Washington DC

My mom, dad, Zach, and I traveled to Washington DC for my big brothers wedding. I absolutely love DC and Zach was excited to travel on a plane to go see his uncle. I was a bit worried to travel with Zach just because lately I feel his behavioral issue have been getting worse. So being on a cramped plane for 4 hours wasn't sounding very exciting. Luckily our plane left LAX at 11PM so Zach slept the entire way to DC. It was probably the most uncomfortable plane ride I have ever been on. I've never had a problem sleeping on a plane, but I got about 30 minutes of sleep in. It was no bueno for me but Zach slept the entire time which was really nice. Even after we landed he continued to sleep until the entire plane was cleared out and we were the last ones on board. Once Zach realized we wer finally in DC he was very excited. It's something he's been talking about for months now and he's happy that he gets to see hus Uncle Jason.
After finding out baggage and getting our car rental, we drove from Dulles International Airport to the heart of Washington DC. Unfortunately we arrived during rush hour, so what should have been a 30 minute drive turned into a 2 hour one. We met my brother at his apartment and went out for breakfast. I don't know if it was because I was completely starving or if the food was actually that good, but the Cinnabon Pancakes at Ihop are delicious. After breakfast we went back to my brothers apartment because Zach wanted to see the dogs. This is when we found out that Zach is possibly allergic to dogs, mostly their saliva. He had so much fun playing with Hank, a big black dog with the heart of a puppy. That dog was the perfect babysitter for him. He wasn't mean or too rough with Zach, and he was happy to play games of tug-a-war with his chew toys. After leaving his apartment and heading for our hotel, I noticed Zach's face starting to swell up. Right away I gave him benadryl and cleaned him up because the last thing I want to do on vacation is spend it in a hospital. About an hour later he was completely fine.

Our first full day in DC was spent sightseeing with my mom and Elizabeth, great friend from my old high school high school days. Before leaving DC I complained about the 108º weather, but DC really made me appreciate that wonderful, dry, southern California heat. I could not stand the humidity. I was completely miserable. My goal for this day was to revisit the monuments we visited back in 2008, when we first visited Washington DC when Zach was 9 months old. Most of the pictures I took on that trip are still my favorite to this day. I wanted pictures so that I can do a comparison of then and now. Looking at both these pictures I cannot help but to cry. Gosh, he's definitely not a baby anymore. He's such a little man. My little man. The picture from 2008 is one of my favorite pictures of us together. Look at his adorable, chubby cheeks. When he was a baby I couldn't help but to kiss those cheeks all the time. 

But moving on, Zach really loved touring DC. I didn't think he would, I though he would find it boring. He wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial. We like the "Moments With Abraham Lincoln" show at Disneyland and leading up to this trip I have been telling him all about the memorial. Plus I think Lincoln is Zach's favorite president. Zach can point him out on the $5 bill and penny. We enjoyed walking around DC and catching up with my friend. We also visited the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as well as one of my new favorites, the FDR Memorial. While walking back from the FDR Memorial, we were chased by a squirrel which really freaked Zachary out, so we decided to head back to our hotel. I was wonderful catching up with a great friend and tour DC with someone who lives there.

The next day my dad arrived in DC and we picked him up from the airport, and from there we stopped at the famous "Georgetown Cupcake" store in Georgetown. BEST CUPCAKES EVER! Being a fan of the show and having ordered cupcakes from them in the past, it was really cool being in the shop. We walked around DC a bit with my dad and he wanted to see the White House. So Zachary and I went with him, while my mom stayed back at the hotel. Zach thought the White House looked pretty cool. After walking around DC for a couple hours, we went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding rehearsal dinner for my brother and Stephanie.

Our final full day in Washington DC was the wedding, but before that we promised Zach we'd take him to the Air and Space Museum. It was really crowded and I hate dealing with crowds. I allowed Zach to walk around for a bit and try stuff he was allowed to play with. He loved it, but waiting for him is torture. He did very well though and I was very proud of him. We took him to the gift shop and he picked out a toy airplane and space shuttle. After that we went to the hotel to prepare for the wedding. I tried to get Zachary to take a nap but that didn't happen. After we finished getting ready, we took the metro over to the wedding location. Zachary looked so handsome in his shirt and tie. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. I don't know why Zach was so into the wedding, I thought I'd have trouble keeping him busy and quite, but he sat there the entire time smiling for his Uncle Jason. After the wedding was of course the dinner and party. This is when Zach transformed into soem crazy party animal. I was amazed that he was the first one on the dance floor. When he saw people doing a certain dance move he copied them. He was very entertaining to watch. People were shocked that he was such a social boy and was the only kid on the dance floor. He even asked a couple girls, that were a bit older than him, to dance. It was very funny to watch.
It got me thinking if Zachary didn't have ADHD, would he be out partying on the dance floor with all the adults? There are so many negatives to ADHD that when the positive qualities to emerge it almost makes me cry. Zach struggles socially at school. He's very impulsive and it's his downfall. He's trying his best and that's all I asked from him. To watch Zachary get along with adults so well and socialize with them so well it kinda funny. People say that Zach is an "old soul" and I think that is an amazing quality he has. While he is only 5 and still has those moments of immaturity and silliness about him, he is one of the most interesting people in the world. He's also quite brilliant. I love sitting and having conversations with him. I can sit down and listen to him talk for hours. He can go on and on and I just sit there and smile because I don't think he knows how truly amazing he is. I really believe that my son is destined to do great things in this world and I will always be right there by his side to help him do so.