♪♫ What a Day This Has Been...♪♫ Swim Lessons, the Zoo and a Visit to the NICU

Another fabulous day.  With an early beginning.

Tawna had an 8am appointment this morning so Maya and Brennan came over around 7:45.  My kids stayed up playing last night and were still sound asleep.  So I got out the Play-Doh and trains for Brennan.  The kids did finally get up around 8:30.  It was really sweet that when Maya and Brennan followed me down the hall to wake them up, Landon stretched and smiled and said, "Good good morning, Brennan!"

Suddenly everyone was hungry for Froot Loops so even those who had already eaten got a second breakfast.  I love the quirky things about kids.  I don't think they grasp the idea of "mealtimes".  We're trying to get Trevy to understand that she's hungry because she doesn't eat and if you get down from the table and leave a burrito behind, it's fair game for someone else to eat because you're obviously done.

In any case, we weren't the speediest this morning and we were a bit late to swimming lessons.  You might think that being late to a half hour lesson should be enough for me to just say skip it, but I think even 15 minutes is better than nothing and I don't want my kids to discover that if they make mom late enough, they don't have to go.  (Our big hangup this morning - only water in the sippies and a solo bag of goldfish.  Good grief!)

Trevy did get in the water again.  I thought Callie was actually going to go this time but no.  Landon never even got his swim trunks on.

We raced home from swimming lessons to get everyone dressed to meet with a group of family members at the zoo.  I nursed Timmy quickly before we left, after instructing the kids that I needed them to go potty (did I mention that Landon has decided to be potty trained too?  He's been virtually stellar for three weeks now), put on dry clothes and get in the car.  The response I got was slightly less than what I had anticipated.  The kids scattered and found toys.  Timmy ended up having to eat on the go because things weren't getting done with me sitting down.  (Sadly, I think our nursing days are numbered.  I am now only nursing about four times a day if that.  It's sad to think of that special bonding time coming to an end, but, at the same time, relieving to think that I can start working on a new bedtime routine with Timmy.  Preferably one that will allow me to put him down at the same time every night and help him sleep through the night!)

I had to help the girls find clothes and then I asked them to please put them on.  Then I went to fill up sippies.  Callie got dressed, no shoes.  Trevy decided to play Legos.  I asked her again to get dressed and went to divvy up three bags of goldfish.  Trevy moved on to trains.  Such was the way of it for several askings.  Rather frustrating.  We were starting to run late yet again.  Not sure why she won't just get dressed the first time I ask her (this is not a singular incident).  Next time I think I'm going to ask everyone to get dressed and pass out the snacks to those who respond the first time.

The zoo was great!  Hot, but great.  Grandma arrived with JC and Tesa shortly after we did so we met up with Bridgette and Sharon, Preston, Genevieve and Emery at the front gates.  We started with the big animals.  No tiger today, but the elephants are always there, bless them.

Candid group shot.

 Smaller group shot.  =)

This was incredible.  I have never seen baby peacocks before and one mommy had three little ones following her. 

Note the sprinklers here...

Normally we don't get to see the rhinos doing much either.  Here you get the rhino raising his/her head with the peachicks just above the horn.

Trevy said to me, "The rhinos have_____"  (I can't remember exactly what she said, but that's not the cute part.)  I told her, "The rhinos have sprinklers."  She repeated, "Sprinklers?"  Yes.  "So the rhinos should run through the sprinklers?"

Cute Timmy making a mess of his goldfish.  His sippy is drippy so he poured it all over himself and the goldfish.  The little cupholder on the stroller looked like it had cheese whiz in it.  Nasty!

 The bulldozer is still there.

 Love this one.

I tried to get Landon in this shot of the boy cousins too but he's not as cooperative as JC.  (Preston was posing for another picture.)  It's funny that Emery looks bigger than Timmy in this picture because I think he's a little smaller.  Or about the same size.  He's just stretched out.

Apparently it's the season for having babies at the zoo because there was also a mommy duck and her three ducklings in the anteater enclosure.

Watching the anteaters.  (I told Tesa she either needed to smile or I would catch her in one of those random candid photo moments that nobody likes.  I never did. =( )

 My crazy monkey girls!

All aboard Mount Dunghill!

 (Doesn't Callie look older in this photo?!  Where did my babies go?)

Continuing on through South America, Trevy assured me that the jaguar's name is Bagheera and that we have "crocs" in our zoo.

