Someone Told Me It's All Happening at the (bronx) Zoo

Oops, I did it again. Technically, this is the first time Mama forgot to charge the camera battery, and the second time we unknowingly went site-seeing without a camera... Luckily, Mama Anna & Dada Afanasi had their camera's loaded & ready to shoot @ the Bronx Zoo!


Unfortunately, Anna caught a bug shortly after the krewe arrived in Brooklyn'd & was laid up for a few days. Although she declared herself "healed," her doctor's @ Sloan-Kettering disagreed. Her blood count was too low for chemo, so we rented a wheel chair, and took a fine & fancy ramble to the zoo! Alexander, of course, had other plans for that chair!

(Click here to get in the mood for this adventure!)

The Zebras were reactionaries...

Despite the Zookeeper's fondness for Rum, the day was too hot for much more than ice water. Alexander plotted secretly with the pigeons under the table to share his $7 french fries.

And what's better after a few fries than a nice, messy diaper... Of course, Mama could think of a few better things, but Alexander couldn't. The Bronx Zoo had awesome Eco-Restrooms, but since the babe was wearing a "kill-the-earth" disposable, I couldn't bring myself to take him in there... so I changed him in the grass in front of the Reptile House. I thought it was a more appropriate venue for the poops.

The Antelopes are missionaries.

The monkey's stand for honesty.

The Elephant's are kindly, but they're dumb.

And Alexander stretched his neck for a good view of the insincere Giraffes.

OK, it was seriously hot... and the boy REALLY wanted to get in & swim with the fishies!

Alexander passed out shortly after we got off the tram tour. The poor little man was exhausted after all the monkeying around!

Museum of Natural History & Central Park

Note: Still tired. The babe's 103+ fever is now accompanied by a cough, and what looks like the beginnings of a rash. Last night was one of the worst nights yet; bed @ 11:20, a lot of tossing & turning, a bit of coughing, and then up at 8. Eight am might not seem early, but, believe me, it is... Back to the story...

On the Goodneighbor's last full day in the city, we all met up at the American Museum of Natural History. Unfortunately, the outside of the magnificent building was under construction. But what is even more tragic was the baby's sleepy ride into the city. Well, the sleepy ride wasn't tragic... the cranky, sleepless museum stroll was the traumatic part!

I didn't get to take too many pictures while I was running the babe around the bones, rocks & linens in the museum... Oh well.

After the museum, we decided to trek through central park to catch the subway on the East Side back to Brooklyn'd. The babe took full advantage of the trees, dirt & pre-storm fresh air (Although the rest of the krewe probably wanted to "get there," Mama indulged the little Nature Boy & let him wander, wander, wander.)

Alexander even spent a little time perfecting his new favorite NYC past time, sticking found objects down the nearest sewer drain. He tried this again after we returned home; Papa wasn't so impressed!

After the Park we crossed Madison Avenue & then Park Avenue.

Home again, home again on the Q Train.

Anna met us with some Chinese, Vodka & Watermelon. Yum.

Papa even quietly fed the babe his first taste of ice cream while hiding in the kitchen. It only took one bite & the boy was hooked. When we returned home the babe found a plastic ice cream cone @ a friends house & spent the morning licking it...

A Pictureless Day

Yeah, Mama spent a long day traversing Brooklyn'd taking pictures, you know Mama. She even took a few hundred extra pictures @ the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, just to show her Master Gardener friends...Papa forgot to put the memory card into Mama's camera. Deep breath. Exhail.

Well, anyway. Alexander slept his way through a beautiful tour of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

We finally realized the camera was useless after Mama set up a few pictures of the Goodneighbors and attempted to preview the pix for the kiddos... Ugh.

Anyway.

We headed to dinner @ a small Russian Restraunt off Brighton Beach where the waiters were all dressed up in striped sailor suits and the beers were as big as the babes.


We'll go back. The outdoor seating area was adjacent to the gated front lawn of a brick apartment building, ie. playground. We lifted the babes over the fence & peaceful meal, here we come!

