Going to the Zoo...In February!

Since it wasn't raining and the temperature was above freezing for the first time in weeks, we thought a trip to to the Zoo was in order. Plus, I was really hoping to see the new baby Gorilla.

We got to the Zoo just as it opened and there were exactly 4 other cars in the parking lot.

It's not a huge Zoo, but it's sure spread out & there are some steep hills. She's outgrown the stroller, but we use it to carry our stuff and help her up the hills.


The Giraffes didn't seem to mind the snow. They could be in their warm enclosure, but were choosing to wander around outside.


We talked to the camel, who was busy eating this post.


The Herpeaquarium was nice and warm!








The BEST part...we got an up close look at the baby Gorilla. I was too enthralled to take many pictures and didn't want to use the flash, so the pictures were horrible.

She was cuddling with her baby off in a corner, so it was impossible to see anything. After about 15 minutes, she started moving and scooped up her baby for some show off time!!!


At first, she was holding the baby upside down and showing us his/her private parts. But, eventually she turned it upright and started to cuddle again.

I'm not sure there's anything as cute as a newborn Gorilla. (Born Feb 6th) Mama was so attentive and interested in her baby. She was inspecting every inch and letting it eat. Devin pointed out Mom's nipples for everyone:)

It made the chilly trip an amazing one and it was good to get Dev out of the house.

It's a Mystery

It's Winter Break from preschool this week. Lucky me. Dev selects this week to get the weirdest sickness, yet.

Of course, as an awesome Mom, I had tons of enriching activities planned. But, then came the slight runny nose and sneezing. Followed by the cough. I thought we were battling a standard cold, but I was wrong.

Thursday morning, Dev woke up and immediately told me her hands hurt. A quick check and I brushed it off to waking up. About an hour later, she said her legs hurt. I checked and saw bright red, raised welts behind both knees. (And, her palms were red, hot and raw) I called the Dr. and made an appointment for 4:00 pm that day, after her nap.

It was almost 12 noon, so I was making lunch in the kitchen. When I brought lunch out to Dev, I noticed her lip looked weird. In just a few minutes, her lip was swelling like a bee sting. Within 5 minutes, her top lip was gigantic and I was already on the phone to the Dr.'s office. I told them we were in car ready to drive to the ER or their office...they said come in first.

At a good clip, our Dr.s office is about 7 minutes away. I made it in 6. Poor Wubzy was having some sort of reaction, we're still not sure of the culprit.

The Dr. ran several tests and we discussed various issues.

Here's Dev this morning...lip down, but welts up:(



I spoke with the Dr. for about 10 minutes this morning. Since Dev's not sensitive to anything, she thinks it's part of a virus.

Late today, she seemed MUCH better. Hives are still popping up, but her spark is back and her SASS is back.

Our New Polar Bear

Devin was thrilled and surprised with her new, handmade by Grandma, Polar Bear Costume.











I caught Chloe nesting in Devin's expensive dress-up Tutu. But, she looked so cute and comfortable....


Matt and I couldn't resist messing with Sam.


Sometimes, I get so sick of the Paparazzi constantly trying to snap my picture:)

Got my snow...I can live without the cold

Yay! We finally got a decent snow fall this week. Enough to shut school for 2 days and let us enjoy being home bodies. (As if we weren't already) She's been begging to make a snowman, but it's just too cold. The wind is gusting to 30-40 mph, making the wind chills dangerous and un-fun. So, we've been working on some indoor projects. (And, watching Barney/Dora/Wonderpets)

I wanted to make homemade Valentines this year & I found a great idea from this awesome website/blog:

http://crapivemade.blogspot.com/

Amazingly, it only took about 4 shots to capture this:


Which was easy to turn into this:



Pretty cheap, too. I had to use stickers, since I don't have photoshop...and I ran out of Happy Valentine's stickers and had to go with Be Mine.

Jump For Joy & For Donuts

Since about 4 seconds after she was born, Dev has loved a routine. To this day, she has a mental checklist of each animal in her bed (there are 20+) and she'll notice if one is missing. Lately, we haven't been able to keep her little schedule...so the wubzy has been a bit off.

We've had separation issues pop up again and increased tearfulness at preschool. She's also started describing some of her dreams, a few which have been scary.

Thankfully, she reported dreaming of, "water slides" last night.

The cold weather makes me SO thankful for her gymnastics class. It's less than a mile from our house and she really loves it.

The trampoline is by far, her favorite exercise.








This morning was Donuts With Dads at preschool. I went along as the photographer, knowing Matt had to leave after a few minutes for an important appt.


I snapped a few gems this morning...but I don't have permission to share on the blog.


As usual, Dada leaving was tough. Miss Irene's an expert and had Dev "help" her get more doughnuts. (Chocolate covered Krispy Kremes!!)