birthday weekend

We ended up driving to DC. It was nothing. 3.5 hour total with 30 min break in the middle. It's very satisfying to drive here. You drive a bit, and you can cross the state line. We went from New Jersey, to Delaware, to Maryland, then to DC in that short amount of time. This is not possible in the west where each state is gigantic.
Once we got to DC, we followed our plan of going to the zoo everyday. We had seen the monuments and several other SmithsonianIinstitutes previously and so was not part of the agenda this time. The zoo is also part of the Smithsonian and it was the first time for all of us. Located centrally within the city, it feels more like a city park with bunch of animals. Since it's free to get in, we saw locals strolling through or jogging through the zoo. It's open from 6am to 9pm so it's really wonderful.
We stayed at Omni Shoreham, just a few blocks away from the zoo. Since Terran woke up early, we started our day early and were at the zoo by 8. We woke up the cheetahs and joined the pandas for breakfast. We saw the birds getting their morning worms and having their house cleaned. We took each day nice and easy. Around lunch, we headed back to the hotel, ate a bit, and all took a nap with Terran. Then around 4, we headed out again, to hang out in Adams Morgan and to check out the local playgrounds. I think Terran had a great time. I sure did.



Terran and Pat in front of the Cheetahs early in the morning. They were so close and seemed like they were eyeing Terran for breakfast.... Isn't Terran adorable in this photo? I see him everyday and can't stop thinking about how amazing and wonderful he is. And oh so cute.


The baby panda, Tai Shan, loves to sleep on the tree branches. He climbs way up high and dangles from the skinny branches as he comfortably takes a nap. However, we got lucky on the first day. He made a rare trip to the ground to eat something yummy with his mom. We got to see the mom and the baby side by side and interacting. Although the baby is not that small anymore, over 50 lbs, he is tiny next to a full grown giant panda. Terran curiously watched the two munch away on their snack. Terran and Tai Shan were born on the same day, July 9. The panda caretaker told us that Tai Shan was born around 3 am. Terran was born a bit past noon on the same day. Happy Birthday! I want to give a pat in the back to the mamma panda. I am sure it was a challenging year for her as well.

Terran loves to climb on things. In fact, he is an excellent climber. Even though he cannot yet walk, he climbs really well. Pat propped him up on this giant bird, as he gave me a great smile for my photo.

Almost One

Terran's birthday is coming up (July 9!). He has been a big part of our lives since I found out I was pregnant on Jan 3, 2005. For his first birthday, I thought of throwing a small party for him. But then, there's nap time conflicts. These days, he's up when his friends are sleeping and he's sleeping when everyone else is up. His aunt and uncle are also out of town so it wouldn't be too much fun. So instead, we decided that we will go to DC for the weekend. At the national zoo, his twin baby panda brother, Tai Shan, will also be celebrating his first.

My big question here is to drive or to take the train. Yahoo map shows that it will take us 3 hours to get to our destination. If everything goes well, that's not so bad. But what about traffic? How long does it actually take? I know that we will all have a difficult time sitting in traffic with Terran stuck in his carseat. Another option is to take the amtrak. According to the schedule, it will take us 2.5 hours direct from Trenton station. That's really good and we can also get up and walk around the train. He can jump on the chairs, and crawl up and down the isle like he did on our flight to LA. The negative side to this is that we will have to carry all our crap (and there's a lot of crap to carry when travelling with a baby). The ride is quite pricey; about $360 round trip for 2.

What should I do? How can I find out such information on the web. I should also ask friends and neighbors if they've driven to DC.