First Trip to the ZOO!

I have been looking forward to taking Banner to the Zoo ever since I discovered I was pregnant.  I don't know what it is, but visiting the zoo felt like a milestone somehow.  Of course, Banner is still too little to do much more than stare at the animals, point and declare everything furry and on four legs to be a "DA" (a.k.a. "Dog"), but it was still fun to cart him around and see the "What the heck is THAT" expression on his face as he saw all the strange creatures hop, climb, stomp and scurry around the enclosures in front of him.

This was the first Monday that my mom had been able to join Banner and I on a "Mondays with Mommy" outting.  We met at 12:30 in the Bishop Arts District for lunch, where Banner had his first taste of rice and tamale (big fan).  Grammy Pammy was especially thrilled because another restaurant patron asked if she was my mother-in-law.  Apparently, the lady did not see any resemblance between me and my mom, but thought Banner looked just like Grammy Pammy (hence the assumption that I was having lunch with my mother-in-law).  All this goes to further prove that my baby looks like everyone except the one who carried him for 42 weeks.  Sigh.

(It is also kind of funny because I've frequently been told that I favor my mother - especially in the face.  Maybe I'm growing out of it?  If so, too bad.  My mother is very pretty.  And I'm not just saying that because Christmas is around the corner.)

Anyway, after lunch, we headed to the zoo.  It was a beautiful afternoon, and the time just flew by.  We will have to go back, because there are so many animals we didn't have time to see before closing.  I forgot how big the zoo is now that they have the "Wilds of Africa" exhibit.  The zoo I grew up with is now referred to simply as "The Children's Zoo" (which, granted, sounds better than "the old zoo").  The place must be twice as big now than when I was a kiddo.  So much to see and do! 

No. I have no idea why I am standing so strangely.

Petting Tank, the pony.  He can't go for a ride until he is 12 months. 

Piggies!

Waving at the monkeys...

Mom: "Too bad, Banner. The rhino must have gone inside to bed."

Me: "What are you talking about?"

Mom: "The rhino. I guess he went inside because he isn't outside anymore."

Me: "You mean that rhino right there?"

Mom: "Oh. There he is."

Me: "How did you miss the giant rhino twenty feet away from you?"

Mom: "The sun was in my eyes."

Me: "Thank goodness we aren't on safari."

Mom:  "I wonder where the inside-the-penguin exhibit is."

Me:  "Like a penguin autopsy? Because ohmygosh."

Mom: "No. The one they are always advertising."

Turns out she was talking about the creepy koala exhibition being advertised on the back of the DART buses.  The exhibit actually isn't creepy in the slightest.  But that only might be because the koalas were all asleep when we visited and hence had their demonic red eyes closed.

The male lion roared as we walked up to the enclosure.  Every one ran up and tried to take his picture, but Banner just looked disinterested and bored.  However, he was all about the giraffes.  I kept wondering if the small one was James' Jamie.  Just like James, Banner gravitates towards all things giraffe in his nursery.  His favorite is his wubbanub, which he sleeps with every night.

We ended our afternoon at the gorilla exhibit, where the two residents were involved in a domestic dispute over the available nesting materials in the corner.  Since it was getting a little chilly outside, we opted to watch the action from the indoor viewing area while Banner had a quick bottle.

They start closing the zoo down at four now that daylight savings has ended, but the security guard was very nice and waited patiently while Banner finished.  I was so grateful not to be rushed!  Ban is not a fan of having his bottles (or snacks) taken away - especially when he is hungry.

I can't wait to go back once Banner is old enough to run around, climb and explore.  Then the zoo really will be a wonderland for him.  Not that he wasn't interested this time around, mind you.  It is just that I am pretty sure my little ten month old thought he saw 20 different subspecies of dogs this afternoon instead of lions, elephants, camels, rhinos, kangaroos, monkeys, giraffes and flamingos.

Maybe we will go back when Banner is learning his animal sounds?  How much fun would it be to roar at the lions and oink at the piggies?! I am rediscovering all these things and places through the eyes and experiences of my child.  Mondays with Mommy = Best.Idea.EV-VER.