A New Zoo to Review
Hello to everyone.
Today, we toured a local zoo. The website led us to believe that there were nearly 100 different animals you could touch and interact with. We thought Xavier would love that.
As it turned out, the 100 of different animals was something of a gray area. The actual petting zoo had all the stock (and boring) animals like a giant tortoise, a llama, some goats. The armadillo was not available; that would have been something interesting. Xavier found the goat pooping as it ate the most interesting. We had to hold him back from examining and "petting" the fresh goat droppings.
Xavier and Rebecca did feed a giraffe. The zoo had a high platform the giraffes could wonder over to should they choose. The platform put them at eye level with child-sized people. One dollar bought you two slices of sweet potato. You could hear Xavier squeal with delight when the giraffe's big gray tongue wrapped his potato and pulled it in. No petting of the animals was allowed, however.
Later on, Xavier fed a deer. Twenty-five cents bought a handful of deer feed. Xavier had fun both feeding the deer and petting it. He even sampled the food pellets for himself.
Xavier got to pet three other animals: a spiny hedgehog, a small turtle and a bearded lizard. These animals appeared throughout the park, their handlers roaming the grounds and answering questions.
We ended our tour of the zoo by walking through an art exhibit where the art was constructed from trash that washed up on the beach. The art was billed as an educational mechanism. Still, most of the sculptures were interesting. Xavier found the giant penguin the most interesting.
From the zoo, we drove from Cocoa Beach to Orlando. Xavier napped in the car (he needed it!). We decided to have dinner at a Disney-owned restaurant named The Rain Forest Cafe. From its description, we thought all the animatronics, sights and sounds it would hold Xavier's attention. They did; they distracted him enough he did not eat a thing. By the time we got back to the hotel, he was starving.
A Day at the Beach
Greetings to everyone.
Our hotel in Cocoa Beach was right on the beach. So, today we spent several hours playing in the surf. It was Xavier's first time at the beach and his first time to see the Atlantic Ocean.
We did a quick visit to the beach in the morning before going to breakfast. It was gray and overcast and a little cool. Rebecca and Xavier dared the surf to wet their feet. Xavier did not know what to make of that; he was cautious. Then he saw the seagulls and chased them. Suddenly, getting his feet wet was not so much a concern!
After breakfast (we had to divert to a Plan B breakfast spot. The one Rebecca wanted to take us to had a wait time of nearly an hour), we returned to our room and suited up. And for Xavier, that also means lathering up with SPF 15 or higher sun blocker.
The late morning and early afternoon had clear skies and sun. Rebecca found a small tent for the beach, a meager $20 purchase, but a nice one. Big enough to fit supplies and seat one person. We set it up, then opened Xavier's sand toys we bought for him yesterday. Xavier took to his shovel and started digging. He loved it. Then, Rebecca lead him into the surf.
From that point on, the sand toys held no interest for him. He loved the surf! He ran in it. I showed him how to jump in it. He would grab hold of parents' fingers and hang over the waves washing in. Even when a big one would knock him over and fill his mouth with sea water (and sometimes his nose), still he shook it off and went right back at it.
It was a fine day, and probably if he were able to articulate it, Xavier's favorite day of the mini vacation. We say dolphins hunting fish in the swells of the waves and pelicans diving for fish.
Finally, Xavier grew hungry and found a box of goldfish in the beach tent. He happily ate them as he ran back down to the surf. Then, he saw what was happening behind him with the goldfish he was leaking.
With a squeal of glee, he started throwing goldfish at the seagulls. The swarm was on! He was very popular amongst these birds—which came out of nowhere! We only saw one or two until goldfish crackers littered the beach, then the gulls came. They came and the came until the crackers stopped flowing.
We went back at dusk to see if we could find crabs, but we did not. Still, Xavier enjoyed shoveling sand helping dig up several crab holes.
Reunited
Greetings to everyone!
No, the title of today's entry is not a reference to the 1978 Peaches and Herb song. After six weeks, our little family reunited at the baggage claim in Orlando International Airport!
I was a little concerned about the flight out. I hoped Xavier would nap on the plane. Instead, he napped for 20 minutes in the car as we drove Pena Boulevard.
Once at the airport, there I had a bigger concern. I had to manage a large checked bag, two carry-ons and Xavier. We had to get from reserved parking, through ticketing/baggage checkin, through security, bathroom break and diaper check, then wait at the gate. I only have two hands. Fortunately, Xavier stepped up.
I woke him from his nap and lifted him out of the car seat after the luggage was staged to roll. Xavier helped get the elevator. He stood quietly in place while checking luggage. He took over his own carry-on waiting in the security line (he did decide to open up his suitcase in the line to examine its content, then let Dad put things back together).
We did the bathroom break where I instructed him a few urinal etiquette rules involving roaming eyes. We changed his diaper, then went to wait at the gate. We had about 15 minutes to wait.
Xavier, however, could not understand why we needed to wait at all. No one was deplaning, the door to the jet way was open. "What's the holdup?" he was thinking. He kept trying to pull me to go down the jet way.
Finally (for him) we got to board. We were standing first in line. They called for handicapped, elderly and families with small children. Except for the lady in the wheelchair ahead of us, we were the first to board the plane. If you have to travel by air, travel with small children (rent one if you have to). They are fast-pass tickets! You do not go through the back-scatter scanner, but through the normal metal detector. The TSA goes out of their way to help you through. You get to board the plane first and have access to all the overhead bin space you need.
Xavier did not sleep on the flight, but he did behave quite well for three and a half hours. We arrived in Orlando International Airport twice. The first time was about 7:30 PM; the second time was about 7:45 PM. The plane was nearly on the runway, one or more wheels may have already touched the ground, then suddenly we were climbing! A steep climb. The official story we were told was there was another plane on the runway.
Over the last six weeks I was concerned (and I know Rebecca had the same concerns) that Xavier would not recognize her. He did not really pay much attention during our nightly Skype calls. Even though I had pictures of Mommy at the dinner table and we went through the family album together and I had Mommy as one of Xavier's speech flash cards, still he seemed uninterested.
When I saw Rebecca walking through the crowd to the baggage carousel, I told Xavier "there's Mommy!" and I pointed. Xavier dropped from my arms and ran calling "Mama! Mama!" The reunion was a success. Throughout the trip, especially the first few days, whenever Mommy disappeared, Xavier grew concerned. "Where's Mama?" he would ask with a concerned look on his face.
On Friday, after Rebecca finished some things on the base, we all went to the pier for lunch. The family was together again!