Auntie Mimi in the House

This past week we had an extra-special visitor at our house: Fionn's Aunt Meaghan or, as she will henceforth be known thanks to my son, "Auntie Mimi." 

Our dear Meaghan arrived last Tuesday and stayed with us for a full week.  Fionn so enjoyed having his Auntie Mimi at his house when he woke up from naps and returned home from school.  And he especially enjoyed having her along for several of our weekly adventures. 

Our first adventure took place last Friday morning when we traveled to Baltimore to see their amazing aquarium.  Although we hit some pretty terrible traffic getting to the aquarium -- not to mention the masses we encountered once we arrived (thank you, Spring Break) -- we had a wonderful time. 

Hey Jellyfish...How you doin?

I think my favorite moment was listening to Fionn's squeals of delight as we watched a trio of dolphins leaping through the air at the dolphin tank.  It was positively infectious.

In other adventures...A few weeks ago, we realized that there was a good chance that Meaghan would be in DC during the predicted blooming of the ever-popular cherry blossom trees which line the Tidal Basin in DC.  Indeed, Peak Bloom was scheduled for last weekend which was absolutely perfect because our resident photographer (a.k.a. Conor D. Crimmins) would be able to capture the scenic event with his handy-dandy camera.  We set out with high hopes last Saturday morning.  I had visions of puffy pink blossoms dancing through my head.  I couldn't wait to capture Auntie Mimi and Fionn with a dreamy canopy of cherry trees in the distance.

Yeah, it was a total bust.  As it turned out, the blossoms were only just starting to open when we arrived at our cherry tree viewing area, so there were no real flowers of which to speak.  What a bummer.  Ah well.  We quickly cut our losses and headed to a nearby playground.  It wasn't cherry blossoms, but at least we got a couple of cute pics of Boy and Auntie on the swings. 

And...wait for it.  Here is a picture of me in all my pregnant glory that I don't completely hate.  Note to self: Brightly colored scarves have a way of detracting from other less attractive areas of the old bod. 

Our cherry blossom dreams might not have been realized that particular day, but they were not to be forsaken.  Meaghan, Fionn, and I headed out again on Monday to the Tidal Basin, and we were not disappointed.  Although not at their peak, the blossoms were definitely...well, blossoming.  Check it out.

Hey Blossoms...how's it hanging?

Following a stroll through along the water, we had a quick picnic in the grass beside the Tidal Basin.  Fionny enjoyed having some time to stretch his legs. 

 And, you know, hug some trees.

After lunch, we headed home.  It was getting H-O-T outside, people, and this pregnant lady was starting to sweat through her jeans (yes, I know, bad wardrobe decision for an 80 degree day).  But who would have thunk it?  Only April and hot as Hades!  We have clearly gone from Winter straight into the dead of Summer.  Not sure how that happened. 

Anyway, I digress.  The rest of our visit with Meaghan was wonderful, and we so enjoyed having her stay with us.  Fionn has asked about her several times since she left and definitely seems bummed that she is no longer here.  He is already looking forward to his next visit with Auntie Mimi.  We love you, Meaghan! 

In other news...I am full term (37 weeks) with Little Brother as of tomorrow.  Holy cow, we're almost at the finish line!  Hard to believe.  I have to say that it couldn't come at a better time.  I note this as I sit on the couch with an enormous fan going full blast and pointed directly at me.  With temps of nearly 90 degrees today in DC, I am starting to have a bit more sympathy for those women who complain about being pregnant during the hot summer.  Ugh.  Not fun.

Until next time...