Exploring Alexandria

With Daddy's recent travels, first to San Diego for a soccer tournament then to Colorado to visit Papa and Nani (and their kitty cats, of course), Tessa, Zoe, and I have taken the opportunity to do some exploring in Alexandria and the surrounding area.  My main goal was to find structured environments where Tessa could interact with other children.  She loves being around other kids, which she was able to do every day at daycare, and she has been longing for that interaction.  The playgrounds here are fun -- especially the "sand box playground" -- but the other children are often a little bit older and not necessarily interested in a two-year-old.  Mommy and Zoe are fun on the seesaw but we're no replacement for a friend her own age.  Tessa, who is still learning the difference between how we refer to objects and people, will point to other kids and say "This one [i.e., the other child] seesaw too, Mommy."  Breaks my heart a little bit.

Determined to find some friends, we went to a playgroup on Friday run by the city of Alexandria.  There were about thirty kids present ages infant to four years old.  The group sang songs, played with toys, had snack, and danced.  Tessa was a little unsure at first, but within thirty minutes, she was in her element.  I snapped a photo on my new iPhone (thank you Steve Jobs: A Biography for persuading me of the quality of Apple products and my old Droid for taking a bath with Tessa last weekend), but I didn't want to post the picture because of all the other children in the shot.  Suffice it to say Tessa was standing in the middle of a huge group of kids triumphantly holding an Elmo doll that she had found in a toy bin over her head.  Mission Accomplished! 

Playgroups are great, and the Old Town library has some story time and sing alongs that we are going to try next week, but both of those options are only available on the weekdays.  Not to be deterred in the quest for other kids, I found a great option at the Launch Zone of the National Children's Museum.  The museum itself doesn't open until the fall, but they have a space available in the National Harbor where they have children's events and activities.  This morning, we watched a play about a princess named Sunni who had to learn how to protect her skin from the sun in order to become a queen.  (Yes, it was quite a stretch from a plot perspective.)  And Tessa did crafts and played with a miniature house. We even met another two-year-old named Tessa.  Apparently, the genesis of the other Tessa's name was some combination of parental ingenuity, a 2010 Winter Olympics medalist, and a pair of Nine West pumps.  

 Mommy, what is this car doing in the house??  After Tessa's playmate (age four) told me that he was not friends with his mommy, I asked Tessa who her best friend is.  Answer:  "Mommy!"  (Friend then said that if I spoke to him again he would scream.  Why did I want to find other children?!?)  

Here is Tessa intently decorating a sun visor.  All of the "A" letters were already taken, so we had to write the last letter in with a marker.  The sun visor proceeded to blow off Tessa's head twice on the way back to the car, significantly delaying our return. 

Playing at home with Mommy's old toys can be fun, too.  Here is Tessa assembling some blocks in proper order.