Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Fire Alarms and Road Trips

Ah, March went out like a lion for my family ... I guess I can't expect to have an uneventful life, can I?

Last Tuesday, March 27th, Little Man and I stuck to our usual routine. His OT came by at 10 am (he has sensory issues) and after his session we were both wiped. But for some reason, after he had lunch, I decided to sanitize his pacifiers by boiling them. You're supposed to let it boil for 5 minutes, so I left the pot unattended while I put Little Man down for his nap (around 12:15 pm). But instead of going right back downstairs, I sat down in my bedroom and started to watch TV. I was chilled so I put my space heater on. After a few minutes, I smelled something and shut of the heater, thinking it was a short. But then the fire alarm went off!!!!

Instantly I remembered that I had been boiling the pacifiers. I ran downstairs into the kitchen and there were FLAMES shooting out of the pot! I just panicked. I put a lid on top of the pot but it was too big and didn't fully put out the fire. There was smoke everywhere. Then the alarm company called and said to get out of the house (when I said I was having problems with the fire) and I ran back upstairs and grabbed Little Man, who was freaking out in his crib, and ran outside—no jacket for me, no shoes for Little Man. I tried to leave him in the car so I could go back to check on the dogs, but he freaked again. I got so upset thinking the dogs would be hurt. But the police and fire departments were there within minutes and my neighbor from across the street opened her home so we could warm up. I babysat for her kids as a teenager, so she's known me for ages. But it was nice, since I haven't really spoken to her since then. The fire was contained to that pot and it was put out quickly and the smoke dissipated after a few hours. But no nap for Little Man and I canceled his afternoon DI session.

I was so angry at myself for being so careless. But I've learned to forgive myself and I'll never leave a pot unattended again.

That week was also Dude's last week of working in NYC. I hope after he adjusts to the new job, he'll be much happier. Especially with the 25 minute commute vs. 2 hour (each way). He started yesterday, so I guess we'll see.

Anyway, we also took a road trip to NoVA to attend a wedding on 3/31. We went down on Thursday morning and met a friend for lunch outside of Baltimore, on the way down. We stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. It was amazingly kid friendly. While expensive, I highly recommend the hotel chain if you can afford it. (For us, it was a splurge.)

We met a friend of mine and her son on Friday morning and then took a trip to the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in the afternoon. It was pretty neat to see the Space Shuttle and the Enola Gay. Parking is $15 but free after 4 pm, which is when we got there.  And the 1.5 hours until it closes at 5 is definitely enough time to see most of the exhibits.

On Saturday morning I had a massage and a manicure. Dude took Little Man to a local park.  He refused to nap after lunch so we actually took a drive so he would sleep—since the wedding was that night. He fell asleep the minute we got onto the highway and we actually drove into Washington D.C. We saw, from the car, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and the remnants of the Cherry Blossoms (which had bloomed a week earlier than usual due to the early Spring). Then we headed back to Virginia and hit a grocery store so Little Man could eat before the wedding. It was a good call since he wasn't going to eat any of the items on the menu.  And he did amazingly well at the wedding. For a 2-year-old to be up late and overstimulated... I'm just amazed that he made it through the wedding cake (but not the other dessert) and that he even danced a bit.

The drive home was quick, which is a rarity for 1-95. I'm just glad that this road trip was much more successful than prior ones. We've learned that he cannot be in the car for much longer than 2 - 2.5 hours and that he has to be down for his nap BEFORE 1 pm or he won't sleep at all. No more trips for us for a while. We're saving and paying down debt. And hopefully I'll find a new job soon, too.