04/10/2007

It's a beautiful day in Houston! Nathan Paul and I just got back from the Houston Zoo. Usually our first stop is the aviary, but since we've seen the birds countless times, I passed by that exhibit and we spent today looking at the 'hooved animals.' Nathan was unimpressed by the zebras. I tried pointing out that both he and the zebra were wearing their striped shirts today, but unimpressed is unimpressed and Nathan pleaded with me to move on. Next was the rhino exhibit. Also too bland for Nathan's liking. I was beginning to lose faith in the Houston Zoo when something caught Nathan's eye. He started laughing, squealing, and pointing. I looked around to determine what he'd spotted. It was a chicken. These birds aren't even part of an exhibit...they just roam the zoo freely...but there we were, caught in a cliche (the chicken was crossing the road to get to the other side), and suddenly Nathan was giving his full attention. Did I pay to become a zoo member so we could be mesmerized by fowl? Apparently.

The other highlight of our visit was the petting zoo. This is usually a hit with Nathan as he assumes the goats are dogs and is thus thrilled. Today the zoo was providing brushes to those of us entering the petting zoo (perhaps this is a money-saving technique...let the customers brush the goats and then you don't need to pay someone else to do it). Nathan refused to leave until he had brushed every goat. Even after every animal had been carefully groomed, it was with great reluctance that Nathan relinquished his brush and took leave. However, it was with unequaled enthusiasm that Nathan undertook the task of washing his hands. The zoo had set up a sink with a stool so that even the smallest visitors could wash their hands independently. I put Nathan on that stool, showed him how the soap dispenser worked, turned on the water, and boy! I bet we stood and bathed for 10 or 15 minutes. Fully cleaned and slightly pruney we left for home. Nathan probably wasn't ready to leave, but his Mom was exhausted!

The busy toddler is currently roaming the house. It has gotten dangerously quiet--silence is always a worrisome sound for me. It generally means he has found a means of entertaining himself and most often is simultaneously reeking havoc somewhere around the house. Here we go again...