Fun weekends

We've had several weekends of wonderful weather, so we've been taking advantage by visiting local parks and attractions. Honestly it doesn't matter where we've gone or what we've seen, as long as it is sunny and outside, Colin is entertained :)

We hit the SF botanical gardens a few weekends ago. It was a really nice place with plenty of trails, plants and grass; though keeping a toddler on a path is much easier said than done. I don't think he actually stomped on any exhibit plant life, but there were definitely a few less interesting plants/weeds that were trampled despite our best efforts. We managed to walk through many of the larger parts of the garden before heading home. In particular, Colin liked the waterfowl pond, though he also oohed and aahed about the succulent garden.

We've also managed to visit two zoos in the past two weekends; both the San Francisco Zoo and the Oakland Zoo. We visited the SF Zoo thanks to our new family membership via Uncle David (Thanks again!). It was a little crowded, but had some really nice exhibits. We also realized that the drive along the coast was fairly spectacular with some huge waves and beaches - we'll have to go back that way to stop and visit soon! Colin was somewhat interested in the animals, but overall would rather stop to pick up sticks and rocks from along the paths.

The Oakland Zoo was less crowed and quieter in general, also with some really nice exhibits. We visited with Bob's cousin Tiffany and her husband Eric. There were fewer distractions here, a.k.a. less sticks and rocks, but in general he was a little more interested in the animals and exhibits. He especially liked the reptile house and watching the frogs jump, the tortoise eating grass, and also the giraffes since we caught a feeding and there was a baby giraffe. There was also a petting area with sheep and goats. Colin worked up enough courage to pet a goat, then we couldn't keep him away from them. Good thing they were pretty tame!

Those are the big attractions that we've visited, though we've also hit a few parks around our area on the peninsula. Colin still really likes playing in the sand, but also climbing most anything. He's gotten very adept at climbing all the way up to the big slides without our help and even goes down the huge slides without any coaxing. I wouldn't call him a daredevil, but it is nice that he doesn't require my help as much, since I don't really fit in some areas quite as well these days ;)

Last but not least, a quick report about our new little one. I had a doctor's visit today for my 32 week check up (I'm 32 weeks tomorrow). Baby's heartrate was 150(s) and is officially head down - yay! All measurements were right on track, so nothing to worry about. I'm still suffering somewhat from a cold/allergies/acid reflux throat issue I've had for over two weeks now. Overall, I feel fine, though I have some laryngitis now, but I am quite uncomfortable at night. Oh well, still within the normal range of healing for a pregnant lady. More tea!