Last Monday

As of today I am back at work 80%. I am hoping this schedule will last indefinitely. Keep your fingers crossed. In order to celebrate my last Monday at home with Norah last week, we took a field trip to the Academy of Arts and Sciences. When the whole family went a few weeks ago it was on a Saturday and so filled with other families doing the same thing. I figured Monday would have a little less traffic. I was very mistaken. Not very many families, but lots and lots and lots of school-age kids on field trips. The next time you see an elementary school teacher, buy him or her a drink.

We had a great time at the aquarium. Norah ran around and banged on the glass and kissed the fish.


We spent about an hour in the 'ocean' and then ventured up to the rain forest/butterfly habitat. They let a limited number of people in at a time (protecting the butterflies is top priorities), so we had to wait in line for about 15 minutes and by the time we got in, Norah was chomping at the bit to get out of her stroller. My first mistake was letting her out. She made a break for it and proceeded to tear up the ramp (the exhibit is, for lack of a better description, a huge dome and there is a ramp that winds around at a slow incline). There are amazing, gorgeous butterflies flying around everywhere and that's what she decided to go for. There is a railing, but it is large enough for a precocious toddler to wedge her arm or leg through and I couldn't handle her attempts to fling herself over the edge to look at the butterflies, parrots or other wild birds. I attempted to carry her and push the stroller at the same time, which meant she wanted to push the stroller. Needless to say it took a while for us to get to the top.

But when we did, a butterfly landed on her stroller.

We made it down to the bottom (this is a shot from down at the very bottom, looking up through the water). You have to walk through part of the aquarium again to get out and that's when it happened.

The thing I have been dreading most.

The temper tantrum in public.

Now, Norah is a mellow, mellow, mellow kid. She's very easy going and very rarely throws a fit, even at home. And she's NEVER done it in public before (before anyone gets worked up about how cool my kid is, please remember that she didn't sleep more than 5 hours at a time until she was THIRTEEN months old and she regularly considers half an avocado and two raspberries to be a well balanced meal). It happened when I tried to make her sit in her stroller so we could go and have lunch. She stiffened her body, flung her arms out, and SCREAMED. I was so shocked I didn't even know what to do. I gave her a hug, asked her to please sit down and she stiffened her body, flung her arms out, and SCREAMED. I let her walk around for a second, wave at a fish, and then we tried again. And she....yes, I am sure you can imagine what she did. I grabbed her in one hand, the stroller in the other and made a beeline for the elevator.

We tried to re-group at the cafe, but she was totally over the museum at this point and wanted nothing to do with the overpriced (yet tasty) lunch I bought her. But we made up and ended our outing on a high note (at the gift shop) where she picked out a clown fish (the clerk was quick to correct some kids and clarify that not every clown fish is Nemo....)


She spent today (Monday) with Ruby and Pam and had a fabulous time. I missed her terribly.