All Worth It

Today I decided to take Kaitlyn back to the zoo (yes, we've been before - no I haven't posted it on here yet, but I will and backdate it) :) June was members month and since I bought a season pass back in March I could get in an hour early on Mondays. I decided to take advantage of that today and it was so great! There were not that many people there and the zoo treated us so nicely! There were demonstrations being done, prizes, and they even gave out free water bottles and snacks. The lack of the crowd was my favorite thing though, well, that and it being early so it wasn't hot yet.

I still get a little stressed though taking Kaitlyn out by myself, especially somewhere like the zoo. I feel like all the other moms are pros and I'm still learning. Even the ones with babies, I feel know more than me. They move their strollers with such ease and I feel like I struggle. They take their babies out with no problem and I'm fighting with the straps. I know I'm crazy, but that's just what it seems like to me sometimes. So as I struggled to open the door to the penguin part of course there are lots of the "pro moms" in there. They all have their kids close to the glass taking pictures and what not and here I am with my little nine month old wanting her just to look in the right direction. There were two parts of the glass and I quickly took Kaitlyn to the one where nobody was that was a bit off to the side. Then something happened that made everything worth it. One little penguin came right up to the glass and looked right at Kaitlyn. She caught sight of him and laughed and smiled. Then the penguin open his beak and acted like he was talking to her. Kaitlyn was in love. And so was her mommy. I really almost cried right there. All the struggles with the stroller, all the "what do I get out/put it the car first" questions, all the "what in the world am I doing?" were all worth it for that one moment where my daughter was eye to eye with a penguin and loving every single second. I was only sad I couldn't get a picture. That's the bad thing about going with her by myself. Nobody is there to take pictures of the two of us. But I'll always have that memory in my mind.

And I'm not gonna lie. I also loved being able to leave right before 10:00 when the general public got to come in. There were so many people at the gate and I just strolled on by them to the exit. Maybe then I looked like a mom that knew what she was doing. :)


Here she is in front of the gorillas. I caught her at the very beginning of a cough, but we'll just say she was trying to do her gorilla impression. :)


Her favorite thing still seems to be the flamingos. She could stay just like she is in this picture all day and be happy I think. Maybe it's because they are more on her eye level. Who knows? But I did have to buy here a little stuffed one that "barks" at the zoo shop. :)