Franklin Park Zoo

It was Friday.  Mom had the day off.  We had no errands we HAD to run.  So... Connor and I went to the zoo!  The Franklin Park Zoo isn't too far away, so we packed a bag, grabbed the camera, and off we went.  Since I have a membership to another zoo, I got 50% off the admission.  Not bad! 

Connor was very excited to see the animals.  He kept saying "Monkey?  Monkey?" before we left.  When we got there we saw the zebras first.  Connor knew just what they were and shouted "Zebra!" when he saw them.  He also saw the Wildebeasts, but he thought they were zebras, too.  Give the kid a break, he's still learning.  He loved the giraffes, and it was even the first birthday for one of them!  As we left them, Connor said "bye, bye, Giraffes!".  Off we went to the lion, but he was sleeping.  I think there's a rule to never wake a sleeping lion, so we went on our merry way. 

We hit the petting zoo area where we saw Chickens, goats, ducks, sheep and a horse.  The horse was all about getting some scratches behind the ear, which Connor and I both loved.  She just stayed in place and let us pet her.  She was loving it and Connor was, too.  "Horsie! Horsie! Neigh!".  I think this trip was good for his speech - he was talking all day, pointing to different animals and telling me what they were and what they said.  Very cute. 

The highlight of the day were the gorillas.  They were leaning against the window, so they were right in front of all the kids who were there.  Connor got right up to the glass to see.  It was hard to get a good picture of anything, because trying to focus the zoom lens AND keep an eye out for a toddler who LOVES to run was a little challenging, so the pictures suffered.  I did get a few with my cell phone, too.  I chose NOT to take a picture of the gorilla picking his nose, or the one EATING his own poo.  I figured I'd save you all the pain that I went through watching that. 

My goal of today's trip was to get Connor thoroughly exhausted before we left.  It worked.  He was so tired he didn't want to even walk anymore.  I can't blame him - his little legs did a LOT of walking.  He crashed in the car, which meant NO pacifier battle for naptime (we took the pacifier away this week and it has been a long, tiring road). 

Gaga, Glee Style

Since Mom is a little addicted to Glee, she's downloaded some songs on her iphone and plays them constantly while she and Connor ride in the "blue car" (as Connor calls it).  Apparently she plays it so much, Connor now sings the song.  It's actually cute.  I was able to get a little of it on video, but of course he gets distracted everytime I try to get him to sing.  But you'll get the idea!  Enjoy!

Metabolic Clinic & Neurology

Yesterday and today Connor had appointments at Children's Hospital.  They were both follow-up appointments rescheduled from April, and it just so happened they fell on back-to-back days.  Our first stop was the Metabolic clinic.  The doctor there was the one who diagnosed Connor with Cleidocranial Dysplasia.  For those who don't know, CCD (as it's referred to) is a bone disorder.  When the doctor was describing the features of CCD, I was nodding the entire time thinking "yup... that's Connor!".  It explains his large fontanelle, his ear infections, why his belly looks so big (a bell-shaped chest), and why I can fold him in half (an extra joint in his collar bone).  There's a lot more, but those are just a few of the features that Connor has going on. 

Anyway, the doctor wanted to follow up.  We do have a concern about how Connor's ankles are growing, so he sent a referral to Orthopedics.  They will be calling to set up an appointment for us.  He wants us to keep up with the dentist and his hearing tests, but that's about it.  We'll have a follow-up with him in 6 months. 

Round 2 was today and it involved Neurology.  Again, just a follow-up from our original appointment back in November.  Since then Connor has made leaps and bounds with his speech, and they were very impressed.  They don't want to see us back for 6-9 months, which is always nice.  Connor was a bit cranky at this appointment since he only slept for 30 minutes in the car on the way there, but the doctor was SUPER nice and it didn't throw her a bit.  Her attending physician came in and I thought she was going to take Connor home with her.  She picked him up, was rocking him and seemed a bit smitten.  This was obviously not during one of his cranky moments. 

So all around good news this week, and hopefully our visit with Orthopedics goes well, too.  Thanks for checking in!

Platenik Playdate

After stalking following each others blogs for well over a year now, the Estees and Plateniks finally met today!  Megan, Will and Kylie were spending a few days in Massachusetts before their big move to Virgnina, so we were very happy to schedule a time to play.  Connor and Will are only a couple months apart and have very similar interests -cars, trucks, trains, goldfish crackers, etc. 

Will immediately found Connor's trucks and cars, but I think he had the most fun feeding the dog goldfish.  He even put some in Bailey's water bowl.  After all, they are FISH, and they SWIM, so it makes perfect sense, right?  Bailey did not disagree, either! 

Connor seemed to have the most fun hiding in one of his canvas bins.  What can I say...he's a boy! 

Kylie took a short nap in her Mom's arms and then just took everything all in.  Connor tried to pet her while Will wished she was a dog, but she took it all in stride.  We had to remind Connor to be gentle since he's not used to babies around.  At least this time he didn't act jealous like the last time babies were in the house.

We wish Megan Will and Kylie a very safe trip to their new home in Virginia.  Welcome back to the East Coast!

Fourth of July Weekend

For the Fourth of July this year, Mommy, Connor and Bailey headed to Vermont to enjoy the Bristol festivities.  Though it's a typical small town celebration, it's tradition and definitely not the 4th anywhere else. 

On Friday afternoon, Aunt Con held her annual "Kiddie Parade" for all the little tikes.  The kids spent most of their time playing while the adults decorated the strollers, wagons, and bikes, but it was all a lot of fun.  Once all the decorating was done we headed to the bandstand for a group photo.  We were quite the sight in our red, white and blue outfits walking down the street.  After we were finished, we hung out and had appetizers and dinner with lots of Aunts, Uncles and it was off to the fireworks!  Connor didn't quite know what to make of them at first, and kept looking away.  He never cried or whined, just looked away.  But lots of "oohing" and "aahing" got him to look at them and eventually enjoy them. 

The annual Bristol parade was held on the 3rd this year, and we woke up Saturday morning and got ready for the parade.  Connor was unsure of this, too, and had a few moments where he clearly didn't like what was in front of him.  A lollipop quickly solved that problem, and he seemed to like the parade MUCH better with the candy in his hand.  After the parade we went to the park where Connor rode his first horse!  Again, he was very unsure of himself, but he seemed to relax after a bit.  I hope to get him on a horse again this summer - we'll see how that goes!

We spent the rest of the day swimming, playing and eating with family.  Connor ended up crashing on Aunt Colleen's couch, which allowed Mommy to have some adult time.  It was a very fun weekend, but very busy.  Mommy and Connor were very tired and were happy to sleep in their own beds!