Miller Park Zoo, Bloomington

Our family has become zoo fanatics since welcoming our daughter into the world less than two years ago.  For the past two summers we have become members of the Scovill Zoo in Decatur.  This means we provide a donation to the zoo which allows for countless zoo visits.  Another perk to the Scovill Zoo pass is that there are reciprocal zoos that offer discounts to those with a Scovill Zoo pass.

A rainy day in May we decided to try out the reciprocal benefit of our zoo membership and head north to Bloomington’s Miller Park Zoo.  We had heard great things about the zoo and wanted to check it out ourselves.

Miller Park Zoo is very similar to Scovill Zoo.  It is also a smaller, compact location, but there were many new animals that we were able to see on this trip.  When we entered the zoo we went through the enclosure that housed the wallabies, and kangaroos.  Only a small fence separated the animals from zoo patrons.  Anderson was fascinated with how close she was able to get to the animals relaxing in the grass. 

Monkeys, reindeer and sea lions were also on our stops before the rain hit.  Luckily the zoo has a great building where a rainforest is housed, and the tigers, snow leopards and sun bear were kept.  We were able to stay dry, while visiting these interesting animals and exhibits.

By the time we waited out the rain, and visited our favorite animals our toddler’s attention span for the zoo was running short.  Luckily we had circled back to the front of Miller Park Zoo, rounding out our experience.  

Because we had a hungry girl on our hands we were not able to explore the park across the street from the zoo.  It had a great playground, and even a small splash pad.  Paddle boats, walking paths and pretty lake views are also all part of the Miller Park experience.  On our next trip we will plan on taking advantage of all of the other great aspects of the park that the rain, and hungry toddler, kept us from on our first trip.

Baby's First Chicago Cubs Game

It’s one of our favorite places on earth.  The streets are crowded with fans, the smell of hotdogs and popcorn is in the air, and cheers of Cubs fans are heard for blocks away.

This summer we took Anderson to her first Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley field.  Being loyal Cubs fans means we try to make it to Wrigley once a year for a game.  There’s nothing like Wrigley Field to us.  No matter where your seats are, or how terribly the Cubbies are getting beat, baseball games are such a fun, memorable event at the Friendly Confines.

 

 

Weather in Chicago can be a little interesting to say the least.  On game day we were somewhat surprised when we were wearing jackets and bundled up in blankets during our middle of June Cubs experience.  Despite the cold weather, Anderson was a trooper and had fun watching people, and her team play the Pirates.

Even though our family is extremely loyal to the Cubs, when compared to other baseball stadiums, the Friendly Confines ranks well below in “family friendliness.” 

Here’s why:

-Be ready to stand in a long line for the bathrooms!  The bathrooms have been updated and are much nicer than before though.

-There are no (or very few) “family bathroom” facilities.  JC did a Dad magic act and changed Miss A in a bathroom stall.

-There are not too many places to go to get out of any inclement weather.  There are awnings over some seats to protect from the rain, but be prepared to pack any items to help deal with the outdoors.  For us this would have been pants, jackets and blankets. 

-Strollers are pretty much not going to happen in Wrigley Field, unless you have the small, compact kind – and even then you might have some trouble finding a place to store the stroller.

-Be prepared (or prepare those in attendance with you) to leave a few innings early.  The crowds, and smaller stadium, make it hard to maneuver around with a baby.  Waiting until the mass exodus at the end of the game would be a recipe for disaster, even though this unfortunately means you miss being able to sing "Go Cubs Go."

 

 

Like most things in life now, going to Wrigley Field is no longer the same as it was pre-baby.  Our pre-game experience now includes bottles, diapers and handling baby preparations; a far cry from the Chicago hotdogs, pre-game drinks and laughs with friends.  The added stress of bringing a little one to her first Cubs game was so worth it as we were able to share another special moment with our little girl.  As our year of “firsts” is coming to an end, these last few experiences are cherished that much more.

Celebrating Red, White and Blue with Family "Firsts" and "Lasts"

With a husband who works in the media, holidays don’t always mean days off work.  In actuality, this year JC has only been able to celebrate one holiday at home with us – New Year’s Day.  This can make it difficult to plan any trips to visit family or fun outings, but we were determined to make the best of the 4^th of July this year despite his obligation to work that day.

