an upholstery/fabric version. The carpet one works well on my carpets. Good luck with that!
How wonderful that you have those pictures of the inside and outside of your old apartment! Really adds to this journal entry!

Minna Dyer said...

I was wondering about the "chair" in the title. So sorry! I did scream a little the other day when Jane peed on MY special chair. Good luck!

Ryan said...

Sad. I enjoyed getting the build up and back story.

I cant believe how small that apartment was. You guys are troopers. Being married for a few years now, I love having another room to go off to if I need a little time to read or be by myself.

Monica Rich said...

Oh, Em. That really was (is?) a great chair. And I got all nostalgic looking at the old place on W 98th. The kitchen! Oh, the kitchen. NO ONE who hasn't lived with that kitchen has reason to complain about theirs.

I love that you are compulsive about researching what and where you buy; it makes it so easy for me, when I'm in the market for something (like a baby carrier, stroller, camera, couch, exersaucer, etc) because I know just who to call for advice and suggestions.

Will you pretty please post a picture of the stain? And of the recovery, if there is one?

Monica Rich said...

BTW -- have you tried Kids 'n Pets enzyme cleaner? Anika introduced me. It works MIRACLES. Complete, total miracles. I'll bring you some if you can't find it.

Lindsay said...

I love the pictures of your old apartment, especially the exterior one--it's just like the the house on The Cosby Show! Very cute. Glad you are in a bigger place now.

breckster said...

I have a steam cleaner. It will take a while, but I'm willing to bet it could get the blueberry out of your favorite chair.

Tisha said...

oh man! I'm soooo sorry about the chair! I hope it all ends well! I also loved the shots of the old apartment. You guys are always an example story we love to tell when we hear people with 2000+ square footage and 2 kids complaining about their lack of space!

Erin said...

Oh sad! I've come to the unfortunate conclusion that I can't buy anything nice until my kids are gone...or else it will be ruined. :( But they're worth it...most of the time. :) My secret to stains? Throw a blanket over it. :) Sad but true.

That loft bed does look cool, though.

Anonymous said...

Great story. I'm glad I've gotten to see you guys move through so many places. Hope you're not too sad about the chair!

Unknown said...

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I realized I should have concluded the story with whether or not I could get the stains out. The answer is yes, for the most party. I am going to take the seat cushion to the dry cleaners to hopefully get it just a little bit better. Luckily, the damage wasn't as bad as it could be because the blueberries were still mostly frozen!
Thanks for all the advice. And yes, I have realized that my furniture is not going to make it very long!

Cindy said...

So sorry about your chair. I have been there! You should see my rocking chair that I nursed my babies in that I vowed I would keep the rest of my life! It looks like a doormat!
I am so glad you have more space now! I should probably never complain again about raising 3 kids in a 1400 square foot house! Being from NYC, I know what it's like growing up in a small house, but 400 square feet with a baby should be illegal! We miss you guys!

ClinTeeny said...

I love hearing abour your life in N.Y. You are a very good and patient mother!