Walking Around DC

Monday's adventure started like this.

It ended like this.

Shane, Carrie, and I took the day to ride the metro into DC.

Shane loves trains. Nana and Pop have taken him on the metro multiple times, but Carrie and I had not. We wanted to see the wild excitement in his eyes. Shane is very expressive. He sang the whole walk/run up to the station!

We picked an auspicious day to ride. It was the Silver Line's inaugural run.

Shane could not contain himself.

He was all over the train.

Anything we encountered in DC was bonus as far as he was concerned.

Carrie and I had other plans.

The end goal of the trip was to visit Megan, Billy, and Baby B and not overstay our welcome. Newborns are a system shock! We decided to explore the mall and hit up a few museums before the crowds formed.

It was a beautiful day to be outside.

Shane showed no interest in the monuments. He wanted planets.

Ironically, there were planets on the walk to the museum. There were stations for a scale model of the solar system.

Oh, and Shane loves waterfalls, too.

That meant we had to stop when he saw a fountain. Shane really likes what he likes. He's a passionate little bugger.

Which is why we took him to the Air and Space Museum!

It's one of Carrie and my all time favorites, too.

Shane's astronomic knowledge amazes me. It frustrates me, too. Whenever he says he forgets how to pull up his pants I can't help but think "This kid can name how many moons in the solar system?" Ha, I love him. I've never tried to teach him anything about the planets, either. His knowledge probably rivals my own.

The planet exhibit did not have any planet toys, though. Shane fond that appalling. He was like a dog with a bone. He would not let it go. He asked for planet toys non-stop. Even if there were planet toys in the gift shop, I wasn't about to pay for them when a planet mobile cost $120.

Carrie and I tried to pull him into other exhibits.

We were far more interested than Shane was.

We tried the exhibits about the moon landings next.

Shane had a lot of fun playing, but his interest level was "planets or bust." We were able to spend a little time in the moon exhibit and then looking at a model of the first dog to reach Antarctica before lunch.

Behind the museum was food truck central. Years ago, I would never have gone near them. Carrie and I went through a Food Network phase a couple of years ago, and I was open to the idea this time.

The food was priced closer to restaurant levels than what you would expect from off the back of a truck, but my burrito was good quality for the price. DC is expensive.

Shane ate from our reservoir as we walked and waited in line. He enjoyed feeding the birds.

He also enjoyed the chase after he lured the birds closer.

From there, we were a metro ride and over a half a mile walk to visit Megan, Big B, and Little b. Shane was pretty tired at this point. He kept asking me to pick him up. It was like hugging a squirming 35 lbs dumbbell that hugged back.

We were thrilled to reach our final destination.

Megan and Billy rented a nice row-house in an upscale DC neighborhood. They looked the most relaxed I've seen any new parent look within a week of delivery!

I mean, look at Megan!

She was all smiles and her usual self as far as I could tell. Kathleen was famous for jumping through a car window while pregnant. I guess Megan will be famous in the family for how quickly she recovered compared to how long she was in labor.

Or I could be clueless. Megan may laugh as she reads this while Bill pours a cup and chooses wine over whine.

It was great to see and hang out for a little bit. Billy showed us a puzzle box, I blurted out a Game of Thrones spoiler from the first book not realizing Billy was only on season 1, and Shane explored everywhere.

And Little b snoozed through most of our visit. Megan and Billy looked like they had everything under control and they were even getting some sleep! Perhaps someone read their baby books and thought ahead? Either that or their naturals. Time will tell.

It will be neat seeing who Little b will become. Cole and Shane are very different, but get along well. How will b fit in? Exciting times in the clan!

Shane was spent when we left. When Shane won't run, you know he's tired. When Shane won't walk...he wanted to be carried the whole way. My left knee and right foot felt it the day after.

It was a great way to spend a vacation day. I really wanted to do something family related and plain different from what the normal routine was.

Especially because I wasn't at work.

School was hectic in my absence. There were five people out and the principal ended up helping work the lift and change diapers for a couple of my students!

PS - please forgive any typos or wandering thought. I typed this late and I'll try to proofread it later....which probably means a never.