So Sunday morning we met up with everyone at the zoo. My mom and dad came down for the day also, which was a treat, and we could celebrate mom's 60th birthday! (Happy birthday mom!)

Henry again perseverated on the particular thing that he MOST wanted to see: the reptiles. That's what he had done at the aquarium also, but either he was more obnoxious about it the second day, or my tolerance and patience had been tapped out, because I found it more frustrating on Sunday. I wish I could help him "shut off" that part of his brain that makes him think "reptile house reptile house reptile house reptile house". He is missing out on all the other cool stuff that comes along on the way.

One attraction that continued from the previous day were waterfalls. Henry was willing to stop at look at any exhibit with a waterfall. If you are looking for waterfalls the next time you're at the zoo, you'll be surprised at how many you'll see! Here is Henry admiring the seals and their waterfall:



Grandma and Grandpa offered to take him straight to the reptiles, and the rest of us could follow the path around the zoo. At first I refused that, and wanted him to walk around with the rest of the group. But, as I said, I was getting pretty frustrated... So after a while they branched off with Henry, and then met up with us again later. That worked out just fine for everyone. Sometimes I just resist having to do things a different way to accommodate Henry. But it was his birthday weekend, after all.

We usually rent one of these buggies for the kids to ride in, in case they get tired. Notice that Henry is clutching one of his "prints". (A page printed from disney.com. He has at least one, if not several, with him at all times.) I guess, as interests/perseverations go, this one is pretty easy to manage. They are easy to carry and easy to replace if lost or damaged.


The Cincinnati Zoo has an insect building (ours does not). We went through quickly, but one thing that seemed to really fascinate Henry were the bees. They had one of those displays that is a cross-section of a real beehive- a tube leads out of the building, allowing the bees to come and go. Henry would have looked at those bees all day. I wouldn't mind getting an ant farm, but I don't think we'll be endorsing this interest in bees!
Here's something interesting that Henry does: whenever we finish an outing like this, we get in the car to drive home, and Henry says "I had such a good time at the zoo/aquarium/bowling alley/fair". It's like he wants to summarize the trip, or assign it into his memory. It's cute, and kind of amusing to the adults who maybe didn't have SUCH a good time. Maybe he is trying to re-write OUR memories: "don't think about the meltdowns I had, mommy. Just remember that I had such a good time!"
That evening we drove into downtown Cincinnati for their fireworks display. This was a bit tedious, because in order to park and get a good viewing spot, we had to arrive 1 1/2 hours before the fireworks were to start. Ugh. Henry was being so sweet and so patient. But every 10 minutes he would say "they are getting ready to start!" "The sun is going down!" And I'm looking at my watch and thinking "45 more minutes of this..." There were no bathroom facilities, of course, and our 2-year-old seemed to get a big kick out of peeing in the woods.
Thomas and I finally took a walk up a steep hill for the last 15 minutes. That was entertaining because we were in an area where hip young people live, and one house had hired a (loud) dj. Tommy solemnly covered his ears as we walked past, his Buzz Lightyear shoes lighting up as he walked. All the cool kids were smiling at him over their cool kid drinks.
You know, I never wish to be younger. I would much rather be a mom walking with her kid and waiting for the fireworks to start than be one of the cool kids, stumbling down the hill in their impractical shoes, text-messaging on their cool kid phones.
The fireworks, once they finally began, were awesome. The boys watched intently and exclaimed over the colors and patterns.
I think it has taken us all week to recover from the weekend.
(The picture seemed so small on my last post, I thought I would try again with a larger version.)