Household Chores

As many of you know, the last 18 months have been full of ups and downs for me . . . many of which have involved downs through which I could not do much physical work. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, then, to hear me say that it has been a wonderful weekend of doing simple things around the house and with my family. Here is a brief list of things I've done this week and weekend to keep the household running. I share it not because it's spectacular by normal standards, but because for me, coming out of lengthy physical trials, it seems significant (and I took a day off work to sleep in the middle, too, because I was exhausted, so I'm still not all the way there, sigh, but I'm really trying to look on the positive side):

• took Si shopping for his suit (a 3 hour ordeal during which he kept saying "I don't really care what I wear" but after which he was quite appreciative)
• went to International Festival with my son and DH
• took my son to the zoo (last Sunday) and walked myself into the ground
• did laundry (last load is in the washer!) and even carried some of it up the stairs by myself!
• made dinner twice (usually Mike cooks . . . see pic)
• worked long hours for the levy (did I mention it passed? lol)
• got more of the "old mess" cleaned up in our family room
  
• hung the wreath above our mantel that's been sitting on the hearth for nearly a year (see pic)

OK - that's probably enough. Suffice to say I'm happy to be continuing down the road to normalcy.

Zoooooooooooooooo!

We can mark the progression of Simon's life through visits to the Zoo. We have had a membership there for as long as we've been married. I remember . . .

• Going to the zoo while pregnant to get to know another couple better. Husband was a co-worker, and they were new in town, and his wife was preggers, too.
• Taking babies to the zoo on "play dates", and seeing all the other children sound asleep in their strollers at the end of the day while my own kid was totally pumped up and ready to do it all again!
• Simon's first complete spoken sentence was "I like animals."
  
• Countless pictures of Si climbing on the animal statues, with time being determined by how large and then small the statues started to look compared to his body.
• Going to Saturday morning programs for parents and preschoolers.
• Taking my newly-potty-trained kid to Saturday classes at the zoo - without me!
• Taking my growing boy to summer camp for day-long experiences at the zoo, only to pick him up after 5 full days and have him say "can we stay and look around some more?"

We have been so excited about all the improvements; reading about them in the newsletter, watching the construction. We watched the manatee building being built, the cool new play area where kids can act like bugs and animals (we particularly like the dung beetle ball-pushing), and each new big habitat area as they've opened. Our zoo has come so far over the years, and I feel like it's a part of our family, in a way, because we've grown along with it.

Last year when my parents were visiting around this time of year, we went to the zoo and took my wheel chair so I could be pushed around, knowing I didn't have the strength to walk far.

Today we walked through about a third of the zoo grounds. It was totally packed, being Spring Break for all schools and an absolutely glorious day. Simon is so knowledgable that as he was telling me about animals, their habit, quirks and habitats, other families would listen. It's like visiting Gettysburg with my husband - I have my own tour guide!

This is the koalas - I've circled where the 2 koalas are hiding!

Funny quotes from Si today:

• as we entered the zoo: Ahhh - I think I feel my life force returning!
• walking: Mmm, the familiar scent of over-buttered popcorn and primate excrement!
• remember when I practically lived here? I need to do that again.
• to the Komodo Dragon: Hello, buddy, you've been growing, haven't you?

Baby Heffalump!

I finally have some pics of the baby elephant at the Columbus Zoo that we saw a week ago! Mom and Dad were with us, but then they went South to visit the Smokey Mountains for a week, and weren't able to send me the pics before today.

He doesn't have a name yet. They've run a contest, and over 9000 entries were submitted! One fact I remember is that he is gaining around 4 pounds a day, and when we saw him he weight 360+ pounds. Amazing!

These lovely pics were taken by my mom, of course. (Happy now, Suzie? I imagine you already saw the pictures at Mom's house, though)


Here is his official video, from the first time he was brought into public view. Isn't he adorable?

Busy Weekend!

After my Dr. appointment Friday, we went to the zoo with my parents, as I mentioned before. Here are a few of my favorite shots from what DH (the professional) took. I'm glad he got the Markhor because I couldn't see him well from my chair, even when I tried standing a bit.








I didn't bother to go up the boardwalk to the Lion enclosure, either. Boy, is my hubby good, or what?!?!?






These next shots are from yesterday. DH, Si and I went to Highbanks Metropark for a short visit to the nature center there. It is always fun to sit at the window and watch to see who shows up at the feeders. I loved the pics DH got of them all, but these are my 2 faves. There were about 4 little Red-bellied woodpeckers going back and forth between the feeders and the trees.

This Blue Jay had a nice little snack, too!








After a little while, I went out to the deck for some nature time with knitting. :-)

Good News!

My Dr. appointment went very well this morning. The bone is healed sufficiently to allow me to put weight on the leg again, but the knee is still rather wobbly, so I have to have an immobilizer or a brace to stand and walk. I have an immobilizer already, but they also fitted me today for a custom brace that will be delivered in a week or two. I even got to pick my color! Guess what I chose!

My folks stopped in town yesterday and today to visit, so we all went out to lunch after my appointment, and then went to the zoo! We got there just in time to see the Baby Elephant (still unnamed). He is so cute! I was hoping we'd also see baby cheetahs, but I don't think they're in a public display, although we didnt' ask about them, so we might have just missed them. Truth be told, we lost energy quickly. Apparently it's much more challenging to navigate the zoo while pushing someone (me) in a wheel chair. We did get a good parking spot, though! It was great fun, but we're all totally wiped out now.