Thoughts for Thursday

The Washington Monument
January 2012

Is the weekend here yet?! It has been a really tough week here in the Land of Infertility. This was yet another "no go" month and it never gets easier. I've had to count my blessings over and over.

One of those blessings is my best friend. While we're at two completely different points in our lives she provides ample support and because she is "my person" she just knows what I need.

I bring her up to say that I'm super excited about visiting her. She lives in DC and G and I will be making our way there in a couple of weeks. I haven't been since 2012 (it was the first part of the year and freezing)  and there are several things we're looking forward to.

Laura and I at the Arlington Cemetery
January 2012

We've made plans to take G to the zoo and of course we'll scope out a cupcake shop or two. There will be coffee, laughter and some much needed down time. It will be such a nice distraction.

My primary prayers are safe travel for myself and the itty bitty as well as prayer that G will sleep in her new surroundings.

In other news,

::via::

I hope you'll join us for this week's Thoughts for Thursday!

Linking up with Annie for Thoughts on Thursday



Virginia Living Museum...Family Fun!

We recently took a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. We had a blast! Aside from less than restful sleep, the trip was absolutely wonderful. One of our favorite outings was our trip to the Virginia Living Museum.

If you've read anything about our prior trips, you'll know that we scope out zoos, aquariums and cupcake shops whenever we travel. While the VLM is not an official "zoo" or "aquarium" it is a great little mix of both. If you are in the area, I hope you'll take advantage of this family friendly gem. Here are a few highlights.

Digging for Fossils

This exhibit was so much fun! It has an area that caters to both younger and then to older children. The older kids dig through the dirt to unearth fossils. They then take them to the identification station where they can identify the fossils they've found. They get to take these home. For the younger kids, they have a sand pit that contains real whale bones. The bones are covered in sand and the little ones get to brush away the sand to uncover the bones. G loved it!

Animal Wellness Play Center

This was one of my favorite parts of the museum. The kids get to come in and either put on an Animal Keeper or Vet vest. There are different stations that they can freely play in. There is an adult worker that helps with any questions the kids have. Otherwise, they have full reign and can explore at will.

Keeper Kitchen (where the animals' meals are prepared)

The Lab (animals are weighed and an electronic magnifying glass can be used to see the details of fur and feathers)

Care Station (animals can be checked out and treated)

X-Ray Department

Animal Housing (animals are kept here to get well)
Each cage has a label identifying the type of animal and a label with the type of food each animal needs to eat. Stuffed animals are housed in the cages.

The Animals

They had multiple outdoor and indoor exhibits. The animals appeared to be well cared for. The exhibits were clean and the outdoor boardwalk was very stroller friendly. All of the exhibits are reflective of the various environments found in Virginia.

The otter loved showing off for us and according to our daughter, an otter says "meow".

A view of the museum from the boardwalk

The Dinosaur Exhibit

The museum currently has a dinosaur exhibit. It houses robotic dinosaurs with facts about each dinosaur displayed. There was also a fossil dig in the exhibit but the fossils had to remain at the station.

She was not a fan of the T-Rex

I was not compensated in anyway to share my opinions of this establishment but I do encourage you to visit if you get a chance. More to come on our trip soon!

Thoughts on Thursday

All I can think of as I'm typing this is that I'm in this nice hotel room with a plush king size bed...and have been for 3 days...and I've yet to have a good night's sleep.  Vacations were so different before parenthood.

I go to sleep in anticipation of sweet dreams and rejuvenation...so why do I feel like I've been run over by a truck?

This precious little face. Yes, believe it or not, this tiny human is the reason.

I totally get being in a new place. We never sleep as well as we do at home. In her defense the first night was not entirely her fault. At midnight a ridiculously loud child came running down the hallway yelling, followed by an apparently unconcerned parent. Grrr. G ended up in our bed (which personally has never been allowed but we did what we had to). When she was not sleeping sideways, her tiny body was pressed into the small of my back. I couldn't move.

::via::

The second night was similar except it was around 1:30 am and the culprits were random loud adults. It was another sleepless night.

I kept kicking myself for not bringing her bedtime music to drown out the noises.

The final night of our stay was much better despite some crazy person slamming a door across the hall 3! times at 4:30 am. I just knew she'd wake up but praise the Lord, a couple mumbles were all we heard.

This is not the first time we've traveled and stayed in a hotel with her, but it seems as she gets older that she is having more difficulty sleeping in new places.

These are things we currently do to help her sleep away from home:
-extra padding on her Pack -N- Play "mattress" to make it feel more like her one at home
-Play her bedtime music (when we remember to bring it)
-keep closely to her normal bedtime routine
-wear her out during the day
-lay her down with her moose and "night night" blankie

We'll continue to live and learn but I'd love suggestions to make our future vacations a little more peaceful. What works for you?

...and thanks for stopping by to join myself and others like Natalie for this week's Thoughts for Thursday!