More Museum Fun. . . and Camera Woes

I just had quite an interesting evening. I believe some sort of teething/no-nap/nasty cold combination resulted in an out-of-sorts toddler. Nick followed me around the house, tearing, ripping, and throwing things. He ripped up a whole box of kleenex, threw ravioli at my head, and would only eat cucumbers for dinner. There's nothing like the sound of spinach ravioli hitting an elliptical trainer at high speed. It's funny, though. Nick is only naughty when he's alone with me and Greg. Whenever we're visiting relatives (which is quite often, what with having as many grandparents as he does), Nick is a perfectly well-behaved little angel.

Like, for example, our museum trip. Despite a 1-hour trip in the car, a line to get in, an IMAX movie, and several hours of museum-going, Nicholas did not crab, whine, or yell. Instead, he charmed everyone and acted quite the little gentleman. But then, the other day, when I was driving home in a snowstorm, knuckles clenched at ten and two, I had a little surprise. Nick decided that he didn't want to be in the carseat anymore and began shrieking like a baby banshee. So I had to spend 45 minutes (only about half of my snowy adventure trip) sliding all over the roads verbally consoling a screaming little man. It's kind of funny, actually. He's great in public, and occasionally naughty in private.

Overall, though, Nick really is a generally easygoing baby. He sleeps eleven hours straight at night and usually naps well. He eats nearly anything and reacts well to changes in routine. Nicholas is happy far more often than he is crabby, which is saying a lot for a one-year-old. Knowing that we can take him practically anywhere and he will love the new experience is a great feeling. Tomorrow we're taking Nick to the Naperville Children's Museum and then out for sushi and a nice restaurant. I mentioned this to a friend, who thought I was absolutely crazy for taking a toddler into a fancy place. But Nick is almost always excited to see new things. He loves eating from chopsticks and watching the hibachi grill master shoot flames into the air. Plus, Nick's Aunt Sarah and Grandma Toni will be there, so of course he will be on his best behavior.

 In the above picture, you can see Nick riding on some giant farm equipment at the Museum of Science and Industry. He loved the farm exhibit, and he got to sit on daddy's lap and pretend to drive. I love the second picture because it epitomizes how much Nick is loved. He is sitting on Daddy's lap, with Mommy taking the picture. But you can see in the background, standing on the ground, Grandma Toni and Great-Grandma Dorothy waving and taking pictures from the ground. That's three people and three cameras for one little boy. Nick sure is loved. No wonder he's so well-behaved in public.  :)

Ahh, onward to my camera woes. As you can see from the horribly lighted picture on your left, my camera. . . well, it sucks. I use the auto function, and the pictures always turn out blurry and grainy, plus the lighting is off. Weird because I have a 10 megapixel camera with image stabilization.
Until a few months ago, I didn't really take many pictures. When I bought the new camera (Nikon Coolpix S220), I thought it was my skills that were lacking. I've never been much of a photographer, you see. When I went to Europe in 2004, I didn't even own a digital camera, so I used those disposable ones. That is no excuse for the multiple pictures of my right ring finger. . . To your right is a lovely church in the village of Eze on the Mediterranean coast of France.  Oh, and my finger, too. Sigh.

But at Christmas my sister checked out my camera and said it was broken and that I should have it fixed. So I called up Nikon, since it's only a few months old. They had me send them pictures, and now it looks like I have the hassle of mailing it to them for repairs. So I will be without a camera for a few weeks. I'm wishing right now that I'd shelled out the extra $30 for the Best Buy warranty.