The Zoo!

We spent all day today at the Los Angeles Zoo with our friends Devon and her two girls: Miss Belle (who is seven days older than Paprika) and Sweet P (who is three months younger than Ginger)!

We were going to get a picture of all the kids together...but you know how that goes! Devon and I met at our grief support group, and so she's just one of those people who really gets me (and even my sometimes backwards sense of humor). As we were walking into the Zoo, a guy came up to me and started admiring my stroller and said it would be perfect for him because he has "two sets of twins. Guess I won the lottery, huh?" That's what he said.

I kinda chuckled to myself and thought, "Is it going to be THAT kind of a day?"- you know, the kind of day when you feel like you're the nail instead of the hammer...but it ended up being a great day, after all. Whenever Devon and I are together, we are able to talk about the four kids (my girls and her boys) who are missing from the group...and it's really nice. I'm really lucky to have her as a friend, I know that!



I've taken Paprika to the Zoo many times before, and it's always kinda hit or miss. I know when you go to the LA Zoo, you never really know what's going to happen! Here are some links from back in the day when we used to go...

ALL

THE

TIME

AND

A FEW

MORE TIMES, TOO!

When we got to the zoo this time, it was filled with kids on field trips. I think every child in Los Angeles was there...and there were about 6 adults watching them all. Haha!

But, soon the school groups left and we had the whole place to ourselves. We got to see lots of animals up close, and the older girls had a great time playing together. It was perfect!



They even got within an inch or so of a gorilla...they thought that was pretty cool! He just sat there and they talked with him for a long time, and even offered him gifts.



The babies were snuggling in their Ergos - it was Sweet P's second trip to the LA Zoo, but Ginger's very first outside the womb.



Overall, a great day! We even beat traffic on the way home. In LA, it doesn't get any better than that! ;-)

Zoo Day!

We had a phenomenal day at the zoo on Saturday. Gorgeous weather. Friendly animals. Lots of fun!

Return of The Electric Scooter

Yesterday, Grandma Pat and I took Paprika to the "Wild Animal Park"- aka The Santa Barbara Zoo. Paprika doesn't like zoos, but she does like "Wild Animal Parks" so that's what we call it.

We did it all! We rode the train, we had lunch, and we even saw some animals! Pat talked me into renting an electric scooter to get around the park, and I was so glad I did! It's pretty fun to scoot around the park. Paprika especially enjoyed riding on my lap as we cruised.

All in all, a pretty perfect day!

Back In Los Angeles...

Paprika and I drove back to LA last night. I started feeling absolutely miserable on Sunday night and it continued to get worse on Monday. Awful pain. Terrible, stabbing pains like a knife ripping through my midsection. Swollen feet. Headaches. Could barely walk...or move. Couldn't sleep because every time I rolled over, I would wake up from the pain. So, I decided it was a good idea to get in the car and come home, where we could be close to Mr. Mustard, the hospital, and Dr. K.

The pains are pretty normal, round ligament pain...but just in case, we decided it was better to be close. Santa Barbara is two hours away in good traffic, and in bad traffic it can be 5 or 6!

So, we're here now. I have my doc appointment Thursday, so I will definitely be asking Dr. K about all these symptoms. I think my body is just very tired from being pregnant for so long, especially since there was only a two month break between my last pregnancy and this one. Here are a few highlights from our week in Santa Barbara:

Paprika and I on our first day at the Zoo, feeding the Giraffes:



Paprika Petting a Shark on Our First Trip to the Marine Museum:



Putting On A Puppet Show:



Family Photo on Our Second Trip to the Zoo (when Mr. Mustard was visiting):



On The Zoo's Choo-Choo Train (We Rode It Three Times!):



Paprika Back At The House, Playing Piano:



Paprika, Snuggling On The Couch:



Trip To One of Many Parks:



And Another Park:



First Time By Herself On "The Big Girl Swings" (I was sooo proud!):

Goats and Sea Lions

On Monday, Paprika and I spent the whole day at the zoo (she's waking up much earlier now...knock on wood...let's hope it lasts).



The LA Zoo is not my favorite place on Earth, I'll be honest. But Paprika really wanted to go, and so I had to do it. I think if Paprika wanted to fly to the moon, I would figure out a way, if that's what would make her happy. I really would.



Reminds me of a movie I used to watch:

What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.



Anyway, we spent a lot of time at the petting zoo, where kids can pet the goats. When I say a lot of time, I mean a lot of time. It was the first place we went when we got to the zoo. It took Paprika about half an hour to get up the courage to go inside. When we got inside, she tenatively petted the goats and then was so excited about it, that she didn't want to leave. We stayed for an hour until the goats had a one hour break.



Paprika cried and cried when we had to leave the goats. I told her we'd come back in an hour, so we went and visited the sea lions. Just the sea lions, for one whole hour. Once Paprika is at an exhibit, she wants to stay and study it and focus, focus, focus. She really doesn't want to leave anything half done.



At the end of the one hour goats' lunch (and our one hour visit with the sea lions), I asked her if she wanted to go back. She exclaimed, "Yes!" So we went back...

And spent from 1pm until 4pm inside the goat pen petting the goats. The goats were done for the day at 4 o'clock, so I told Paprika it was time to go. She cried the whole way home, exclaiming, "Go back and pet the goats!" It was pitiful, really.



But what could I do? So, we spent about 5 hours today at the zoo: 1 hour looking at sea lions and 4 hours petting goats. Can you believe that?



