Parties of Pittsburgh

Mary received her 'report card' the other day. It was prefaced with a note from the school, telling us not to worry about the scores the children received. 'All the kids were exactly where they should be.' Whatever that meant. I still read through it nervously, hoping to see more 3's than 1's, proud of her early language and math skills, and a little disappointed that she got a 'just beginning' for the sign of the cross.

The comments that her teacher wrote on the back gave me additional context to her performance at school. Mary is a 'delight' and always comes with a 'lovely story to share.' I laughed. In the week or two leading up to our trip to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, those 'stories' were most likely centered on my hometown. She told her teachers, classmates, and just about everyone we ran into around town, that she was going there for Thanksgiving. She told them who she was going to see, where she was going to stay, all the toys she was going to play with, the sights she was going to see, and the food she was going to eat. In her young mind, Pittsburgh was the ultimate destination.

We arrived last Sunday with a basic itinerary for the nine days we would be in the Steel City. At first, it seemed full but not overly aggressive. But as the week wore on, and Bobby started taking four hour naps, I realized we might have over scheduled just a bit. How could I resist though; with only two visits to my hometown this year, I had to squeeze it all in.

On Friday morning, Mary told me she was going to 'write' a note to her classmate MJ (who I have yet to meet.) She kept telling me that she missed him and that he missed her. She sat on the ground and wrote out all the things that she had done and was going to do in her own code. When she was finished, she told me to mail it to MJ.

We saw Annie. I got my hair cut and so did Bobby and Mommy. I have two braids just like Molly now. And when I wake up in the morning, it will be really curly! 

Mommy went out to dinner with her friend, but Nana and Opa are babysitters so I stayed with them.
Then we went to a party for Nana. I wore my Christmas dress and my curly hair, and then we went to the Rivers Club for dinner. There were big, BIG games there and Bobby and I got to play with them.  
I got new shoes at Littles. Beautiful sparkly party shoes, but my Mom says I can only wear them some times. Not to school. 

We went to the Phipps and saw the trains. They are my favorite. I pushed all the buttons. I loved the trolley button the best. 

We saw Father Greco. He baptized me. Did you know that? I drew him a picture at Church. And then guess what, everyone came over and we had turkey! I had a big piece and then I asked for more. We all ran around Nana and Opa's house, and we danced, and my Mom kept asking me to smile, but I didn't want to. I just wanted another turkey cookie.

Lyla slept over last night! But Will didn't. Opa made us pancakes in the morning and I had two, no THREE pancakes. With syrup! I'm going to eat pancakes for dinner too. 

Then Uncle Adam and Aunt Laura took us to see Moana. It was so good. I was sad that Bobby missed his favorite part at the beginning though. I ate a lot of popcorn. 

We have dinner at the Club tonight, and Nana got me a new party dress to wear. I am going to eat shrimp and play with Lyla and Will in the playroom.

My Mommy has been playing tennis with Opa and Uncle Adam. I had a babysitter though and Bobby took another FOUR hour nap! He's a tired baby.

We are going to meet a tiny little baby named Sebastian, and guess what, guess what ... we are going to see a PUPPET SHOW?! Did you know that? 

And Opa and Nana are having another party tonight. There are so many parties here, but I love parties!

And then we will get to see Patty. That's my Mom's old babysitter. But Bill isn't feeling good so he can't come. Patty made me a blue purse with the letter M on it. I have been wearing it every day. I'm so fancy now.

I miss you MJ. And I'll be back in Chicago soon. And I'll give you and everyone at school a big hug.

Her transcription went on for about twenty minutes; she wrote and wrote and read and read; and it went quite a bit as I have captured above. She just missed a couple other details: The stuffing and gravy, some of the other special people who shared Thanksgiving, an award ceremony for my mom, dinners out, and a block party with us, Tiki drinks, Pitt tailgating, the orchids and the room with silly snow men, the runs and walks through the East End, races in the backyard and one sore loser, all the attempts to get the cousins to smile, and one tired Mom, Dad, Opa and Nana by Monday morning.

             

     

When we got home yesterday evening, Mary seemed particularly relieved. You could tell how much she had missed her room, her bed, and all of her toys. She went through her toy box giving Ariel, Yoda, Bitty Baby and dozens of others big hugs. She curled up into her bed and almost immediately fell asleep. (A rarity.) 

As much fun as she and Bobby had on 'vacation', they love their home, their beds, their Eva, and the familiarity of our community.

On the contrary, Pittsburgh and my parents house always feels like home to me; and I personally slept like a rock every night I was there.

Lo.

Opa Broke a Glass

Yesterday morning, as Opa chased Mary around the house and Nana gave Bobby a final pony ride, Peter and I packed up the car and prepared ourselves mentally for the long journey home. The car was certainly heavier than it was coming out; loaded down with full stomachs, a couple new games to play in the car, a Wigle whiskey barrel, Christmas presents from the Aunts who we wouldn't see before the end of the year, and new memories of old traditions. 

