We are finally settling into a routine. I think we have also finally been to all the places I wanted to go here. We went to the zoo this past Saturday. It was very fun with the exception of one problem. T is very afraid of things he doesn't know. If he hasn't been exposed to it enough, he freaks out in the worst of ways. He is this way particularly with flying insects.
So, as some of the midwestern people are aware, this year marks the 17th year of the Cicada. They have come out of the ground and are making an awful sound. So loud we had a hard time hearing each other at points. The type of Cicada we are discussing is big, nasty, and in such high population, there were swarms of them at this zoo. DISGUSTING. T saw the first one (which happened to be dead on the ground) and panicked. He jumped back and when we told him what it was, he said they were CREEPY! I didn't think he was reacting to terribly so I agreed and tried to keep walking. Not him. He started crying very much and glued himself to my leg. So I tried to be understanding. I walked him slowly on the path thinking he would adjust within a few.....Nope. The first live one he saw, he screamed at the top of his lungs and there was way more crying to go with that. He was shaking like a leaf and completely terrified. I didn't know what to do with him at this point since he wasn't taking our assurances that they were harmless and we couldn't exactly leave the zoo because of this....we had 6 other kids with us and had driven 1 1/2 hours to get there. So, I made him walk for a little and I just tried to ignore that he was screaming so much.
Finally, I got a brilliant idea! We got him a rental stroller and had him sit in there for a little bit and that way he would have less exposure to them for awhile. It actually worked. He rode in it for about 2 of the 5 hours we spent at the zoo. After he was out of it, he walked along just fine as long as none of the other kids brought attention to the bugs. Which, of course 2 of the more awnry ones of the bunch tried a time or two. They quit after being knocked upside the head by me a few times. Jerks!
Over all, the zoo trip was a hit! A LOVED the dolphins and T loved the Gorillas. They each learned alot and were able to pick out a few souvenirs before we headed home. A used so much energy at the zoo, we weren't home for more than 5 min and he put himself to bed! It was very cute.