Good thing I love, love, love this little girl. Because 4 hours of sitting in the sun amidst goat droppings, dust, and hay is really not my idea of a great time! But, even a so-so day at the zoo is still a pretty great day, all things considered. You know?

Fun Zoo Day!

We had quite a fun weekend- lots of running around, seeing friends, and even a birthday party! Of course, in all the excitement, I neglected to take ANY photos!

Today the weather was gorgeous, so we decided to take a family trip to the zoo. Paprika really enjoyed it, and we had the whole place to ourselves!



One of her favorites was the Gorilla exhibit. It's a wonderful new exhibit and she very much enjoyed "watching the big monkeys!"



Walking up and down the hills at the zoo is exhausting! Sometimes you just have to stop, sit, and have a snack:



Paprika's FAVORITE exhibit was the sea lions. I think she could have stayed in this one spot all day long. She was fascinated by them:

Fun Weekend At The Zoo!

We had an awesome time this weekend with Paprika at the Zoo! She loved being carried around on our backs and looking at all the animals. We went in the late afternoon on Saturday, so we missed most of the crowds and the heat. Then, Saturday night, we all went to Chipotle and chowed down on some yummy burritos!

Today was Paprika's very first Kindermusik class. It's a music class for infants and toddlers where we sing songs, dance, and listen to music. She loved it! Today there were three other babies Paprika's age in the class, so she had fun playing with them. One baby was even chasing her around the room. So much fun!

Paprika is now taking a few steps at a time. She still prefers to crawl to get places quickly, but she also loves being on her feet and cruising. When she gets a little bravery worked up, she takes a few steps here and there!

In other news, we are exploring the very real possibility that Paprika may be allergic to something (or someone) in our house. She is exhibiting all the signs of having a pet allergy- watery eyes, stuffed up nose, sneezing, trouble breathing, etc. We have already bought an air purifier and are doing our best to make our home as dust and dander-free as possible. I am also going to eliminate dairy from her diet (right now she eats yogurt and cheese), to see if that will help. It's pretty miserable in that she cannot breathe through her nose, which makes it hard for her to sleep and nurse. We're hoping that she's not allergic to Meg or Hauser and that the problem will go away soon. I will keep you updated!

New Year's Day At The Zoo!

We took a break from our housing search to enjoy a day at the zoo with Paprika! It was her very first visit to the zoo and we all had a great time. The zoo had a special Christmas exhibit with reindeer, and the Children's Petting Zoo was open, so Paprika got to get up close and personal with some very friendly goats! Overall, she really liked looking at the big animals the most.

She also enjoyed looking at all the humans in the zoo, too! There were lots of kids running around, and she seemed almost as interested in them as she did the animals.

Updates!

Things have been so busy this week with studying for the Bar, I haven't had much time to post.

The biggest news is that Ann delivered Cameron Erik McPherson on Wednesday, May 24, 2006 at 4:57 pm. He weighed 7 lbs. 15 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. She kept me updated while she was in the hospital and Len called right after the birth to give me the good news. Ann was very upbeat about the whole labor and said everything went perfectly! I am so happy for her, Len, and Benjamin!

Other than that, I've just been studying for the Bar. This week I tackled Evidence and Torts- I still have a long way to go to master the subjects (especially Evidence, which has always been a bit tricky for me)- but it's a good start. I guess I'm in the "ramp up" stage right now.

Jessica and I have been talking on the phone- sort of a "study buddy" thing. She's taking the Barbri class, so it's good to hear what she's up to and make sure that I'm keeping up with what I'm supposed to do. I'm sort of following the Barbri model, but also doing my own thing- tailoring it to my strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully that works out.

My goal is to study 13 hours a day between now and July 25th (Day One of the Bar Exam), taking only a few breaks here and there-- a day off for July 4th, and then there are a few other days I have commitments...but pretty much 13 hours/day, 7 days/week from here on out.

Today Mr. Mustard and I played hookey because I had scheduled to take Memorial Day "off", but he'll be working on the doc on that day, so today was our "Memorial Day" holiday. We woke up late, went to the zoo, then to La Salsa for a late lunch. We came home, took a nap (my feet were soooo sore from walking around the zoo, I just collapsed on the bed), and then we watched an Emmy Screener of "Dancing with the Stars" for an hour. He's just left to go back to the office to work on the doc- and I'm going to study for a few hours tonight.
The zoo was a lot of fun. I ran into someone I sort of knew from Indiana- a highschool acquaintance. That was pretty neat. The zoo was packed in the morning with kids on field trips- which was cute...but let's just say there were a lot of them. They cleared out after lunch, and then we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.

There have been a lot of babies born lately at the zoo, so we got to see lots of baby animals, which is always neat. Mr. Mustard's favorites are the gerenuks, which are sort of like gazelles. I liked seeing the baby giraffe. I also liked seeing the Sumatran Rhino- because there are very few of them left in the world (less than 300)- they are breeding them at the zoo, which I think is great.

We had some good encounters, especially with the baby gerenuks and a few of the primates, who were being really social and were just sort of hanging out by us. I like visiting the animals that don't get much traffic because they come so much closer, and they sometimes seem to want to interact with you. I think it would be really cool to go on a trip to Kenya or somewhere like that and do a photo-safari. Probably not in the next three months (!), but maybe we can take the baby there once she is a little older.