On Friday we went to the Jasper Johns exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. I have no particular love for Johns -- though I enjoyed looking at his paintings when I was studying contemporary art in college -- but this outing was less about the art and more of a test to see if I could do a museum with the baby.

Result: I could, although it took about 10 times longer than it would have taken me without the baby.

10:15 Leave apartment building.

10:20 Baby falls asleep in car. Drive around East and West Potomac Parks while baby sleeps.

11:00 Good parking space stolen by @#$% in huge SUV.

11:10 Find a better parking space. Ha!

11:15 Feed baby and change diaper before going into museum.

11:40 Enter museum, go straight to bathroom.

11:50 Try to give baby supplemental bottle in cafeteria. No luck; there's too much for him to look at.

12:05 Well ... Now I'm hungry. Buy overpriced sandwich at cafe because I forgot a snack for myself. Counter workers coo at baby. Baby cries.

12:15 Enter exhibit.

12:35 Exit exhibit. Find bathroom again.

12:40 Baby starts to fuss. Leave museum.

12:45 Walk fussy baby around the Mall in stroller until he falls asleep. Avoid hordes of high school tourists, government workers out for lunchtime jogs, and a woman eating a 16-oz block of cheddar cheese straight from the wrapper.

1:15 Get back in car and head home.

I thought the baby might like some of the paintings, and he did seem to glance at a few.

But he was far more taken with the other museum visitors. He would watch someone across the room, wait to catch her eye, then flash her his big, goofy grin, with his little tongue sticking out.