Trip to the Zoo!!

We decided to take the kids to the San Francisco zoo on Saturday. It was beautiful, sunny and warm where we live. And, it was like winter in San Francisco. Thankfully, we checked the weather first and packed winter coats and hats for all the kids.

I’m not a huge fan of the zoo. I always end up feeling bad for the animals. But, it was fun to do something adventurous as a family over the long weekend.


The kids had a great time. Gabby really wanted to see the new baby gorilla… but unfortunately, mommy gorilla still had a tight watch over the baby and kept her inside. But, the kids did get to see a few of the other gorilla’s being active and putting on a show… so that lifted her spirits a bit. They beat their chests, climbed trees, etc.


There were also a few good bear exhibits. The kids even got to stand next to a large glass wall/window and the grizzly bears came right up to them.


Gabby REALLY liked the polar bears and gorilla’s best. Ever since, she has taken her gigantic polar bear stuffed animal to bed with her the past few nights. It’s just as tall as her. Rocco & Matteo seemed to like the giraffes, gorillas and grizzly bears the best. They were really only interested in large animals that were moving around. Anything small or large and sleeping never captivated their interest.


After hitting all the cool animals, we decided to feed the kids. AT THE ZOO. It has been months since we’ve taken all 3 kids to a restaurant. Seriously… MONTHS (since August 08). Gabby is an angel in restaurants and isn’t a concern. But – the boys. Yikes. They are little copy cats who pretty much need to be tied down to eat. The thought alone of taking them to a restaurant is overwhelming.


Anyway, the zoo’s cafeteria seemed manageable. I put table toppers in front of each child. We quickly dropped the boys in high chairs, threw food in front of them. And, for 3 minutes (maybe)… we all sat at the same table. Dan & I looked at each other with big smiles and we said “WOW! We’re DOING it! We’re feeding OUR THREE kids in public!” Then, Rocco decided it was time to scream, get out and begin wandering the entire cafeteria. So much to see & explore. Matteo then followed… if his brother was going to wander… he was as well. Gabby sat nicely and enjoyed her zoo lunch.


If we learned anything from the zoo cafeteria it was that we are definitely not taking the twins to a restaurant anytime soon. Well… a restaurant that we could possibly get kicked out of anyway. I’m sure any McDonalds with a play structure would work out just fine.


A day at the zoo = tired kids. Rocco passed out on the walk back to the car. Then, Gabby & Rocco both slept on the ride home. And about 5 minutes before getting to our house… Rocco woke up, started crying and fussing… and I KNEW he was about to get carsick. Sure enough. He puked up his lunch, all over himself, in his car seat. Poor kid.


I have to call our pediatrician and see what they recommend for carsickness because poor little Rocco seems to get carsick quite frequently. This is the 4th time the little guy has gotten carsick.
Oh well… even with the end drama, it was still worth it.