Fun Times in Baltimore

Although seeing the doctors at Kennedy Krieger Institute was our main goal, we did have some down time and were able to have a little fun and see some sights in Baltimore.

Here is Bryce on the plane. It was really hard to get a picture of him looking at me, because he was so much more interested in what was going on outside than having a picture taken.




Here you can see some of what Bryce was looking at. He really enjoyed seeing all of the planes.


Although Bryce did not sleep at all on either of the flights, he did pretty well on the plane. Take off and landing seemed to be his favorite. On the flight over to Baltimore, a grandma named Linda sat next to us and really helped to entertain Bryce. Then on the way back, another grandma sat by us. She was very nice and helped me get Bryce's car seat off of the plane. There was also a little four month old in front of us on the return flight that Bryce was very fond of. He was a little more restless on the return flight and my arms were quite sore by the end of the trip, but all things considered, he did well.

My mom had flown in earlier that day and met us at the airport. The pictures below are of Bryce as we waited to get our luggage. We were just standing there and all of a sudden he started cracking up. It took us a minute to figure out what was so funny. It was the luggage as it came up and fell onto the carousel. He would crack up every time one would come out. He thought it was hilarious. I was just glad he was being entertained!




Here is Bryce in our hotel room wrapped in a blanket that he got at KKI while we were waiting for more tests. It is a blanket that had been donated by The Linus Project.


Our first hotel. The Treemont Plaza Hotel. This hotel had been recommended to me by multiple people. Although it was a little more expensive, we decided to stay here due to the recommendations. However, although it was a "higher class" hotel (which to me just means more expensive in every way), it was really run down and noisy. I was also never able to get the Internet running even after calling for help with it. We stayed here two days and then decided to switch to the other one I had been considering, which was less money and only about 1/2 mile away.


Our room here did have a nice kitchen area, but there was really nowhere around to get some groceries, so it was kind of useless. We didn't have a car, so it was a matter of walking some place or taking a shuttle.


On Thursday my uncle Mike, my cousin Bridget, and her two little ones came up from Virginia to Visit. They helped us move into the Holiday Inn Express. It was so fun to see them again, and so nice of them to help us.

Kathleen, Bryce, and me sitting in the lobby.


Kathleen is so cute. She is a little less than a year older than Bryce. She and Bryce became close friends right away. It was amazing to see them together. Here she is "reading" Bryce a story.


As you can see, he was thoroughly enjoying it.


Once we were up in the room, Kathleen and Alex would hide in the curtains and then come out and yell surprise to Bryce. He laughed and laughed. I wish they could have stayed longer to help entertain him.






My cousin Bridget, who I very rarely see and Alex, who I met for the first time this trip.


Bryce, Mom, Bridget, Kathleen, and Alex


hanging out in the hotel room. I just love this tough guy!


On Friday, we had a little free time so we walked down to Harborplace. Since we weren't sure if we would be called by the doctor and need to return to the hospital for more tests, we didn't go in anywhere, but it was nice to be able to get out and just walk and enjoy a new area.

Mom and Bryce in front of the War Memorial Bldg.


I don't know what this building is, but I thought it looked cool so I took a picture.


This is part of the Aquarium that I would like to go to sometime when we have more time.


USS Constellation




Mom and Bryce with one of the piers in the background. On this particular pier there was a Cheesecake Factory. Since Bryce doesn't care much for restaurants and gets bored easily, we ordered out and enjoyed our cheesecake back in the hotel room after Bryce had fallen asleep.


Huge Barnes and Noble and Hard Rock Cafe






Another shot of the Aquarium. You can kind of see the huge rain forest that they have in there. They even have dolphins in this aquarium. I will go back here some day!


There wasn't much to this. Just a couple of plaques and a statue


This is the view from our hotel window. From here you can see the St. Vincent de Paul church and the shot tower. The church was dedicated in 1841 and is the oldest Catholic parish church that continues to be used in Baltimore. I found the church interesting because it is made with brick walls painted white to give it the appearance of wood. The interior has been remodeled several times, but the exterior of the church has never been changed.

Down the road a little farther you can see the shot tower. I wish I had gotten a closer picture of this, but oh well. This tower was used from 1828-1892 to make lead shots for pistols, rifles, and cannons. The way they did it was really intriguing to me. They would drop molten lead from a platform at the top of the 234' tower through a sieve and into a vat of cold water. As the lead fell, it would form into perfect spheres and then cool and solidify as they hit the cold water. I think that is just cool! This tower is made of 1 million bricks and was the tallest building in the US until the National Monument was built in Washington D.C. after the civil war.

Here is the town from our room at night. This is the only way we saw it at night since it was not a very good part of town and we were advised by the hotel staff not to go out after dark. Kind of scary, but that's ok. We just made sure we were in before dark and we were fine.


Grandma and Bryce hanging out in the hotel room.


In the lobby getting ready to leave.


The lobby of the Holiday Inn Express. It used to be a bank and was converted into a hotel just over a year ago. It was very nice!


My Aunt and Uncles came to take me to the airport and to take my Mom down to visit with them for a few days. We stopped for some lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant. Here is Bryce with my Aunt Chipper. It has been about 9 years since I have seen Uncle Jed and Aunt Chipper. Our visit was short, but it was good to see them again.


My mom and her brothers, Uncle Jed, Uncle Mike, and Mom