We headed home this past Friday night. I snuck out of work a few hours early with the hope of keeping Punky awake during the long car ride. Thankfully it worked because we had a lot to do once we got there.
My niece's christening was Saturday morning and her party was in the afternoon. When we got in Friday night, I had a double batch of spinach dip to make, Punky needed a bath, and we all needed a good night's sleep for the long weekend ahead.
The christening went well. My sister was worried if the baby would fit in the dress that she, I, and Punky all wore for our christenings. She was older and bigger than we were for ours but it fit her just fine. As her godmother, I got to dress her for the big event. Her godfather helped and it went smoothly.
She was quiet and awake during the ceremony at the church. I was most worried about how Punky would behave in that setting, but her dad kept her occupied and quiet with cheese crackers. At this age, snacks are a handy tool for grabbing a few moments of peace. When we were all occupied with pictures afterward, Punky had a chance to make a run for it. The group of us looked up just in time to see her running right out the door of the church. Four people went chasing after her. Stinker.
On Sunday we headed to Baltimore for a mini vacation, just the three of us. It was much needed family time. We don't get nearly enough of it, especially with his work schedule. We only have one weekend a month together. He's been on this rotation for a year now and it's really starting to wear on us.
Anyway, we stayed at a nice hotel right on the Inner Harbor. After we checked in on Sunday afternoon, we spent the rest of the day seeing the sights at the harbor. We went up to the top of the World Trade Center and admired the views of the city and water. We toured an old ship from the 1800's. We took an hour boat ride with a tour group which was an amazing feat for Punky's dad. He doesn't do boats. Period. When I first suggested it, he gave me a firm "no way" and kept on walking. I was able to persuade him though, and he ended up enjoying it.
We had a nice dinner outside by the water. It took Punky all of three minutes to figure out that dropping food on the ground instantly made pigeons appear at her feet. From then on, it was one bite for her, one bite on the ground, one bite for her, one bite on the ground...she had a ball. Her best source of amusement though was at the hotel itself.
And soon as we got to the room, she took one look at the two big beds and was happier than a pig in....well, you know. She would climb up on one....jump, jump, jump...then get down and climb up on the other...jump, jump, jump...then head back to the first one. She'd have done it all night if we let her.
We were on the fifth floor and she was amazed by the view out the window. She loved watching the cars and people go by below us. Not even a hint of a fear of heights. She sat on the air conditioning unit and pointed things out on the street. And at night, all the city lights were fascinating.
Monday morning we had a nice breakfast and headed to the aquarium. It was a toss up between that or the zoo. Factoring in her age and current attention span, we knew either one would only hold her interest for long...so we chose the aquarium. Indoors. Out of the sun. Air conditioned. I had been there a few times before and knew it wouldn't take but a couple hours to get through it.
Punky seemed to really enjoy it at first, but we lost her by the half-way point. Let's face it, fish aren't exactly the most exciting creatures on the planet. We had to check the stoller, so I ended up carrying her on my shoulders through much of it. Her dad tried to share the duty, but she was in mama-mode and would cry every time he took her. Most of the rooms were dark and packed with people; I think she may have been a bit scared.
Before leaving, we took in a dolphin show. I thought she'd love it. And she did for the whole combined sixty seconds or so the dolphins spent in mid air. Jumping gets her attention and makes her giggle, no matter who or what is doing it. She was restless while the trainers gabbed in between stunts. Again, cheese crackers saved the day. Well, that and flirting with the two guys behind us that kept telling her how cute she is.
We headed home after a delicious lunch at an Irish pub. We were in Baltimore about twenty-four hours on the nose. Not much of a vacation time wise, but enough to give us a much needed escape from daily life. It was nice to actually talk about things other than work, bills, housework, and whether or not the baby ate, napped, and pooped that day. Those are the only topics we seem to have time to discuss in passing. Many days we only see each other for a few minutes. There just isn't time for casual conversation.
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