Baby's Second Trip

Our baby is a jet setter already and this weekend marked his/her second trip.  The family packed our bags and headed to our nation's capital.   We got there on Friday night, after 4.5 hours of driving and 2 rest stops.  If rest stops are a good representation of our country's general population, then we are in BIG trouble.  I hate to sound judgmental, but man did I see some scary looking people at those stops. 

We woke up bright and early on Saturday only to look outside our window and see a downpour.   I had a hearty breakfast (eggs, home fries, sausage, toast, fruits and pastry) and we bundled up and headed to the heart of DC.  We started the day with the Air and Space museum, followed by a brisk walk along Independence Avenue.  After about 15 minutes of walking, we were all pretty cranky and not enjoying the feel of wet feet.  We decided to drive around for a bit before heading to  Georgia Brown's (a Southern Restaurant) for some country cook'n.   After lunch, it was nearly 4:30 PM and still raining, so we had no choice but to go to another museum (Spy Museum). It was really interesting and each exhibit taught you all about the different spies (Russians, police, women, etc.). We stayed there until closing time (7 PM) and then headed back to the hotel so we can relax and grab a small bite to eat.  Besides my brother, no one was really hungry so we decided to meet at the hotel restaurant for some tea and desert.  Peter, who never eats anything, decided to order two dishes (shrimp cocktail and a cheeseburger with fries).  I knew there was no way he was finishing his food, so I was prepared to enjoy a nice juicy burger.  He impressed me and ate all the shrimp and even half of the burger.  The remainder went to me, and after four bites, was passed down to Gene.  The day was rainy but a success nonetheless. 

After sleeping-in on Sunday (9 AM) I ran to the window and after opening the shades, I saw: (you guessed it) rain.  We went down to have breakfast in the hopes that the rain will taper off by the time we were done.  Luck was on our side, because for the remainder of the day it didn't rain.  Sadly, it was still only 35 degrees outside, but we weren't complaining.  First on our list was the White House.  We heard that this was the one (of two) weekend during the year that the White House has garden tours, where anyone can come in and tour the property.  When we got there the line wasn't too bad, so we were able to get inside in less than 15 minutes.  The security was insane.  If you think it's bad at the airport, that's nothing.  My poor husband was groped and touched in places that even made ME blush.  It was pretty cool to stand right outside the door of the house, peek at the tennis courts and walk through the children's garden.  Since it was still dry out, we decided to take advantage and head over to see all the memorials (Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean War, Washington, Veteran's and the reflecting pool).  Within hours, we got to see all the things on our list, so we were very excited.  There was only one thing left: The National Zoo.  For some strange reason, the number one thing on my brother's list of things to do in Washington, was the Zoo.  When I asked him why, his response was, "It's not just any zoo, it's NATIONAL."  He was also excited to see the only giant panda on the east coast.  I couldn't deny the little guy, even though I had zero interest in the zoo.   The grounds were pretty and we were lucky to get there when the panda was eating lunch.  Apparently they eat bamboo in quantities that are hard to imagine and with the enjoyment you only see when pregnant women eat pickles.  We were pretty much done with DC, and the plan was to have a nice lunch before heading back up to NY.   There was only one place we still had left to see: Georgetown.  We found a fun family place (Clyde's) where we wrapped up our trip and had a tasty lunch.  My 10 year old brother once again amazed the waitress by ordering the Maine Lobster.  Despite the weather, we had a great family trip!

I didn't forget that this is a baby blog, so here are some updates:
1. I am out of my first trimester! Whooo! 14 weeks this weekend!
2. The official weight in is......drum roll....+5 lbs (I am pretty sure I will stop reporting on this once I am in the double digits)
3. When I asked my doctor about getting the H1N1 flu shot (due to high media coverage), he responded with, "Those goons will also tell you that the sky is falling."

Peter's (my brother) Corner:
"Excuse me, but the students were just expelled from Gas University"