When my kids read this in twenty years, they'll probably wonder about the dearth of posts in the months following Leah's birth. If they ask, I'll tell them it's because I didn't think anyone wanted to read about my singleminded obsession with real estate.

"That was the time that I couldn't stop thinking about Park Slope vs. Ditmas Park vs. Windsor Terrace vs. the (dreaded) suburbs, and the relative merits of each," I'll say.

Nearly every spare moment I have is spent gleaning information from InsideSchools.org, punching large sums into a calculator, and daydreaming about a backyard.

I say, "nearly" because I actually did take a few breaks from my obsession this weekend. Yesterday, we went to a playground in the (formerly) warehouse district of Brooklyn called Dumbo. It was actually a beautiful spot along the river, between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges, and nestled inside of a waterfront park. The highlight was all of the sprinklers and sand.

Afterwards, we went across the street to a very kid-friendly restaurant called Bubby's that had a playspace in the corner. Sarah and I had a leisurely brunch while Leah slept and Asher horded plastic construction vehicles. We felt almost human.

Of course, getting back to my obsession, we timed our departure from the restaurant to coincide with Asher's nap so that we could take a drive through Ditmas Park...