While an eight-hour car ride is challenging for any driver or passenger, especially in a jam-packed vehicle, it can be particularly trying for kids. My babies were no exception. One wanted to crawl, stand up and pull out electrical cords from walls; the other wanted to run, jump, and stage adventures through make believe lands. But constrained within their miniature harnesses, they turned to alternative, energy burning activities with the help of their mediator (me) lodged in between their two car seats.  

Bobby mostly wrestled with his stuffed animals while listening to me read, sucking his thumb, and eating cheerios. He also slept a lot. Mary diverted her energy toward her words; I swear she talked for seven hours straight. We did Stickers and made the stickers talk. We did fairy magnets and made the fairies talk. We colored and made the illuminated versions of Anna and Elsa talk. We made Horton talk to Corduroy who talked to Owl who talked to Daddy. And when every last character from the car was exhausted, Mary just started talking to anyone willing to listen.  

The conversations mostly meandered along the memories that we had collected over our Thanksgiving break in Pittsburgh. And despite wanting to take a nap myself, I helped her musings continue. 

I was Anna yesterday. Where's Elsa? 

I don't know, honey. 

At Lyla's house. My friend, Lyla was Elsa.  

That's right. You guys both dressed up yesterday.

But I didn't wear a crown. 

That's okay.  

Remember Opa broke a glass? And Daddy broke a glass? 

That's right. It's okay though. They cleaned it up.  

Remember Oliver.

I do. 

Who's Oliver's Mommy? 

Nicole; she gave you your Corduroy book. 

Oh yeah! And who's Oliver's Daddy? 

Alec. 

And who's that other little boy I played with? 

Ford. 

And who's that little girl?

Elsie.

Yeah, Elsie ... Remember how Opa broke a glass? And then Daddy broke a glass? 

I do, honey. It's okay though.  

Can we play Bumbo? 

Bingo? 

Yeah! 

Remember when we went up, up, up the mountain on the train?

I do. Wasn't that fun?  

And remember turkey cookies. I ate one, two, three, FOUR turkey cookies!  

They are the best, huh? Aunt Joyce makes those every year.  

Did Baby Wes eat a turkey cookie? 

I bet he did. 

Did Will?

I think so. 

Remember Daddy AND Opa broke a glass? 

Yep. 

Can you make Corduroy talk to Daddy again? 

 

       

 

Remember we saw Nana at the Salon?

Yeah, she was getting her hair done too. 

And you got your hairs cut too. 

I did. 

Remember Daddy broke a glass? And Opa too! 

I know, honey. 

Can we do fairies again?

  

Remember when I knocked the window over at the Club?

It was just the pane, honey. We fixed it. 

Did Daddy eat TWO lobsters? 

He did! And a piece of prime rib! 

And he broke a glass. And so did Opa. 

You are never going to forget that are you? 

Can I read you Paddington? 

Remember the trains? And Tinkerbell and Captain Hook? 

Wasn't that cool! 

Yeah. And Santa. 

What did you ask Santa for? 

A dolly. And a dollhouse. AND a reindeer. 

And what does Bobby want? 

A snowsuit and a hat. 

That's right. Are you going to write Santa a letter? 

Yeah. 

And mail it to the North Pole? 

Yeah.  

Is he going to come to our house on Christmas Day? 

Yeah. 

And should we leave him some cookies and milk? 

Remember when Opa broke a glass? 

And Daddy did too. 

  

For me, the memories I collected in Pittsburgh were hard to put into words. I started to as we drove away from my parents street, bound for the Interstates, but I could sense confusion on the face of my quizzical daughter as a tear fell off my cheek. 

'Mommy's sad.' 

'Yeah, honey.' 

'You miss your Mommy and Daddy?' she continued.  

(Man, she is smart / I've told her that before I guess.) 'I do honey.'  

But it was more than that. I miss Pittsburgh. All of it. It's home to my family, friends and favorite childhood memories. It's got as much to offer within its pocket sized dimensions as some of the biggest cities in the world. And for the most part, it's all affordable. It's a magical gem of a city that seems to be one of the nation's best kept secrets.  

(A Distillery that could very well be on the Bourbon Trail (Wigle Whiskey), Sushi that directly competes with Nobu (UMI), historic parks once walked and golfed and picnicked by Industry's founding fathers (Schenley, Frick and Mellon Parks), a Conservatory that puts Chicago's to shame (Phipps), a hairdresser who can do a family of four's hair and deliver the city's best gossip in under an hour (ask for Anne at Studio Booth), remnants of Steel's past (the Incline and a river still floating with coal barges) and buildings dedicated to the future of tech advancements (Carnegie Mellon.) Shows, concerts, museums, galleries, unique shops, and international cuisine inspired by ancestors that once immigrated to a city of promise more than a century ago. And friendly service where ever you go that just might include a 'how yinz doing today?') 

I love giving my children tastes of its character and charm with every visit. And I always hate saying goodbye. Through the pictures, I know Mary's memories will be sparked to their fullest. But for now, if her favorite memory from Thanksgiving is Opa and Daddy breaking glasses in the kitchen, I'm okay with it.

    

Ever thankful for my family, friends, and the great city of Pittsburgh. And thankful that a total of 16 hours in the car with my kids wasn't a screaming mess. 

Lo.