Before we could leave NY, interstate paperwork needed to be processed. Since we knew this could take a week, we planned to make an adventure out of it. After spending a few days in an extended stay hotel near the birthfamily's hometown, we flew to Manhattan where we rented an apartment on the westside. It was in a funky, eclectic neighborhood, clean and safe, a block away from Central Park. The only thing we didn't count on was snow. It kept us indoors a few days, but when it got warmer, we had a blast. We even took Araceli to the Met, where she patiently "studied" the paintings and enjoyed people watching.

OK, so every time our west coast friends see this picture, they can't believe we had the baby out in the snow. There were *lots* of babies out and about and Araceli was overbundled up by her neurotic parents (who even took her to the pediatrician once in NY because she seemed a little "fussy"). In fact, she was in her warm, covered carriage--given to us by our her birthgrandma--98 percent of the time. So, calm down people! :-)