The Anklebiters

A couple of weeks ago now, my "cousins" came to visit. These are Jack's grandkids and great-grandkids. Aimee is Jack's granddaughter. And her three kids are obviously the great-grandkids. She has 3 of these rugrats which are very entertaining. One is 18 months, one has just turned 3, and one is 5. They are just great little kids. I've discovered that a broken Venetian blind and a lazy susan are among the best toys for an 18 month old. They even seem to inspire sibling rivalry with the 3 year old. The 3 year old, Arianna was just looking to vie for attention the whole time. But then, she's the girl of the group, and her Daddy's first, so she's a bit spoiled and used to the attention. She about gave me a heart attack after only the first hour of their arrival though. She was showing my Aunt how strong she was by lifting herself up on the back of my couch when she fell and hit her head on the sliding glass door, and broke it!! Now we know she has a hard head about her, but a 3 yr. old shouldn't be able to break a slider. There were no lacerations or concussions I could see, but when I saw her hit her head and the window crack...I gotta tell you, I was kicking myself for getting rid of my Whaley & Wong (peds textbook). Thank God she didn't get cut.

I have to tell you it is rather entertaining to try and do a PERRLA exam on a kid. They just want to follow that light wherever it goes. And of course, she has to have dark brown eyes too. Well, we put some ice on her head and she didn't even have a goose egg afterwards, but naturally I kept vigilant for signs of neuro issues to come.

While here, we went to the National Zoo. Naturally, it was the day with the heat index of 110 in the shade. It was so hot that even the animals were inside. I have to say that the Panda exhibit has really grown since I last saw it years ago. It would probably have been really cool if the Pandas were in it. But they were inside chewing on Bamboo. We were happy to go there since the A/C seemed to be on full tilt. Tai Shan is 2 now, and is really big. Still very cute too.

The next day we went on a Trolley Tour in only 105 degree heat. Let me tell you, the other bus would have been better... they had A/C. However, we intrepid souls decided to go forth and explore armed with multiple bottles of water and sunscreen. Did you know the Jefferson Memorial has A/C in the lower level? We were very happy to discover that. It was very cold. The Lincoln too has A/C. Just not the Trolley. So, I am afraid to say that our exploring lasted only a little while since it was so hot, and we drank all of our water. I was a little afraid our anklebiters would get heatstroke since they were kind of red, so we went back to Union Station to get lunch. I love the fact that that they have A/C there too. :) While there, we went to Pizzaria Uno and got some of the worst service available in the DC Metro area. The fellow was very nice, but not very attentive. We were all the way in the back and even the 5 year old was getting antsy for his lunch. He kept asking "Susan, how come it's taking sooo long?" I think we were there for at least 2 hours. In the meantime the mealtime entertainment included Arianna getting upset because Cameron (the 5 yr old) had crayons that she did not want him to have (she wanted them all) and Jason the 18 month old wanting to walk around the restaurant.

So, I took little J on a tour of Pizzaria Uno's while we waited for lunch. He has many admirers. That trademark dimple grin of his gets a lot of attention. No too mention the onesie and the diaper butt. He felt much better after taking a long stroll around the restaurant where I am sure we met a nearly homeless man, and some experts on Goth dress, among other interestingly styling trends. Jason took it all in stride and smiled away which got lots of positive reinforcement.

When we got home we made a quick trip to the pool, where the trademark grin turned into a half-grimace as Jason who was floating in a yellow ring didn't quite know what to do about the situation. This was his first time in a big pool. He wasn't sure he liked it, but at the same time it was cooler than he'd been all day. He had this conflict written all over his face. I have to say it was quite entertaining. Too bad I didn't get a picture of that!

Anyhow, I have enclosed some pictures for your persual... enjoy!