Sunday, January 9, 2011

Planes!

We took the kids to the Udvar-Hazy Center today. It's the Smithsonian Air and Space museum out in Virginia - a huge hangar with a ton of plans, helicopters, a space shuttle, and all kinds of gliders and ultralights. It's very cool, very big, and has lots to see and big expanses of open space for running (OK they are probably not supposed to run, but my kids did). Overall, a great outing for a very cold day.












Peanut and Pumpkin were both really into the planes - Pumpkin kept shouting "plane!" and running to the next one, and Peanut kept marveling at the colors and size of each display. She particularly liked seeing them all laid out below her from the balcony. After a bit of the running, Pumpkin got tired and crabby, so I strolled him around a bit and went to the baby changing station to change his diaper as I figured maybe that was cause for at least some of his distress.

Well, we get to the baby room, and since I have been in there before I know that there is a seat, sink, and changing space. Nothing else. I try the door and it is locked, so we wait. And wait, and wait. And there is complete silence. I hear a rustle of paper in there, and then nothing. So I knock. Someone says, "just a minute". I wait some more, and there is silence. Finally, a mom comes out with two little ones in a double stroller. The kids look to be around 12 months or so. We exchange pleasantries as I hold the door for her and she for me. Then, as I start to change Pumpkin, I realized that I am talking with him about what we are doing and how he must be uncomfortable being so wet, and, and, and...the silence in this room before becomes deafening. It seems really odd not to talk to your kids as you go about the rhythms of the day. How will they know you "get" them? How will they learn what things are called? Maybe she was just tired and the day was long, but it was so quiet that it made me wonder. It was just a little weird, and I kept thinking about it all afternoon.

In the afternoon, Peanut talked *a lot* about taking "Big" (her favorite doll) to see the planes next time. She said she would push her in a stroller or put her in the carrier so she could see all of the planes. Peanut was really excited about showing the museum to her girl, and had all kinds of ideas about planes and how they work and what materials they are made out of. That kid just cracks me up - we can hardly get a word in at home these days, but she is still silent most other places. Ah well, don't let her fool you; she takes in everything.

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