At the Zoo

We are involved in an organization called Angel's Hands, a foundation devoted to families with special needs children.  They focus on the whole family, not just those with disabilities--involving the siblings in the events as well.  We joined several months ago but because of timing and Chloe being so young, we hadn't been able to go to one of their monthly events.

They sponsored zoo passes and we were able to go to this event.  Being our first official outing all together, just us, it was definitely a trial.  River and Kai were fussy throughout the day.  Zuri did well until near the end, when she wanted to spend all her time at the splash pad, or to ride the carousel.  We were all done.  River didn't like riding in the stroller, she wanted to be out.  I think Kai just got tired of the stroller/wanted to be on the go.  He didn't like when we stopped to look at the animals.

About half way through the day, Zuri stopped at the lion water fountain and drank some water.  She said it tasted gross and then gulped down water from her water bottle.  On the way home, all three kids crashed.  Zuri even went straight to her bed and slept when we got home, which is completely unlike her.  I woke her just before dinner, and she complained of her tummy hurting, and I gave her some snack cookies we had left over from the zoo to tide her over.

The next thing I know, she had vomited all over.  For the next 24 hours she couldn't hold anything down, and was even more picky for the next week on the food she would eat.  I don't know if drinking from the water fountain was what caused the stomach bug, or if she caught something from my brother, who had been sick the day before (but he has other health issues going on as well).  Either way, it ended up not being a fun weekend for us.

Luckily, we did have some good moments at the zoo, and we are learning what works and what doesn't with three.  It's all an adjustment, that is for sure!

Our first kerfuffle happened before we even got into the zoo.  It was quite a cool morning but the forecast predicted temperatures in the 80's, so I set out shorts and a short sleeved shirt for Kai to wear.  Because I had mentioned that it was pretty cool outside, J saw a pair of pants (double layered, of course) near the clothes I had set out (I don't remember seeing them out at all) and put those on Kai instead of the shorts.  When we arrived at the zoo, it was already pretty warm, and Kai was obviously hot, so I wanted to put the shorts on him.  Well, the shorts didn't make it into the bag.  Oh no.  So what did we do?  We stripped off his pants and had him ride around in his diaper.  Oh, yes we did.

It is one of those things that I was pretty upset about at the time, but looking back, it really is kind of funny.  We covered him with a blanket to help keep the sun off him, and also for privacy. 





By the time we made it in the gates and had seen a couple animals, River was hungry, so J took Zuri and Kai to see more animals, and I fed River.  She fell asleep for about twenty minutes or so, which was a nice respite.


I love this shot--the way J and Zuri are looking out, with Kai right next to them.  It reminds me how awesome J is.

 Since the weather had been cooler and it was still fairly early in the day, quite a few of the animals were out and playing, which made it fun.
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While we got set up for lunch, Zuri played in the splash pad.  I think it was the highlight of her day, and she stopped whining about being hot (oh, I can't wait for summer, when it actually is hot :p ). 




Kai also enjoyed the lunch break.  He got to get out of his stroller and he was all smiles.
 






I think Zuri's favorite exhibit is the Rocky Shores, with the polar bear and the salt water fish tanks.  She kept going back and pointing everything out.  She will love the aquarium when we go. 



I love this picture because Zuri was pointing everything out to me, so excited, and one of the zoo workers started talking to Zuri and telling her about the creatures in the tank.  I love that she took that one-on-one time and was willing to do that little bit extra.





Toward the end of the day, both River and Kai were really fussy.  J and I decided to give in and call it a day.  When Zuri realized we were leaving and not going back to the splash pad, she also joined in the whining.  It was fun.  River calmed down while she was held, and by the time we made it out of the gates, both River and Kai had crashed. 




...but the kids weren't the only ones who were tired!  Guess who was also worn out from the day!