SeaWorld

Rafal was invited to go to a conference that just happened to be right at SeaWorld in Orlando, so Tavish and I tagged along so we could thaw out a little from our seemingly endless winter here in Virginia.


Tavish's favorite things about the hotel:
1) the elevators...the hotel had glass elevators so you could see everything in the central atrium where there was a waterfall and aquarium
2) the mirrored closet doors...he discovered he has nipples :)
3) the pool...all the way there he kept talking about the pool even though I had only mentioned it to him once



The best thing about SeaWorld...flying dolphins! They really should call it Dolphin World. Forget Shamu, I've seen more entertaining orcas in the Bering Sea, but these dolphins were amazing. At this pool you could get right up to the edge and lean over and touch them as they were swimming and playing. Poor Tavish reached as far as he could and would say "c'mere dolphin!" but his little arms weren't quite long enough. Of course he wanted to get in the water too so I had to hang on to him for dear life.




We saw lots of fish and in this aquarium for some reason after he looked at these fish he would run around asking "where's the wions?"




So we went and saw some wions...sea wions that were just waiting to be fed.




We got to pet stingrays (a little on the slimy side)...




...and watch some flamingos practice yoga...look this one is in tree pose.




Tavish got to ride his first carousel...how cool are these fish? And when he saw the big roller coaster way up high he said "I wanna go on dat!"





We had a lot of fun moments and not-so-fun moments (screaming at the top of his lungs all the way across the park because he didn't want to be in the stroller-he would try to slide out the bottom and say "right back"). But this is the moment I want to remember...

a glimmer of hope...

Unbelievable as Rafal put it...
A first really...
This was the first time getting off a plane with Tavish where I haven't had to fight the urge to start binge drinking...
The first time Rafal didn't declare "we're not having anymore kids!"...
It was actually...ok!
Maybe we timed it better, maybe it was because he had his own seat for the first time, maybe all the planets were in perfect alignment, who knows but maybe we will actually want to take him somewhere again!



This is Tavish's present for being a good flyer, he even calls it his present and had to sleep with it the first night we got back.

naughty monster...

He has been very busy at our house. Apparently taking the binky was just the first of many things he has been up to...just ask Tavish. Any untoward event in our house is immediately attributed to the monster, he even came on vacation with us and stayed in our hotel room! Where do you get monster repellent? I'm not willing to go the dog route as Adelia suggested...who wants monsters and a dog??? And Tavish isn't afraid of the monster, he actually seems to be enjoying him a little too much!

monsters...(with a little lisp)

Tavish is still on the binky (I'm over it however) and this morning I couldn't find it only a short while after I had given it to him. So I'm looking all over the house, which is not that big so where could it be really...when out of frustration I ask Tavish where his binky is...his reply (he didn't even have to think about it)..."monsters took it". Great, now we have monsters in the house...

It's true!!!

I was getting Tavish ready for church this morning, his pants are on and I was buttoning his little white shirt when he looks down at his outfit and says "cute....I cute!" I guess I must tell him that a lot :)

Snow Days

So this year's snowstorm hit while I was at work, of course...I was one of the lucky few who actually made it home from the hospital though. Rafal worked from home the next day and here is the fruit of his (and Tavish's) labors...

His name is Frosty of course...every snowman is named Frosty ever since we were sick in November and Tavish got to watch his Frosty the Snowman movie at least five hundred times.



Dump trucks can dump snow, right?

Everyone has to pitch in and shovel at our house...well except mom.

But mom did take Tavish for a sled ride! He just fits in his sled Grandpa Joe got him for the snowpocalypse last year...

Groupie

Tavish went to his first rock concert today at Jammin Java in Vienna.
Think Crocodile Cafe (slightly toned down) filled with toddlers at 10am.
Crazy. But fun. We listened to Rocknoceros, a local kids band who were awesome.
At first Tavish listened from my lap, but then he got brave...

...and listened from the aisle...

...and pretty soon he was right up front (that's where all the chicks hang out smart boy!)