Until, of course, Russian Justin roared into the playground. This brut of a kid kept hitting Alexander on the noggin with a stick, he even boxed the babes ears! Russians!

Our boy, however, was the perfect playmate. He tried to share with the brut. And after our boy finally gave up on Justin, he didn't hit back, he just found something else to do!

It's Raining, It's Pouring, Grandpa is Snoring

Note: I'm tired. The boy's been "sleeping" in bed with us since we came home from Brooklyn'd. Papa moved to the guest bedroom late last week. And the fever sent him to the couch last night. Which leaves me. Alone. All night. Sleepless. Tending the feverish magpie, washcloths and all. Baby-in-bed is definitely NOT my idea of a good time. Anyway, I'm tired. And a little crazy. So, while reading, please add a little colorful wording & craziness. Thank you & peace-out.

Saturday's popup thunderstorm was kinda like our boy's fever. One minute crazy happy to be poking grandpa's belly. The next (now as a matter-of-fact) 103.8* & sleepy. But he just can't get comfortable... well, he can't get comfy apart from Mama's lap. Right now, the boy's snuggled up with a pseudo-lap, ie. couch pillow. Oh, and now he has a cough. Poor baby!

But let's focus on the storm...Grandpa!


Dada (Uncle) Afanasi & Grandpa are the perfect house guests, they don't come inside. I mean, it would be great if they would come into the air conditioning, but instead they've spent their long weekend in the backyard, and during the brief thunderstorm, perched on the front porch.

This is the ideal situation for the boy (or at least it would be if he were feeling 100%). Playing outside from breakfast until the bedtime car ride.


This morning the krewe moved under the carport while the sun burned backyard. Papa rigged up a removable fence so that the babe could safely play in the shade. Until his fever came back full-force, we had a great day!

Nik & her Mama tried to sneak past our new fun fortrace, but of course that didn't happen! (Nikki is suffering from, most likely, the same virus as the boy. Her early-morning ER visit gave her a positive strep test... So, anyway, that's why her Mama wasn't concerned about her cruisin' 'round the yard with the boy.)

Before the evening fever, our big boy enjoyed a few hours of Mama's new potty-training initiative. We brought the potty outside, bared the bum & periodically asked (and signed)"Potty?"

Things were working great for a while. The babe peed on the potty twice, and never demanded a Raisinette (Since the fever began yesterday morning, the boy would sit on the pot, but refuse to pee... but he still demanded the Raisinette...)

Anyway, things were working great... until we got company, and Mama got shy. We put the boy's shorts on, sans diaper, and as soon as we covered up his package, he peed. Twenty minutes later, when I asked if he had to pee on the potty, a little trickle came out his pant-leg again. Although cute, we diapered him up. We don't want the company to judge. I guess the babes just figured anything covering his junk gave him permission to pee... I mean, who doesn't like to pee his pants?

Papa Paddleboat & Watermelon Face

What a great week, well, at least it was a good start to a week...

Papa took Alexander on his first-ever paddle boat ride after the Wheeling Library's first summer campfire @ Wheeling Park. The boy had so much fun, he had Papa take little Nik on a ride next!


A little hike in the "woods."

Then the babes had some of his favorite women over for some scrumptious cookies, (Thanks for the cookies, BTW, Ashley!) and shared snuggle with Amber's sweet little Ella.

If all goes well, Mama, ZZ & Baby Ella will be spending a whole lotta time together in the fall!

And then, drum roll please, Dada Afanasi & Grandpa arrived! After a long drive from Brooklyn'd, the babes shared his lovely watermelon with Dirdushka & tried to convince him to take a little dip in the baby pool...

Cheers!

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and at about 4am Saturday morning, the good ended in the form of a 103.7 * fever. Ugh. Oh, and Papa had been called back to work @ 2am.

Despite the fever, the boy just cant stop playing with grandpa; they're just so cute!