Will the Santa visit happen this year?

Whew! What a day! My mother was off today and decided to join us on our outting for the big Santa visit.

I had decided to go to The Shops at Georgetown, I had heard they had a great Santa with a real beard. I had also decided not to walk all the way there from my home in Mt. Pleasant which was my usual approach to reaching Georgetown. So, for my first time beyond the one bus that drives straight up 16th street to my office at Discovery, I ventured into the world of buses.

I researched on-line the bus/busses I needed to take and headed out the door. I had a few stops to make so I had planned for us to walk up to Adams Morgan and hit all my pit-stops and catch the bus across from the Starbucks (of course after picking up a hot tastey beverage). We hop on the bus and I'm sitting proud that I had figured all this out... then..... I see my neighborhood...I see my street! I look at my mom and start laughing...I tell her we got on the bus going the wrong direction! We both were cackling soooo loud, the bus driver started chatting with us, asked where we were headed and told us to stay on since the end of the line was just ahead (1 block from my house by the way). We should have just gone home.

After riding the bus out to the middle of the city and changing to the next bus my son who had been enjoying his ride on the bus was sick of it and made sure ALL the passengers on the bus knew it! There was no calming him! We got off as soon as Pennsylvania ave. merged to M Street and walked the rest of the way to mall. It's not a great distance from there to the mall and normally would have been nothing to me at all; but almost 7 months into my pregnancy all my muscles, joints and ligaments said NOOOO!!! I said nothing to my mom about the pain shooting from the small of my back, down into my right butt-cheek and straight down my right leg...I don't think she noticed me limping. We finally make it to the mall...

Imagine my great joy to find no line for Santa. NONE! Santa was bored and reading a book!!!!! Yipee!! things were turning for the better! We approach slowly knowing Peter has a fear of strangers...but it's Santa...come on ...he has jingle bells, coloring books, candy canes and fun Christmas trees all around him! yeah... none of it worked...Peter was at first not so sure and stared at Santa from the side of his eye. My son then slowly stepped backwards until he could feel my leg with his hand and then hugged my leg like mad! Ok, we stepped away and walked the mall a bit. We came back, he seemed more receptive to the idea and even took a coloring book from santa and THEN cried... sly little guy...got the good stuff and then pitches a fit.

After the fourth failed trip past Santa we gave up. I doubt I'll try again, but if it's convenient one day while out shopping and he seems receptive we'll do it. My mom says she has zero Santa photos of my sister and I before we were 6 years old for this very reason.

I'm so glad I got a photo of him with Santa last year before he knew to be scared! I'll charish it more now for sure!

PS...the pic above is Peter's Santa photo from last year.