Milwaukee County Zoo: Autumn Visit

Few Autumn days can surpass the beauty and comfort that we enjoyed today. With temperatures reaching the high 60s, it was a perfect day to go to the zoo.

Being the rapscallion that I am, I felt compelled to call Jennifer at work and describe the weather as "Perfect. Simply, Perfect". She, (not surprisingly), told me she hated me. (That's a little game we have between us. I remind her how great my life is. She reminds me how jealous she is of me. It's all in good fun.)

The leaves are now turning in southeastern Wisconsin, and with a sky as blue as can be, the scenery was exhilarating.

The zoo was really busy today, despite being a Thursday. If I had a dollar for every stroller I saw, well, let's just say I would have a whole bunch of dollars. And there were lots of dads at the zoo today as well. That was nice to see.

After cruising through our usual circuit: gorillas, flamingos, monkey island, the playground equipment, etc... Jack and I came upon a large group of peacocks. (In this picture, you can only see one peacock, but trust me, there were many more just inches away).

I don't know how many peacocks actually live at the zoo, but it seems that around every corner you can see both males and females. It bothers me to see kids chase after the peacocks. I wish their parents would teach them to respect the animals a little more.

As a special treat, we got to see the giraffes being fed from the observation deck. This ramp, as well as the privilege of feeding the giraffes, are relatively new features. This new giraffe habitat is a drastic improvement over the old one.












Here, Jack contemplates his strategy for convincing mommy to let him have a giraffe at home.













Regrettably, I got Jack excited about riding the zoo train. Unfortunately, I found out from a hand-written note on the train station window that the train wasn't running today due to "forestry problems". I'm not sure what that meant, but I had to find a distraction fast.

Fortunately, the carousel is right next to the train station, and Jack enjoyed his very first carousel ride. I was a bit nervous at first because I thought Jack might get freaked out once the carousel starting moving. To ease him into his maiden voyage, I had Jack ride a stationary giraffe. The next time we go to the zoo, I'll let him break one of the horses or exotic animals.

With all of Jack's running around during our 3-hour visit, he was dozing within minutes of getting back into the car. Cool air, lots of exercise, and a nice, long afternoon nap from your toddler makes for a pretty good day.

The Demise of Suzie

Most new parents will recognize this little green life saver as the pacifier that many hospitals send home with newborns. It's trademarked name is "Soothie". But around our house, the more personified name of "Suzie" evolved. For Jack, Suzie has been a close companion for 2 years, 9 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days. But on July 6, Suzie met her untimely demise.


I guess it is no surprise that this little rubber pacifier would ultimately wear out. After all, Jack has a full set of teeth, and what better way to exercise his muscles of mastication, than by testing the integrity of Suzie.

And just to set the record straight, the tip of Suzie did not break off in Jack's mouth. Jack had bitten through the tip just enough to reveal significant damage. For Jack's safety, my wife Jennifer removed the tip so that it wouldn't become a choking hazard. Unfortunately this moment occurred while we were in the car on our way to my parents' house, and Jack's other two Suzies were resting comfortably at home.

After the tip was removed, Jack had absolutely no interest in this particular Suzie. This presented a good news/bad news scenario. The good news was that perhaps this was a great opportunity to break Jack of the pacifier habit. The bad news was that if this was the wrong time to break him, then we were in for a long day.

As it turned out, Jack had kind of a rough day. He didn't eat much, he didn't get to nap at his usual time, and he fell on the concrete not once, not twice, but thrice. He's got the skinned knee to prove it.

By the time we left my parents' house, Jack was in a thoroughly sour mood. Suzie would have provided much needed comfort for the Little Guy, but since Suzie was out of commission, Jack had to suck it up like a big boy. And he did. Jack fell asleep in his car seat after only a few miles, and was out for the entire hour-long trip.

After we got home, we put Jack to bed for the rest of the night. He slept through dinner, and on an empty stomach. But with one of his two remaining intact Suzies to go to bed with, Jack will have pleasant dreams tonight.