A boy who thought he was a Dupont Bird.

With Hubby working night-shifts, we are trying to get out of the house more these days.  Something about even the most infrequent screech or banging of trucks, a cry from a fall or whatever normal noise a one year old makes, doesn't exactly lead to a well-rested, full-day sleep in this not-so-sound-proof place of ours.  Even if we try our best!

So we took off for Historical Washington's Dupont Circle for the day--renown for its elaborate architecture, the circular park and fountain, good restaurants, art galleries and the occasional boutique.  We walked around, exploring Dupont's surrounding streets, admiring the buildings, and stopped for tea at Teaism and had the BEST chocolate salty oat cookie, which I am going to try hard to recreate this week.   We bought lunch at one of Washington's best burger joints, Black and Orange took it to the park and let Gabriel run around. 

Gabriel met several doggies, waved at admirers and fed, successfully, the birdies.  Apparently he has an non-inherited, at least from me, affinity to birds.  If you know me.... not a huge fan of birds.  Something about being presented with a lovely gift on my shoulder as a child, running screaming from birds in the playground and reinforcement from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds has gotten in the way of any sort of affection.  Sorry birdies. But Gabriel seems to really love them.  He fed them, pointed at them jabbering away, chased after them and even ran around flapping his arms like a bird in the park.  Silly boy. 

One of the things that I love about going on little day adventures and trying new things is that I get to see Gabriel respond to his surroundings.  I am so fascinated to see how his brain works.  He never waves at home, but waves to new people he meets out and about.  He barely notices the birds at our place, but wanted to feed them and actually be one at the park.  I am sure he won't ever remember any of this, but I will!  And I like to think that children are enriched by the experiences they are exposed to and if not, well, there's always pictures!

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Admiring the Beauty along the Potomac River

Took a long walk down with my boys in the Dyke Marsh along the Potomac River today and the beauty never ceases to amaze me: the solid trees with limbs that fan out heavenward, the large blue Potomac River that divides us from the National's Capital, the brilliantly white Potomac bridge, quiet meandering ducks, thick tenacious vines that wrap themselves so fervently around the stalks of larger trees, the mess of amazonian type vines that dangle from above and the littering of spiny, ironclad chestnut shells.

Since learning to walk, Gabriel is so independent now, wanting to walk everywhere and very adamant that he do it without any help.  Are we surprised, given who his parents are?  And although he's taken a few tumbles, he's insistent and getting better and faster every day.  I think we can officially call him a toddler now...  But even though he's walking, the sweetest thing is, rather than scrambling to get out of my arms every second of the day to try walking, he now lingers a bit longer or seeks me out to hold him which is sweet.

Now that Gabriel is walking, it seems these long walks we've so enjoyed are now... longer....  Which, on a Sunday afternoon with no agenda, is nice, because it forces us to take a slower pace and stop to examine the beauty a little bit deeper.   

It also means that we take a little more dirt home with us.  And one very TIRED boy!

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To Market, to market.....

In the pouring cold wet rain, our little family hit the Market in Old Town Alexandria, which is apparently much better attended in the spring, summer, fall and not in the rain.  But we picked up some delicious goodies before taking off for Washington, DC's Eastern Market, the best spot to get high quality thick slabs of steak, bacon, multi-coloured hand-cut fresh pasta, organic local fruits and veggies, flowers and other artsy/crafty things.  And it's out of the rain!

We loved the Eastern Market: vibrant colours, local produce and high quality cuts of meat, and we will most definitely return.  In the meantime, we are exploring other markets in and around Washington, DC.  Anyone know of any other great places?  Preferably ones that sell eat-in food?

I'll take the whole bundle please!  And give us spring!

Cutest little wooden cars which I am sure Abe would find delicious!  And one of my favorite parts about going into DC: the adorable row homes.  

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The Magic of Pretend: A Dog of his very own

When I was a little girl, I always longed for a dog.  I used to love my neighbor's dog, Lucy, even though she smelled strong and left hair in the bed at my best friend's place.  She was a sweet, mild-temperred dog and I was infatuated with her.  When she passed away of old age, she left a big hole.

For my birthday when I was in grade two, a friend gave me a little ivory coloured stuffed dog that looked just like Lucy and I used to pretend that it was her.  I would leave a little dish of water or food in my room for her and sometimes I would put "Lucy" on a leash and walk her up and down the street in front of my house.  The cars used to zip by pretty fast and I figured, to anyone looking out the window driving by, "Lucy" might look like a real dog.  I did this until one day someone told me that I had a nice "dog" and I knew they were just pretending she was real for my benefit.  I stopped walking Lucy.  But I still have her and she was one of my favorites for a long time. 

Before we got Abe, (we were weeks away from picking him up), I saw a toy Samoyed in a children's store.  I bought him in excitement and anticipation of our new arrival: a mini-Abe.  Well, Gabriel has really taken a liking to mini-Abe.  Today Gabriel was carrying Abe's leash around the house (a favorite thing to do) and so I leashed mini-Abe for him.  This sent him off in a flurry of excitement doing laps on the hallway with mini-Abe trailing behind.  He walked that dog all over the house for the better part of an hour with a vice-grip on that leash like you wouldn't believe.  We even put out some water and food (Cheerios) for his little doggy, which Gabriel ate and then fed to Abe.

I think Abe was a little jealous of all the attention his replica was getting but the upside is that, because Gabriel was spending so much time walking his doggy, he finally left Abe in peace for most of the day.

Here is a little clip of Gabriel "walking his doggy."

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The Rocking Dory from Maine, Olay!

Gabriel's Big Birthday present finally arrived--A rocking dory from Maine.  Olay!  By now, you have likely noticed that we just might be obsessed a little with the ocean.  I guess that's what you get when you have roots in the East Coast.   And we are fostering that love for the sea in our young lad.

Gabriel took to his new boat right away and figured out how to rock in it the first day and even how to get out on his own.  He's got the hang of it, absolutely.  I can just imagine how many hours he will spend sitting in his boat playing Captain and the adventures he will dream up--fishing, sailing away to far off places.

Sometimes on the video monitor, I catch Gabriel lounging (awake) staring up at the painting of the boat above his crib and I like to pretend that he knows it is a picture of a boat and that he is either a) admiring the art his mama painted, or b) dreaming up adventures and pretending he is on the boat.  I'm sure he is doing neither at this point, but maybe someday he will.  And maybe someday he'll wear his great-grandfather's Captain hat and sail in a real boat.  And maybe it will be in Newfoundland. Wouldn't that be something.  For now, here is a clip of Gabriel rocking in his boat.  Ps. He likes to stand up in it.  Silly boy.

Clinging to Sunshine

Today, back in chilly Arlington, we are back to reality....  We want to close our eyes and try to conjure up the heat of the sun, the sandiness of the beach and the satiny warmth of the pool.  Already thinking about next year!

But for now.....  Just when you thought you were getting tired of seeing pictures from Anna Maria, here are the last of them.  I promise!

So long Anna Maria!  We miss your beaches, your sun, your pool, the way you bring old friends together AND how drinking apple juice from a plastic stemmed glass is so much fancier.

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