The reason why, this was Anderson’s last “first” holiday.  She will no longer be able to wear “Baby’s First” outfits proudly.  It makes me nostalgic for the past days of infancy, but her new developments and discoveries she’s making almost daily are amazing to watch as she gets older.

To honor this last “first” holiday we decided to celebrate with a new activity, and one of her favorites: a parade and swimming.  Both of which are staples for the 4^th.

The 4^th of July parade in Sullivan wasn’t her first parade.  She was actually at the Eastern Illinois University homecoming parade; however that parade proved to be pretty boring.  She slept through it.  The 4^th of July parade was her first that she actually sat through with inquisitive interest in the loud noises from the police cars and fire trucks, funny little cars and mopeds driving in circles and various other floats, people and horses walking through the event.   Having a small child with us also made us prime zone for Popsicle throwing. 

If you remember from this post, Anderson is a little baby fish.  She loves being in the water.  The warm, beautiful weather made swimming a must on this holiday.  For a very short period of time we were able to spend some time splashing around in the pool with family before JC had to head into work.

We continued our 4^th of July celebration on Saturday with a day spent on the boat.  I’ve written about my fun summers the past five years on Mill Creek Lake with our family.  We’ve made many treasured memories floating around in the waters of the lake, and sailing across the water in our little speed boat.  Due to busy schedules we’ve not been able to use the boat as much as we should, so our family has decided to part ways with it.  

Saturday served as a beautiful day to say good-bye to the little Stingray.  Besides a grumpy baby when the lifejacket was put on – the rest of the day could not have been any better.  Bright sunshine, the smell of sunscreen, a band playing on a nearby dock and a few cruises on the lake topped off our last day of fun on Mill Creek Lake for a little while. 

As the “firsts” chapter of Anderson’s life comes to a close with her first birthday looming before us, I will relish in the remaining “firsts” of her life and treasure the memories we’ve made along the way.

Water Baby

Summer has always been my favorite season.  The reason why: some of my favorite activities take place during the warm months.  Cookouts, baseball, days spent on the lake – and my most favorite summer past time: swimming.

Ever since I can remember my childhood summer days were spent at the pool.  My Mom, who had summers off since she is a teacher, would load up my brother and me in the car and head to the pool to pass the hot summer days.  Diving for pool sticks and pennies, jumping off the diving board (and eventually moving up to the high diving board), having “tea parties” at the bottom of the pool with friends and playing “Marco Polo” described my summer days.  The dreaded “10 minute time-outs” held every hour so the lifeguards could get a break, seemed to last forever.  This did offer a great time for us to head to the snack bar.  My Mom always came prepared for snack time with a wallet full of change.  After a long day at the pool, there was nothing better than coming home for a short nap before dinner.  Those were the best days of summer!

Unfortunately I have to work during the summer months, but I hope to still create many fun memories with my baby girl at the pool.  With this in mind, when summer “parent/child” swim lessons opened up at our local park district I quickly signed Anderson and I up.  Since that day in March, I’ve been anxiously awaiting baby swim lessons.

 

My purpose of signing Miss A up for swim lessons wasn't all for the fun either.  I was introduced to water at around six months.  Because I had swim lessons and have felt confident swimming for years I’ve never felt uncomfortable in the water.  I want to make sure Anderson feels that way too.  She needs to know how to be safe in the water, and in the process, will hopefully turn into a little fish too!

This week was our first night of swim lessons.  The weather wasn’t great for our water debut, but that didn’t stop my little baby from enjoying her time in the pool.  She definitely was not afraid of the water.  About 30 minutes into the class she was pushing at me to put her down so she could kick and play in the water on her own.  She is a very independent little girl in and out of the water.

Anderson loved picking up checker pieces in the water (and then putting them in her mouth when I looked away for a second), kicking in the water while sitting on the edge of the pool, and laying on her tummy while I whisked her around the water.  She even showed off when her Dad arrived after work by putting her face in the water on her own. 

I might be a little bit of a proud baby swimmer Mom, but she really seemed to love it.  This makes me extremely happy as this will be something we will both enjoy doing together for years to come.  Even though Miss A won’t have the same experiences I did spending every day at the pool, I know we will be able to create many fun memories on our future trips splashing through the pool!