Zoo Visit

After my "Defeated" post, I decided The Lime was acting out because we were staying in. So I looked up some free/inexpensive things that we could do, to hopefully avoid future meltdowns from both parties.

I found out the zoo was offering free admission for kids every Wednesday in July, with the help of Wells Fargo (glad they can do something right). We haven't been to the zoo around here yet so I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to check it out.

When I paid for my admission, they gave us each a token to vote for some sort of animal conservation program. The Lime was more concerned about watching his token go round and round rather than which animal to help.

He totally looks like he's pooping in this picture.  I assure you, he's not.

We first came across these lemurs that we thought resembled an ugly panda with a tail.

While sneaking a peek at the lemurs, we kept hearing this LOUD whooping sound.  Now that I think about it, it sounded like Bobo from Finding Bigfoot.  It wasn't Bigfoot we were hearing, but Littlefoot (I don't remember what type of primate it was).

Picking on each other...ah ah ah!

Then we caught a brief glimpse of the orangutans before they hid in their little cave, out of the hot sun.

On the way to the chimps, we passed the zebras and an ostrich (no picture) that had its feathers all ruffled.

The chimps were quite the characters, as usual.  The Lime immediately commented on the bum of one, as did the other kids around us (it was channeling its inner baboon).  One came right up to the glass while another was lounging in a tree branch.

I tried to snap a picture of the tigers but they stayed in the rear of their pen(?) and wouldn't stop moving.  The lion, on the other hand, was front and center, pacing back and forth.

The giraffes and their insanely long necks were around the corner.  All of the animals seemed closer at this zoo than the others we've been to.  A good thing or a bad thing?  Good for pictures, a bit scary for safety.

As close as he's ever going to get to a giraffe

Notice the one in the middle has a slightly different pattern?  The brown is a smidge darker and the cream is not as smooth looking.

 

The Lime saw a sculpture of an alligator and really wanted to see a real one, even though he has a slight fear.  Unfortunately, there were only fake ones.  Fortunately, there was a toy dump truck in the same area and he quickly forgot about the alligator.

As if that play break wasn't enough, we then spent another chunk of time at a tiny playground they had set up.  When we got to the frog trying to eat the dragonfly, he asked, "Why is it throwing up?!"  It wasn't throwing up, it was just the frog's tongue extended to reach the bug.  Silly kid.

They also had a slide that I think was a snake?  It wasn't very slidable so The Lime walked down it, as did the 20 million other kids.

Whoops!  Looks like he did slide down once.

Last but not least, we saw the pink and stinky flamingos.

With The Lime's free admission, we also got a pass for the carousel.  Once he got on Nemo, I took a picture of us and found that I had been walking around with red lipstick on my chin for most of the morning.  I need to teach The Lime to tell me these things!

Poor thing was SO sweaty!  But he insists on wearing pants and his hat.

Before leaving, The Lime wanted to browse through the gift shop, which is really just filled with overpriced junk.  Although I was tempted to buy this.

And despite him not wanting me to take his picture, The Lime stopped at almost every face cutout but never stood long enough for me to snap a good one.

On our way back to the car, The Lime wanted to check out the fountain at the Charles Swanston statue.

Had it not been time for lunch, I would have driven around the area and investigated what else there was to offer.  The houses are adorable and I've read positive things about the park.

Looks like we'll have to add that to our list of things to do.

What a Day!

Last Saturday was filled with two exciting trips to the grocery store. When we found out it was going to be so hot this weekend, we agreed to get out of the house and do something fun.

The morning started at 5:30 when my alarm first went off. I rolled over to see how light it was outside and decided it wasn't light enough so I reset it for 5:45. The temptation to stay in bed was strong but I really need to start training for the walk and with how hot it was going to be, I needed an early start. I was dressed, fed, stretched, and ready to go by 6:15. Despite stepping in a huge puddle and having soaked feet for over 4 miles, the 6.5 mile walk felt good.

I got home in less than two hours and immediately started getting ready, since the boys were both still asleep. While I finished my routine, LaVor looked up some places where we could go to cool off. By 9:30, we were out the door, headed for Donner Lake.

The whole way there, The Lime said he would stay in the car and watch LaVor and me play in the water (Yikes! He totally got that from me! That's what I say when he and LaVor run through the sprinklers.) but once he saw the lake, he decided it would probably be more fun to participate.

Everyone had the same idea as we did and the lake was packed. We drove a little further down the freeway and ended up finding a nice spot in a calm section of the Truckee River. The Lime and LaVor immediately jumped in while I admired from the "shore". It only took me a few minutes before the heat from the sun forced me into the water, as well, and it was cold!

LaVor brought his chair into the river and it provided a nice combination of just enough water to keep you cool but still being able to feel the warmth of the sun over a majority of your body.

