the people on the bus

Today Elian and I took the bus downtown to have lunch with Papa. Since Ed takes the bus to work every day, naturally the ride was much anticipated by the little man.

For the duration of the short ride, he sat so still in my lap with a little nervous smile glued across his face. Much to his chagrin, the people on the bus were not going up and down, nor was the bus driver saying, "Move on back."

We met Papa at our usual place -- the lower level of Macy's. On the way there, Elian shared his enthusiasm for the bus with a woman trying on shoes, "I rode the bus!" For lunch, Ed and I got our usual (sushi for me, a salad concoction w/chicken and walnuts for Ed). But this time, Elian passed on the macaroni and cheese a la Macy's and instead opted for a deluxe, double-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (One day, the boy is totally going to turn into either PB&J or a waffle -- I swear!)

We finished our lunch and on the way out of Macy's Elian said, "Look, it's Papa on the TV!" (He likes to point out when people look like Mama or Papa.) According to Ed, he half expected to look up and see, and I quote, "A big fat guy with a bald head." But it was in fact Papa and Elian both on the security camera. Following that discovery, there was much waving and a bit of hopping.

I think the ride home on the bus was a little more exciting for the boy as he sat in the seat next to me and moved about enjoying the freedom from the usual restraint of the carseat.

And that, my friends, was our trip on the bus. Stay tuned for our next installment when Elian and Mama take a trip up north to stay at a cabin on a lake with Grandma, Grandpa and the cousins.