Virginia. We started our first "family vacation" in this state and ended it there too, but spent most of the time in Washington D.C.

Eila learned a lot about her nation's capitol by visiting the significant memorials and monuments. She also gained a wealth of information about science, especially air, space, dinosaurs, and insects during our visits to the Smithsonian. Eila got a little bored in the museums at times, but was alert and looking around at everything much more than anyone would've guessed. The archives and the capitol tour were too much for her and she napped the entire visit.

The hotel offered a wide variety of unexplored and unchartered areas for our curious little one. She found the cords, shoes, cabinets, trash, and closets irresistable.

Everywhere we went, Eila made friends. We can't count the number of people who stopped to smile and say hi. Many people even asked to hold her and tried to play with her. Eila was happy to oblige almost anyone with a huge grin and often even a little chuckle.

During our trip, Eila made big advances. In her crawling skills, she more than doubled her fastest previous time for crossing the room. In pulling up, she practiced without pause in the portacrib and whenever she wasn't tied down. In eating, she stopped spitting food at us!