Somehow we became separated from the rest of the group and it was just Bridgette and me with Trevlyn, Landon and Callie.  We stopped to see the capybara and Trevy asked if they have claws.  Bridgette said, "No, they have webbed feet" and gestured to the sketch of the capybara's foot on the wall.  The nails are black.  "So they paint their nails?"  (Yes, I don't think repeating these precious moments is nearly as good as hearing them as they happened.  I just love the way Trevy's mind works.  It's fascinating to see how kids put things together.  Though wrong, you can see why rhinos should run through sprinklers and capybaras should paint their nails.

We then went to lunch and returned home around 2:30.  I was sure that at least someone would take a nap, preferably everyone, after getting up early and being out in the hot sun on the go for three hours at the zoo.  So I let the kids watch Robots while they layed on the couch.  Alas, NOBODY fell asleep!  Not even Timmy.

But he did give in right after dinner.  I put him down about 6:00.  That turned out to be a short-lived nap as Landon, his greatest admirer (it truly is sweet how much Landon loves Timmy.  He hugs on him - a little too tightly sometimes - and tries to play with him and carry him around on a regular basis) had climbed into the crib with him and woken him up.

Which actually turned out to be rather advantageous.  I wanted to get back over to the NICU to see Laurel, Timmy's first primary.  She is on tonight and tomorrow night.  I thought tonight wasn't going to work because Timmy would be so tired from such a busy day but no.  He was still up and going strong when James got back at 9:20 from helping the bishop.  (Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one.  I have no idea why the kids are staying up so late and not napping all of a sudden.  I even had them help me pick up their room before they went to bed and suddenly there was a new train yard on the floor.  In the dark!  They were tucked in at 8.)

So, since James was home reasonably early and Timmy was still awake, I went over to the NICU and got to see a number of good friends.

The first to come through the door was Francesca.  She's due in December!  Can't wait to find out what she's having.  (Apparently it's a popular thing to be having 2011 babies!  I feel like I'm surrounded by pregnant women and newborn infants!  Speaking of, congratulations Tim and Emily!  Can't wait to meet Baby Jake!  He was born, well, yesterday now, at about 6:40pm.  A healthy 8 lb. 10 oz. bundle of sweetness!)

Vanessa was there too.  She just has such a great personality.  I loved having both of them in Timmy's room, although neither of them got to have Timmy very often until his last couple of weeks.

Timmy didn't make as many sounds as I had hoped he would, but we did also get to see Mary Ann and Lisa.  Still trying to convince Mary Ann to take her little boyfriend on a date.  So far it isn't working.  Then we walked with Laurel out to her car to get the birthday present she had for Timmy.  Such a cute little doggy outfit!  We'll definitely have to go in for another visit when he's old enough to fit into it.  (I was very touched that Lisa remembered Timmy's preemie overalls and how much I liked them. 

He was given another pair for his birthday so I'll try to take him back in when he fits the 9-month clothes.)

Laurel and Timmy

 Timmy with Laurel, Francesca and Vanessa

 
We also got to see Doug, Allison and Ginny.  So many fond memories!  And yet more are made every time we go back!  I had a great talk with Allison about kindergarten.  Her daughter, Mia, turns six September 10th, two days before Trevy turns five, and she will be starting kindergarten this year.  Allison said she had heard the same things I have heard about people repeating kindergarten or first grade or just always feeling behind.  I really think that the best thing for us will be to give Trevy another year at home with as many social opportunities as possible and start looking for the school that will best fit her early in the fall for next year.

It was honestly just wonderful to see Laurel again.  She had Timmy his first night in the NICU and I'll never forget her asking me if I wanted to hold him, after being told shortly after his birth that I might not get to that night.  She was always so good about setting us up for kangaroo kare, which can be a little awkward with people you haven't met.  She was also the one who fought for an intervention when Timmy wasn't pooping and his stomach was getting bigger and bigger.  I do credit her with saving his life.  If she hadn't fought to have the surgeons take a look at him, we could have had an outcome far worse than an abdominal scar that transverses his entire belly.

We also discussed the fires in Sierra Vista and the Alpine area.  The entire state of Arizona needs rain so desperately!  Hoping the monsoons start really early this year!

Laurel also showed me a picture of a wedding cake she recently did and gave me some decorating tips.  Now I'm excited to give it a go again.  Wedding cakes are tricky.  You can't frost them too far in advance and you certainly can't leave the baking until the day before either.  It does make me sad that I wasn't able to make Lisa or Cindy's wedding cake last year.  Such bad timing.  But it's okay!  I already have four children I can make wedding cakes for.  And I have at least 20 years to practice! =)

I could go on and on for a while about our visit to the NICU but I think that some things are better left private anyway.  As always, many, many thanks to everyone who came out to see us and for those who weren't there but played such a crucial role in Timmy's first four months of life!  We love and miss you all!