Mama is such a dork

Ok... I can't believe I'm actually going to admit to this online, but it is rather funny.

I am a serious dork. Seriously people.

Here's the short version of yesterday's adventures...

9:45 Atticus had a follow-up appointment to check his ears. The doctor's office is only a couple blocks from the Museum of Natural History, and I was determined to finally make it there - even for a couple of hours. Well, I didn't want to walk the museum for a couple hours with Atticus strapped on my front, so I thought I'd bring the stroller. Well - that's all fine and dandy, with the exception that navigating a stroller in the NYC subways is a NIGHTMARE. Most stations don't have elevators so you have to take the stairs. (On side note, I'm really surprised more people in wheelchairs haven't sued to get the subwayw up to code with the Americans with Disability Act...) I did think sort of ahead and decided to take the small umbrella stroller instead of our big suburban stroller. So, ummm, yeah - I was carrying Atticus and the stroller up and down several flights of stairs. No fun. We made it to the doctor's office (more stairs to get down to the office) and the appointment was over and done with in a few minutes. I put Atticus back in the stroller and we headed the few blocks to the museum.

Got lucky. We got to the museum at about 10:05 and it opened at 10am. That was nice, and it wasn't crazy busy just yet (other than the bus loads of school children). I made it inside, through security and then down the elevator to the ticket sales. I decided to go with the straight pass - no special exhibits or anything since I knew I'd only have a couple hours before Atticus would be hungry for lunch. I pay my $16, get the map and then attempt to read the map and find my way actually into the guts of the museum. Several minutes later after wandering down a totally random hallway, I make my way into the first recognized portion of the museum. I have to pause and say, I really did enjoy everything I saw.... I saw the Hall of Planet Earth (cool stuff on the moon and volcanoes and the makeup of the actual planet), North American Mammals (lots of taxidermy, but little man got to see animals up close), the Hall of Ocean Life (lots of cool stuff including giant squid and jellyfish overhead), the Hall of Human Origins (evolution), etc. I didn't get to see the Frog exhibit since it was one of the "upgrades". Bummer. We'll have to go back for the frogs. The second level held more mammals and other worldly culture things.

Now this is where it gets funny. Atticus has now fallen asleep, and I figure I'd best finish up and start heading home so that I'm at the apartment when he wakes up for lunch. (He'd already eaten all of his veggie sticks and the mum mum while we were wandering.) Mind you - for a couple of hours, I've been wandering and staring at the map the nice man gave me when I bought my ticket... I really wanted to see the dinosaurs before I left, but it just didn't look like it was in the cards. And well, I'd been staring at the map (still) and I couldn't figure out where the dinosaur exhibit was located. I stared at all the halls listed and none of them gave any indication that there were dinosaurs. Maybe I had the wrong museum I thought. Obviously, they weren't here, because I didn't see them on the map. About this time, I was trying to find my way back to the main elevator that would take me to the subway station. I saw the museum shop and decided to just poke my head in. Maybe Atticus needed a tee-shirt or something? What do I see? Tons of stuffed dinosaurs and tee-shirts with dinosaurs, etc. Now I'm thinking... OK, seriously... where are the freaking dinosaurs? It's not like you can just hide a T-Rex in an out of the way "hall". I consult the map again. No dinosaurs. Ocean, Earth, Forests, Mammals - no stinking Dinosaurs. Without wanting to look like a total fool, I just chalk it up to me being clueless (and afterall, I didn't have time anyways, right?) and instead ask a volunteer the easiest way to get to the subway. I meander my way back through the exhibits (still no dinosaurs) and find the elevator that goes down to the subway. I get off the elevator and there is a HUGE sign on the wall. You are HERE - Lower Level. It then details what's available on the LL and floors 1-4. WHAT? Floors 1-4. I've been staring at a map for 2 hours and there's only 2 floors. I pull out the map again. Yep, floors 1 and 2. BUT.... if you turn the map OVER (I am such a dork) there it was in black and white. Floors 3 and 4. And where do you thing the dinosaurs are located? Floor 4. What evil son of a sack of Siberian snake snot put the dinosaurs on the 4th floor? Bastards!

So..... although it was a great trip through the first floor of the museum, it appears I'll have to return to see the frogs and the dinosaurs.

I am such a dork.

The rest of the day, Atticus and I played. I kept trying to get him to take a second nap, but he was resisting and fighting me tooth and nail. Silly boy. About 5:10 he fell asleep and I'm thinking you've got to be kidding!!! I have to leave for dinner and a show in 5 minutes! Not one to wake a sleeping baby, I leave him on the bed and make an attempt to get dolled up. I hear Greg come in with another attorney, Fleur (our babysitter for the evening). Greg and I jet after some hasty directions to Fleur. (Thankfully she swears Atticus was an absolute doll for the evening.) Greg and I met up with some other summers and spouses/dates at Carmine's for a classic pre-Broadway meal. While dinner was good, it was very much like eating at Buca di Bepo. A big giant family style Italian restaurant where you don't get any say in the food that's being brought to you. Most of it was good, but I would have preferred something else. Eh... next time.

We finished dinner and headed down the street to the Imperial Theatre to see Billy Elliot. The show was fantastic. (I don't think I've ever met a play, musical, movie that I don't like...) Of course, being the hormonal, still relatively new mom, I actually cried several times during the show. I mean, he's just a kid... and he's lost his Mom! Who wouldn't cry? (Ok, 98% of the audience wasn't crying...) But I digress. The show was great. I miss theatre. If/when we move here, I'll be seeing a lot of theatre.

Well, this is a rather long post and I've got a bit more work to review before tomorrow.

There's a possibility we could head to Philly for the weekend - but it's not looking as likely now since Greg is playing golf in Westchester tomorrow with 2 big wigs. I'll let you know what happens.