Zoo

Chris had last Saturday off, which isn’t always the case during residency, so we actually went somewhere. We are always disappointed when we end up spending his days off running errands, cleaning the house, or just sitting at home. So late Friday night we decided we would drive down to the Columbia Zoo in the morning. Our original plan was to take the dog on a family hike, but we discovered that she has a sore on one of her paws, so she needed to stay home.

We started the day an hour later than usual because Miles tried to wake up an hour earlier than usual, so I brought him into bed with us (even though Chris always reminds me that it isn’t safe). The only thing rushing us out the door was that McDonald’s stops serving breakfast at 10:30; Chris even gave me a time reminder while I was getting ready. The man loves his egg biscuits.

The drive took about two hours; during which time Miles slept. I found a nice shady spot when we first arrived to nurse, and after a quick diaper change (being careful not to touch anything around us), we were off to see the animals.

I’m not the biggest fan of zoos, what with the smell and the sad animals in their little habitats that you can never see because they are always sleeping, but I knew that once I had children I would have to make some concessions. But really, watching Chris at a zoo is almost as exciting as watching a child. I had to remind him several times not to take so many pictures of the animals because we don’t need 50 pictures of giraffes.

Miles seemed pretty indifferent to the whole experience, which seemed to disappoint Chris. The only time Miles really showed interest was in the aquarium where he actually talked to the fish. We didn’t, however, spend much time in there because it was a little crowded, but I guess that’s to be expected when the weather is warm on an October Saturday.

I wish I had taken video because Miles was talking pretty loudly at those fish. If only I had let Chris bring his fish tank with him when we moved.

Don’t you love his safari hat? And you can’t tell, but his shirt has a monkey on it. Our outfits must always be appropriate for the occasion.

Isn’t he cute??

After we walked most of the zoo, we walked to the botanical garden where Chris kept expressing his desire to have one in our next backyard. He apparently needs a paved path where he can pace while on the phone. He needs a shade garden. He needs a water feature. He needs a forest path. He needs a lot of land.

After the garden, we finished the day with a few more animals and then got back in our car where Miles slept the whole time again. What a great baby.

What a great day.

I only wish I had taken a picture of our lunch. Going to the zoo, I anticipate spending more money than necessary on food, but I also expect the food to fill me. While I was trying to secure us a shady table, Chris went into get our food. I told him to get me the Italian Sub without seeing one. When he came out, we both had to laugh at their poor excuse for a sandwich. I couldn't even see the meat.