The water was amazing and completely inviting. Raft after raft passed us of people just floating along. Combine the relaxation with the serene scenery and it was a perfect combination.

There was the cutest red canoe across the river from us. We think it belonged to a cabin nearby, but I really wanted to take it home and mount it somewhere :o)

We took a break from playing in the water and passed around some snacks.

I had been eating cashews and asked LaVor if he wanted some. He did, so I tossed the bag over to where he and The Lime were sitting. The Lime immediately said, "I don't like cashews!" even though he's never tried one. LaVor offered one to him and after licking it, he decided it might not be so bad after all. After a few bites, he started crying but it wasn't a normal cry. He was saying his mouth/throat hurt and his mouth was filling up with saliva. We weren't sure if he choked on a little piece, or if maybe he didn't chew well enough and a rough edge got him. Then the thought of him having an allergic reaction popped into our heads. Within about a minute, we grabbed all of our things and rushed back to the car, while The Lime continued crying.

The Lime has had horrible seasonal allergies and has suffered with itchy eyes, a runny nose, and a never ending cough. He started coughing at the river and continued to do so for the next hour. We were on the hunt for Benadryl and stopped at 7-11, since it was the first store we saw. LaVor returned with a blue slurpee but no medicine so we continued down the road. It was obvious The Lime wasn't feeling good (aside from the crying and hacking) but when he didn't touch the slurpee, that's when we knew something was wrong. We finally found a drug store and while getting the Benadryl, The Lime took a few sips of his drink. A small relief, as at least he could swallow. But I think the cold made his cough worse which made him cry more because it made his stomach hurt. Meanwhile, his eyes were itching like crazy and he started to get a few bumps on his neck.

He took the medicine and we rushed down the freeway, hoping to find the nearest hospital (which ended up being an hour away). The Lime was extremely irritable and continued to cough until the Benadryl kicked in and he was able to fall asleep, as I sat next to him staring at his chest to ensure it was moving up and down.

Since his condition improved on the ride home, we opted not to stop at the hospital but continue on to our house. While things were scary for a while, we were relieved when our prayers were answered and he woke up his normal self. When we offered him a strawberry shake with french fries and he grinned from ear to ear, we knew our kiddo was back.

Nuts have not been an issue with him before so we didn't give it a second thought when we offered him one. But I will most certainly be calling his Doctor on Monday to set up some tests.

And we'll keep the cashews under lock and key.

State Fair

My dad called me Monday morning, inviting us to the fair with the rest of the family.

Growing up, we would come up to Sacramento over Labor Day weekend for a miniature family reunion.  We would go to the fair on Saturday and go river rafting on Sunday with a BBQ that night.  Unfortunately, I don't have the fondest memories of the fair during that time due to gunshots, fights, and a rough crowd overall.  So this was the fair's chance to redeem itself.

We got there fairly early, before the crowds and the heat.  Our eyes caught a familiar sight...Lightning McQueen!  (Isn't he copyrighted?)

Defeated

That's the word I used to describe how I was feeling when I was talking to my sister the other day. The Lime has simply defeated me, won, overtaken the role of "boss".

I don't know how many times I've used the phrase, "I'm done" this week. Which is probably the reason why I can't get pregnant - I can barely handle the one I have, why would Heavenly Father throw another one into the mix?

Right after I had The Lime, my mom was over one night and said, "You guys are probably going to have six kids!" Parenthood was coming naturally to us, things were running smoothly, nursing was a breeze, I was calm and collected. There is only one night that I can remember where The Lime wouldn't sleep and we thought we were losing our minds. But really, we've been spoiled with the simplicity of raising a kid. Until he hit 3.

I know it's our fault, as we're the ones he's learning everything from. I don't know if it's because he's an only child, because we don't spoil him (at least I don't think we do), although I do admit to caving in sometimes to avoid having to listen to the whining and crying. But I've told LaVor every day, "I don't know what to do!" I am simply lost as to how to fix things.

My short temper certainly doesn't help the situation and I'm trying really hard to think before I react. I'm trying to pick my battles because, really, do we need to fight about him wearing jeans when it's 100 degrees outside? The constant "No!" and ignoring me completely is what gets my blood boiling. He simply doesn't listen, which might be normal for a three year old. I don't know, I've never raised one before.

This week has left me with a lot of doubts about myself as a mom and wife because I find myself thinking I'm not capable for such positions. It's also made me wish we were back home where I had a small outlet, to discuss my concerns and fears with people who have been there before.

It all seems petty, especially when I just read a blog post about a little boy, just older than The Lime, who drowned yet was able to walk away from the hospital two days later with nothing ailing him. I would obviously much rather take my situation.

As long as it doesn't continue like this for the next fifteen years.