My niece is visiting from Houston, and she and my girls have been tearing up the house, changing into priness dresses, coloring with Sharpies and fighting about Barbies (even though we have at least 30 of them). After sitting on my couch watching them whirl around me, I decided to quit acting like a tornado victim and leave the house.
The plan was to go visit one of the Smithsonians that stays open late during the summer. Not a big deal, right? Ha! Going from 2 kids to 3 isn’t what I thought it was. I forgot about the fact that they feed off of each other’s energy and get progressively wilder as they multiply.
I also forgot about a few other things:
A Stroller
When I take the metro, I never want to bring a stroller. It’s a pain; when you metro with a stroller, you either have to walk extra blocks to find an elevator or risk your child’s life by taking the stroller up and down the escalators. However, not bringing a stroller is worse.
Zana either sprints from block to block, forcing me to chase her so she doesn’t run into traffic or sits down to pick flowers every few steps. I always end up carrying her, which is especially fun when it’s 90+ degrees out. Then she screams because she wants to get down, and sometimes (on lucky days like today) she throws a fit and smacks me in the face. Then she gets her way because I have to put her down in an effort not to smack her right back (man, that takes a lot of restraint). After a “saw-wee Mommy,” the cycle begins again—sprint, flower picking, scoop her up.
The Time
Today’s outing began at 4:30. I thought this was a good idea because it was after Zana’s nap, so we wouldn’t have to turn around and come home too quickly. Also, she’d have more energy. Oh more energy… why did I wish for that?
I stopped at Starbucks in hopes that a latte would help bring me up to their excitement level, but I’m not match for those three. Next time, we’re leaving in the morning.
The Internet
There’s this thing called the Internet, where you can get all sorts of information: stuff like which museums are open late and which ones aren’t. If I had checked with that Internet-ey thingie, I would have known that the Museum of the American Indian closed at 5 today. Incidentally, Air and Space, Natural History and American History are all open ‘til 7:30 through Labor Day.
We made the most of the situation, though. The botanical gardens are across the street from the American Indian museum, so we walked over to explore. The girls collected rocks (in a contained area, for a change), posed for what they like to call “fashion pictures” and played hide-and-seek.
Lucky for my sanity, Dave rescued us when he got off work so we didn’t have to metro home. We stopped at our favorite pupusaria and enjoyed dinner al fresco. Outdoor dining the best because the birds come and eat everything the girls drop.
I can’t say I’ll be taking the 3 little princesses to a museum anytime soon… at least not without a triple stroller, three nannies, hours of research, and a caffeine IV. Let me know if you have any suggestions on where I can run them ragged and then put them to sleep.
I vote for the stroller. You may have to walk a few more blocks but who can be mean to someone with a baby stroller on the metro (given that you never, ever try it at rush hour!).
I wouldn’t want to handle three girls on my own either! Good job, girl! You survived! I have similar struggles with the stroller — to bring or not to bring — it’s just that my son loves to push it around, possibly hit other ppl, and throw a tantrum when I try to help or take it away. Though once he did endure a 1.5 hr ride from G-town to DC Aquarium without so much as a peep! And then he pushed the stroller for an hour on the Natl Mall since the Aquarium was crowded. Have you ever been to Playseum. They could run free there. There’s one in Bethesda and one in DC (near Eastern Market?). I think DC is bigger and newer. I need caffeine IV when I’m home with my son on the weekends too!