Going to the Zoo and Outer Space

Every single bird in our neighborhood started singing at almost exactly 5:00 am this morning, which must have been when the sun peeked through some clouds. I've been a light sleeper lately because of this pregnancy, not only because I'm a little uncomfortable but also because I've been having strange, somewhat anxious dreams. I couldn't go back to sleep after hearing the birds, which explains this early morning post.

Lately I've tried to ensure that Sam and I have some special moments together, especially since I know that some things will be different in our home when the baby arrives. About a week and a half ago, Sam and I took an impromptu trip to the zoo after school one day. My brother A was going sailing with a friend, and Sam and I decided to hang out at the zoo since it was near the location where we would pick up A afterward.

That afternoon with Sam was especially fun and memorable. Maybe it was because the zoo was practically empty, since we went in the later afternoon. Maybe it was because the sun came out, and we hadn't seen the sun for a few days. Maybe it was because Sam and I were just in good moods. Whatever the reason, I've been thinking back on this trip to the zoo with fondness. I loved walking around with my little buddy in the pleasant sunshine, hand in hand, and exploring whatever animals he chose to visit.

Outside the komodo dragon display. Sam was a little hesitant to touch the sculpture at first, since he said it looked "so real."

Sam was especially interested in seeing the meerkats, so we planned our route through the zoo around this display.

This week Sam and I also had fun recently creating a spaceship out of a large box. Sam has been into playing with boxes lately. A few weeks ago he and J made a robot mask out of a box that came in the mail. This time we had a bigger box, which allowed for more innovation. Sam designed the box and told me where to create a hatch, wings, etc.

When I told Sam that I wanted to take a picture, he climbed out of the box and struck this specific pose above.

The box is just about the right size for his body. For a few days he would sit in this box while he watched cartoons in the morning. He can even lie down in the box, and he often likes to put his pillow ("Snowman" the elephant pillow pet) and stuffed animals ("Spot" and "Fluffy") in the box with him. I think the spaceship looks a little bit more like an anthropoid Egyptian sarcophagus when he does that (especially with the circular hatch that can suggest a face), but I'm not going to interrupt his fun.

When Sam rides in his spaceship, he sometimes likes to communicate with me and J via walkie-talkie. My in-laws recently lent Sam a pair of walkie-talkies by Fisher Price that J used to play with when he was growing up, and I actually had the exact same kind of set in my house when I was growing up. (J and I also both grew up playing with Speak 'N Spell electronic pads and Fisher Price binoculars. My in-laws still have both of those, and have either lent them to Sam or let Sam play with him. It's fun to see Sam playing with things that I enjoyed as a kid.) Anyhow, the walkie-talkies have been popular around here this past week. If Sam isn't using the walkie-talkies to report to me about something that he's seeing in outer space, he's using them to give me some type of spy/detective update from elsewhere in the house or yard. I've had a couple of updates as to where molehills have popped up in our backyard.