Miss Petrone goes to Washington

What is there for a 2-year-old to enjoy in Washington, DC, a city known for its museums and antiquities and khaki pants? Plenty it seems. My child, for example, enjoyed running this way, then that way, then back this way, then towards emme, then away from emme, and then into some strangers leg.

Then when I grabbed her arm forcefully - with only good intentions - Miss Marta decided to tell Washington in a language it doesn't understand that I was bothering her. "Ära Kiusa!" she cried. "Emme, Isse kiusab!" which means "Don't bother me - Mommy, Dad is bothering me!" And I was just trying to keep her out of traffic.

DC offered Marta lots of things to learn though, and no, how a bill becomes a law wasn't one of them. Instead it was the small things. Like discovering a ladybug outside Au Bon Pain, a breakfast cafe near my old university. It's so rare that I can point out an actual character from many of her children's books in real life and say "This is a ladybug, emme says lepatriinu, issi says ladybug." Without these real life introductions, the ladybug would be just another funny character with a smile. Pure fiction.

Patrolling my old school stomping grounds with Marta Maria felt good though. It felt good to return to the streets which I had stumbled home upon with a small child holding my hand as if to say, "I've really made it! I am totally NOT stuck in college." It also reminded me of the things I need to do in life, that life is precious, et cetera, et cetera.

Marta had a lot of fun at the Cherry Blossom Festival. She thoroughly enjoyed making me chase her while she ambled along, only yards from busy DC traffic. She also liked the Museum of the American Indian, where we atched Cheyenne, Ojibwa, Paiute, Blackfoot, and other creation stories that were illustrated in ways that only Native Americans can illustrate cartoons. They were breathing with life and creativity, and I felt glad I brought Marta there.

In the hotel Marta locked herself in two of our rooms twice, shutting the door behind her and causing my parents to majorly freak out. For some reason I didn't panic though. I know my daughter - she's usually the one in control of a situation. Anyway, we had a good time. Many thanks to all who were involved.