Maryland Trip (Part 2)

Friday, A, my mom, the boys, and I went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  We had been there once before W was born and I really liked it.  I was excited to take the boys.  A couple cons: it’s VERY expensive.  Too expensive in my opinion.  I didn’t remember that from our previous trip.  Luckily the boys were free.  Also, the aquarium doesn’t allow strollers.  This is mainly due to the layout – moving walkways that zigzag across several levels.  Thankfully, I had S in the carrier.  But W got tired of walking pretty quickly.  Initially, we had a great time and W enjoyed viewing all the sea creatures.  But there came a point in the visit where W was just DONE.  He had a snack, we checked out a couple more exhibits, and promptly left.  All in all, I’m happy we went.  We had a great time.  The jelly fish are so fascinating to see.  But definitely won’t return until the boys are older… and then we’ll have to pay for them. :P

 That night, A and I ordered a bunch of brick oven pizzas for the family and we all ate outside.  Yummy!

Saturday was our annual pool party and taco bar.  It’s as fun as it sounds.  My aunt invites all her work friends over.  They’re always a blast.  There’s badminton, swimming, and croquet.  My uncle makes all the food – beef, chicken, and pork tacos, rice, salsa, tons of salads, dips, and desserts.  The food is AMAZING.  We had so much fun and ate a ton.

Oh, and this was the day that W fell in the pool.   Yup.  It was only a matter of time before it happened.  A was right there to grab him, but a little scary.  W was startled, but everyone handled it really well by not making a big deal of it, which ultimately calmed W down quickly.  In a way, I’m glad it happened.  We had been telling W that he had to be careful near the pool and reminding him that he needed an adult with him.  But he’s 2.  So not sure it sunk in.  This served as a reminder that pools can be dangerous.

 Sunday was super hot.  The heat index was 101.  We went to church in a neighboring city and then had breakfast at Starbucks.  We spent the remainder of the day in the pool.  That night, we had a slide show outside and viewed slides from when my mom, aunt, and uncle were kids.  So. Fun.  And also hilarious.

 Monday, we sadly headed home.  S just wasn’t himself and I dreaded the flight home.  At the airport, I noticed a little gunk in S’s eye, but didn’t think much of it.  The flight itself was tough.  Our flight left around 4:30pm and it’s common for the boys to be a bit cranky around this time.  W did well, but S cried quite a bit on the ascent and descent.  Very unlike him and I knew it meant his ears were hurting.  Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t console him or get him to take a bottle.  In the grand scheme of things, the crying lasted for less than 10 minutes, but it was stressful.  Once we got home, I noticed that his eye was red and he was congested.  He woke up at 11:50pm, 4:30am, and 6am.  Oh, and W was up at 1:30am.  Not fun.  It was obvious that S had pink eye and I got him into the doctor first thing Wednesday morning.  After a couple days of eye drops, he’s much better.

 We’re all sad that vacation is over.  W continually asks about visiting Aunt Lori again and Uncle Bob’s grilled cheese.  I don’t have the heart to tell him that he’ll have to wait an entire year.