In like a Lion, Out like a Lamb

These photos were taken about one month apart.

Catching Up

It’s been a busy winter and spring in the Morris family. Now that things have calmed down a bit, we wanted to update the blog with all the recent events.

For Sale: Stunning Two Bedroom Condo in Columbia Heights, Parking Included:

We decided to list our condo for sale and spent much of February and March getting the place ready to show. We moved half of our furniture and belongings into storage and finally managed to install some permanent blinds in the master bedroom. After several hard weeks of packing, reorganizing and cleaning, we finally went "live" on March 19th. Since then, we’ve had several open houses and a number of visitors, but as of yet, no serious interest. It’s a difficult time to be selling, so we’re trying to be patient. But it sure would be nice to be somewhere with a backyard this summer. Here’s hoping we find a buyer soon! To view the listing, click here.

Henry’s Surgery:

On February 5th, Henry had outpatient eye surgery to correct a blocked tear duct. The procedure is relatively minor (the doctor inserted a small metal probe into the duct to clear out any blockage), but required Henry to be put under general anesthesia. The operation lasted only about 20 minutes, and Henry did just fine. The hardest part for mom and dad was watching their son be put to sleep. As you can see from the photo, Henry was out like a light. The operation seems to have been a success: so far, no more goopy eye infections.

Trip to Baltimore:

After weeks of getting ready to list our condo, the whole family needed a mid-winter break, so we headed up to Baltimore for President’s Day weekend. We stayed at a hotel near the Inner Harbor and visited the National Aquarium. When we arrived in the morning, an employee at the aquarium took us downstairs so we could watch the rays being fed. Henry loved standing next to the glass and watching the rays sail by.

Afterward, we visited the rain forest habitat, walked through the large shark tank, and checked out the Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit. By the time we were done viewing all the fishes and animals, Henry was exhausted and fell asleep before we were out of the building. So, we all went back to the hotel and enjoyed a family nap.

We haven’t been parents for long, but we’ve learned a thing or two about traveling with little ones: (i) always stay at a hotel with a kitchenette (Homewood Suites is one chain that we like); (ii) never plan more than one major activity per day; and (iii) always pack a swimsuit. We realized the importance of this last rule when we stayed in Baltimore: our hotel had an indoor pool but we forgot our swimsuits. Fortunately, there was a shopping mall in the area. We found some swim trunks for Henry in the GAP Kids store, but since it was February, none of the adult clothing stores had swimsuits. So, Bryant bought an XXXL pair of boys’ swim trunks and (just barely) squeezed in. You can check out the photo below, but be warned, it isn’t pretty.

Before heading back to Washington, we returned to the National Aquarium to watch the dolphin show. We got seats fairly close up but managed to avoid getting wet. Henry enjoyed watching the dolphins, especially when they swam by and splashed water on the crowd.

MLK/Inauguration Weekend

While most folks were in town to see the new president, Henry and Bryant headed downtown to...visit the fish. Elise was on-call over the MLK-Inauguration weekend, so Bryant and Henry went to the National Aquarium (which, oddly enough, is located in the basement of the Commerce Department building). The Washington branch of the aquarium is much smaller than the one in Baltimore, but there were still plenty of fish, snakes, alligators, turtles and frogs to see. Henry especially liked the sea turtles. On the way back, we walked down the Mall where we saw some of the preparations for the Inauguration. We also saw some of the security measures. The police stopped us briefly while they inspected a backpack that was accidentally left on a park bench. We plan to watch the festivities on TV, in the comfort -- and warmth -- of our own home. Elise is just hoping the celebrations don't get too crazy tomorrow night.

Dad’s Surgery

Bryant’s dad underwent surgery last week for prostrate cancer. The surgery went very well and dad only spent one night in the hospital. He traveled to Orlando so that a specialist surgeon could perform the operation using a new robotics technology. Dad will need some follow-up treatment after he has fully recovered, but for now, he’s feeling fine and glad to have the surgery behind him. Bryant and Kevin flew to Orlando for the surgery and dad’s brother and sisters also came down, so he had plenty of folks to look after him. Thanks to everyone for their well wishes.

Christmas 2008

It’s been a busy few months in the Morris household. In December, we traveled to Alabama to spend Christmas with Bryant’s family. Kevin and Templa and their daughters Micah and Rylan hosted us at their home in Huntsville. Mimi and Papa drove up from Mobile, and the whole Morris family was together for several days. Henry loved spending time with Micah and Rylan, who shared their great toys and never tired of playing, singing and playing “dress up” with their younger cousin (imagine Henry in a tutu and Batman cape). We made special arrangements for Santa to deliver Henry’s toys early, and he received a basketball goal, a Hokey Pokey Elmo doll, a push truck, and lots of new books for Christmas (Henry has recently become obsessed with “reading” and regularly insists on having his parents recite the same story multiple times in a row; his favorites are Goodnight Gorilla, Tumble Bumble, The Foot Book, The Cat in the Hat, and My First Farm Book). He also received lots of clothes and toys from his family, including a toy train from Mimi Pauline, a rocking horse from Mimi and Papa Morris, and a Pizza Party Elmo doll (with a somewhat scary singing pizza; watch the YouTube video here) from Kevin, Templa and the girls. Henry’s parents also did pretty well at Christmas: Elise got an iphone and Bryant got a new electric shaver.

While we were in Huntsville, we visited with Bryant’s cousin Carrie Turner and her family (husband Quitman and daughters Maddie and Sydney). Carrie is the daughter of Bryant’s mother’s brother Rusty, which makes Henry a second cousin to Maddie and Sydney (we think). The Turners also have a family blog, which you can check out here.

After we returned from Alabama, Henry received a visit from yet more cousins. Dawn Brown took the train down from Shepherdstown with her children Emily and Alexander. Since we’re tracking the whole cousin connection: Dawn is the wife of Stokes Baker, who is the son of Elise’s Aunt Barbara, who is technically her mother’s cousin. We have no idea what type of relative that makes Henry to Emily and Alexander, but it was great to have them visit! Alexander showed Henry how to play toy soldiers and Emily read to him. And of course, they brought more gifts!

With all the new toys filling up our living room, we decided to put our condo up for sale. We’ve lived in our condo for three years now and are quickly running out of space. So, the first few weeks of the New Year have been spent investigating rental homes and meeting with real estate agents. With any luck, we’ll be in a new home by the summer!

You can see more photos from Christmas here:

Moving On Up

Henry began transitioning to the toddler class this month. At first he visited for just a few hours, then he stayed for lunch, and this week he began napping (on a cot!) in his new classroom. So far he seems to be enjoying the new surroundings, especially the daily visits to the playground. But everything hasn’t been easy: the toddlers only take one nap a day (after lunch), so Henry has had to forgo his mid-morning snooze. And his best friend Olivia won’t be transitioning until after the New Year, so she and Henry are facing the prospect of a long distance relationship.

Afternoon at the Museum

Last weekend we went to the National Museum of Natural History with Elise’s friend Sarah Walter, who was visiting us from San Francisco. Henry loves to climb on hard surfaces, so the rocks and minerals exhibit was a real treat. He enjoyed feeling the different textures of the rock formations and crystals. Afterward, we visited the butterfly exhibit where you can walk through a tropical enclosure with hundreds of live butterflies, some of them as big as birds! Then we went to see the other insects, including a tank of giant cockroaches. Our last stop was the dinosaur exhibit, although by this stage Henry was more interested in climbing the museum stairs than looking at fossils. After an enjoyable day out, we headed home where Sarah made us a delicious pasta dinner.

Below are some pictures from our outing: