Indoor fun

With the weather being all crap and I, myself, being sick. Babes and I have been forced to come up with some indoor fun (contrast this to Baku when we NEVER left the house). I discovered one of those spikey rubber balls at Target for a dollar! I have managed to wear out my child with minimal effort on my part. First of all, she can't throw forward so 4 times out of 5 she has to run after the ball herself because she has thrown it behind her (she learned the same lesson Honey did: Momma doesn't chase balls!). Then if I throw the ball to her she can't really catch so she is still sort of chasing. It's great!

Not the suburbs.... NOOOooooooooo

So we are living WAY out in the Virginia suburbs and we are thinking about buying a house/townhouse out here. Being a recent convert to city living I have been dragging my feet. After all, when you live in the city you can *gasp* walk to the store, or catch a ride on the bus or subway to where you want to go. In the suburbs you mostly have to drive. Which is fine, but with gas prices going crazy limiting yourself to one car makes more and more sense. Plus most of the livable areas in DC or Arlington seem just perfect for the way that I would want my life to be.
So imagine my surprise today when I was out walking the dog and Babes when I actually started to like the neighborhoods that I've been walking around in. It seems that years of growing up in the suburbs can take over just like that *SNAP!* once you have a baby. But I guess, the neighborhoods WAY out here are more like the idea that I had when I was a kid about what I would have when I grew up. *SIGH* I just don't like it. I don't want to be so far away from everything that I don't know what is going on in my own city. I don't want to drive through the neighborhood so fast everyday that I have no idea who my neighbors are. .... but the houses are so nice, they have yards, and fences, and *GASP* trees!
What is a city convert to do?

a moment of quiet

Ah blessed naptime! I think we have started the terrible two's. I don't know why people call them that when they start WAY before your child even turns two. Although I have to say that a lot of what I learned when training Honey applies to dealing with Babes. 1. Burn off the energy. 2. Make sure she gets lots of sleep. and 3. Patience!
I didn't actually think Babes would need another nap today, but she has been fighting me every step of the way since she woke up from her nap. Finally I just couldn't take it anymore and I put her to bed. Hopefully she will wake up her normal cheerful more obedient self.

Long time no....

So we are finally settled into our apartment in the DC area and we are back to living semi-normal lives again. We even bought our first new car! It's exciting and not exciting all at the same time. It's exciting because it's a new car! WOOOOOO!!!!! But it's a sensible mom-mobile. We just bought a Toyota RAV-4 which is cute, sensible has lots of room, and easy to drive. BUT! In the car I TOTALLY feel like a mom. Sometimes I can pretend that I'm still young and carefree but driving a RAV-4 nope I'm a mommy. There's just so much space back there, and add to it the cheerios in my pocket and the kid songs on the radio and there's no denying it. *SIGH*
On the other hand, we are in DC and it is SO Much easier to get out of the house. There are places to go where we don't have to spend money... Like parks, the zoo, museums, or even the mall or a mall. Babes and I have just spent the last three days riding around in the metro which is LOADS of fun! She gets so excited when the trains come and riding the escalator! Lots of "oOH!s" and "aAH!s" and that 1 1/2 year old exclamation that I couldn't write out if I tried. Starting next week we are going to try to go somewhere new every week until we leave. Wish me luck!