Penguins have names like Fiona and Tyrone and Louis

Apparently the rest of the country is buried under snow, but here in Seattle we are having GORGOUS weather (complete with sunshine AND warmth!), so we had to get out of the house to do something more exciting than grocery shopping at Costco. So we headed on up to the Woodland Park Zoo to renew our yearly membership and see some animals! Potamus has been obsessed with making animal noises (his particular favorite is the chimpanzee, which I have NO idea where he learned that from…haha).

I realized when we parked, that I had brought a 2 year old to the zoo without a stroller as tired-leg-backup. What’s fun about going places with kids is that it’s new every time. He squealed and pointed and even drew the attention of passerbys who even said “wow, he’s really excited.” I don’t like to stifle his excitement, because FUCK YEAH PENGUINS ARE COOL BABY! I guess I didn’t notice all the ‘well behaved’ (aka quiet) kids at the zoo who ooh and ahh with tiny exasperated adult voices…because my kid has enthusiasm just like his mom.

 

On our way out we stopped back at the penguin exhibit and watched them get fed. I was struck by the zookeeper who was calling out their names as he threw them a fish. Hey Tyrone, here you go! Fiona, you need your vitamins too! Louis, eat the fish, don’t drop it that seagull will get it! I was fascinated, because of course penguins have personalities and you would know them, but I found the names funny. I think a children’s book called “A Penguin Named Tyrone” would be cute. Anyone want to write that?

Heat wave hits Seattle: We hit the zoo

playing in the boat at the penguin exhibit

Potamus has been avoiding naps like they’re poison, so instead of laying in bed trying AGAIN and AGAIN to nurse him to sleep, we hit the zoo and I figured that a nap would happen if it needed to happen. Plus, it’s the first summer heat wave day, and I figured it would be fun to get out and get some sun!

Now that Potamus can walk…er…run…the zoo is much more fun! He kept up with me for the first hour, and then got whiny so I pushed him in the stroller. He loved the penguins, of course, but was also really enthralled with things like…sewer drains. Ha!

the elusive sewer monster lives here. it’s a little known park attraction.

look mama, a penguin!

Yesterday Potamus had his 18 month checkup, and he took the shots like a champ. Turns out he’s a little over 25lbs, and is almost 32 inches long. I can’t believe how fast he’s growing up! But…I wish he’d take a freaking nap 🙂

A day of rest that includes a zoo visit

We played hooky from church (or the idea of going to church) and headed to the zoo. In Seattle we have to make plans regardless of weather forecasts, and luckily the rain held off while we explored a new section of the zoo. Potamus loved the penguins again, but really seemed to think the jaguar was the coolest.

After we got home it was naptime, and I was ready to try my hand at napping, too…about thirty minutes into my sunshine nap on the couch, Potamus woke up…so I punted.

The benefit of still nursing is that I still have this magical power of soothing. His nap had been truncated, so I transferred us to our bed, and BAM, we were out like a light for TWO hours. Holy hell it was amazing, and definitely fits the Sunday day of rest idea. Perhaps I need to embrace co-napping a little bit more!

Seattle Faux Spring: Woodland Park Zoo edition

Embracing another Seattle Spring day, Potamus and I headed on up to the Woodland Park Zoo to visit with a friend. He really enjoyed seeing the penguins, but was afraid of the giraffes and meerkats. He was pretty indifferent to the ADORABLE lion cubs, but it could have been the massive crowd of people surrounding the windows. He maxed out at about 1:30 minutes, so I’m happy that we have a year zoo pass to go back and keep exploring! I’m excited about trying the Zoomazium indoor place on a rainy day!

A Regular Zoo around here…

We got the nicknames Boof and Monk-Monk while on a trip to California a few years ago. Boof’s cousin’s son had these adorable little blankets with animal heads on them, an elephant and a monkey (you can guess which one Monk-Monk was, ha!). We thought they were cute and so we playfully started calling each other Boof and Monk-Monk.

We were a family of two, an elephant and a monkey (plus our real life doggy), and then we had Baby Boof, which we have begun affectionately calling Potamus (short for hippopotamus). We make quite a little jungle family, an elephant, a monkey, a hippo and a real life dog. I’m even thinking I need one of those window decals that are so popular, but instead of stick people, we need cute little jungle animals…

So in a turn of events, Boof has had the opportunity to stay home with our little tribe for the past week.I realize now how hard it must be for a single mom to raise a family, as it is nice to have adult company around the house (even if it is wating him play video games) and to have the ability to hand the Potamus off to someone when I want to pee or shower or put mascara on. I’ve noticed that my mood has increased dramatically with the additional help around the house during the day (and the sunshine that we are having currently), but then I have moments of sheer boredom and restlessness where the house feels like it is not quite big enough for a monkey, elephant hippo and real-life dog to co-exist peacefully. Perhaps it’s cabin fever, so I’ve gotten outside on a walk the past few days, but sometimes I feel like I’m living in a zoo!