Zoo Day

At the beginning of August we went to the zoo with J's sister, Amanda, and her little boy.  It was a hot hot day, but luckily we got an early start.  Zuri's favorite part was the Rocky Shores exhibit, where she could see the polar bears, the seals, and the fish.  I think it was because she could get a lot closer to the animals, but I also think that she liked to see them swimming in the water.

By the end of our day the kids were all getting fussy (Kai included) because of the heat.  We were on our way out of the zoo when we passed by the Wildlife Theater and they were about to start a show.  We decided to take a chance with the kids and stopped in for the show.  The kids loved it, and Kai even fell asleep.  It was a good way to end our zoo adventure.

Each year the Hogle zoo adds more to its collection.  Next year they will open the African Savanna (which is under construction now) and we were able to see some pretty tall ostriches running around through the gate to the construction section.  Pretty cool!  This year they added a splash pad for the kids to run around in.  Very  nice.  Zuri had a blast, and it cooled her down for a while.  This summer has shown us just how much Zuri really doesn't like the heat.  At all.

We had the fortunate experience to go to the zoo at a time when there were several of booths set up promoting different businesses in the valley.  One of the businesses was Burg Pediatric Dentistry, which some family members work for.  Molar Man showed up (J's cousin-in-law, Keith) and they had face painting, games, prizes and more.  Zuri won the bean bag toss and chose a scorpion plastic toy as her prize (of all things).  She then had her face painted with a lizard (over a mermaid or a butterfly), and got a temporary tattoo of molar man.  She had fun, and kept wanting to see the lizard on her face. 
















It was hard to get her away from that tank.  She loved to watch the fish, the crabs, and the anemones


Made of legos!




She wanted to ride on the elephant trunk, which squirts water




Kai falling asleep.

Look at that tongue!

Spontaneous Playing

Kai still holds little interest in toys.  His fingers and blankets are his preferred "toy."  He will also play with his suction ballard and run it along the rails of the crib (as though he was in jail).  The other "toy" that he likes to play with is his vent syringe, which we hang from his mobile for convenience.  To help garner his interest in real "toys" we have a bunch that we hang from his mobile, some that lie in the crib with him, and others attached to his crib (to give resistance if/when he pulls on them).  He never touches those toys without guidance, and even then only has a short attention span with them.

So it came as quite a surprise when I heard the sound of one of his toys being jiggled around.  I discovered that not only did he pick up the toy completely on his own, but he was also playing with it, and long enough for me to grab my camera and get these shots. 



Once he dropped the toy without an interest in getting it back, I got out his musical bead toy (the one he "plays" with the most), and he had fun for another five minutes or so with that one.  I was really excited about the spontaneous play, thinking that maybe he was finally taking an interest in toys.  Unfortunately, that event has yet to be repeated.  Still, it is progress!

Jerrilyn's 70th

A few weeks ago we celebrated J's great aunt Jerrilyn's 70th birthday with a surprise party in Pleasant Grove.  We shared memories of Jerrilyn and had a great time reminiscing.  The kids enjoyed playing on the playground and spending time with each other.

Since it was in the evening as we drove down, both Zuri and Kai fell asleep in the car, but perked up once we got there!



Aunt Jerrilyn walking up.  I think she was surprised because she got emotional!

Aunt Peggy starting off the memories.


The playground.  How fun is that?

Zuri and her cousin.  They played together quite a bit at the family reunion and basically the whole time at the party, even though her cousin is five years older.  Zuri ate up the attention and had a blast.

 Children are curious about Kai, and we enjoy educating them.  Here J is explaining Kai's g-tube and vent system. 

Doctor in Training?

It really wouldn't surprise me if Zuri goes into the medical field when she grows up.  She loves to listen to her heart and lungs with the stethoscope, and she will practice on anyone that will let her.  She is fascinated with the blood flow in the body, and delights in telling people at random times all about it.  She wants to know 'why why why' and how things work, and all about the baby's growth.  I show her the pictures of a baby at each stage so she can see how the baby develops inside me.  Right now she says the baby has a "weird head" but each week she wants to see the changes as the baby looks more and more like a person.  

She can also be incredibly sweet and gentle with Kai, oftentimes when I am not "paying attention."  The picture below is a perfect example.  I caught her holding his hand while he was sleeping, and she was talking to him in a low voice.  I couldn't quite hear what she was saying, but I was able to get this picture before she noticed me.  She will also give him spontaneous hugs.  Most of the time, though, she pretty much ignores him, but is quick to tell me when he something is going on with him (ie upset, coughing, laughing, talking, spitting up, etc.  She knows how to silence his alarms (and when something is really wrong), although she usually leaves that up to us and only does it when we give her permission to do so.  I find her maturity in regards to Kai's equipment quite amazing.  

Visitor

Back in June we had an unexpected visitor frequent our yard eating the cherries that had fallen from our cherry tree.  Even though we live in the city, with all the green around us, it is sometimes easy to forget, especially when we get visitors like this one!


He hung out somewhere in the weeds in the gully.  I don't know where he may have escaped from, but he would squeeze underneath the gap in our gate and he enjoyed feasting on our cherries.  He was quite shy and would run anytime we came near him, running back out through the gate.  He even managed to climb up on the fence and get into our neighbor's cherry tree.  Our neighbor thought we were pulling a prank on him until we showed him it really was a live rooster.

As all things must, our visitor couldn't stay long and he was relocated to a better home, but we had fun for the couple days he was around!

Seeing Pink

The results of the poll were split equally for a boy or a girl.  My Facebook poll wasn't so equalized.  The majority of people said "boy!"  The Chinese horoscope said "boy!"  However, it looks as though we are having a GIRL!

We are excited for another girl.  After I had posted the Bundle of Joy post, J told me that he is actually hoping for a girl; a sister for Zuri (that and the monetary cost would be a lot less since we already have girl toys).  When we told Zuri that she really is going to have a baby sister, she got all excited, putting her hands up to her face dramatically and saying, "a sister!"  It was adorable.  She is still set on the name Tree-on.  Tree-on Tree.  Of course she calls herself "Zuri Ballerina Superstar."  The Superstar is new.

I have to admit, I was more than a little nervous for the ultrasound.  You see, I haven't had positive experiences with ultrasounds.  It was on an ultrasound that we discovered Zuri's SUA (single umbilical artery), and the beginning of Kai's problems seemed to start.  Up until the ultrasound, I had been blissfully unaware that something wasn't right with my precious babies.  

The baby was stubborn in the ultrasound, having the umbilical cord tucked between her legs and never giving us a clear shot of her girl parts.  However, the ultrasound tech and the doctor are about 95% certain she is a girl.  There were a few other areas that we were also unable to see clearly--her spine, her heart (we were able to tell it is a four chamber heart), and her lip.  What that means is that I will be going in for another in-depth ultrasound next month.  From what we have been able to see so far, everything looks great.  The results from the genetic screenings have come back normal.  We only have one caveat--she is looking small.  Small enough that they may push my due date into the beginning of January instead of the end of December.  Not a big deal at this point but something to watch, especially since my other two children have been under five pounds.

One of my concerns was that I hadn't really felt her yet.  A little flutter here and there, but nothing that could be definite.  We found that the placenta is right in front, so it is cushioning her movements from me right now.  She was very active in the ultrasound and several times turned her face right into the camera.  She also liked to swipe her hand out (as though she was waving) with her fingers spread wide.  It was fun to see.  There is also the fact that she is sitting right on top of my bladder.  No wonder I have had to go to the bathroom so much!