okay i would love to take credit for this idea, but i cannot. mainly as my friend rhona may see this post ;)

i met and stayed friends with four cracking ladies from my antenatal group, these ladies need a post all of their own as a proper introduction. watching our boys grow together this past year (yes there must have been testosterone mixed into our local water supply) has been nothing short of amazing.

when the big 'one' birthdays were looming we discussed birthday gifts and we were all feeling overwhelmed by how many toys they already had. seriously it sometimes feels like plastic city over here! so all being at a bit of a loss what to get them, it was rhona who said for brodie's birthday they were going to buy a year family pass to the edinburgh zoo. all of us were sold. rhona really should have got her pass for free through commission.

so last tuesday when the sun was shining,  there was only one thing for it....a trip to the zoo with carly and joe.


now the beauty of having the pass meant we didn't have to run about like crazed people on a mission to see everything. so first stop was lunch, were the boys entertained us..

 caleb with his 'my mum starves me so i eat the table' trick
and joe with THIS face. this is joe mimicking (probably more like mocking - oh you silly big people) us when  we laugh
 gorgeous boy :)
with lunch done it was time to meet the giant pandas!
the boys waiting patiently. though caleb does look like he's hatching his escape
 i think it is fair to say us two grown ups were more excited about seeing the pandas.
 the female panda, tian tian was chilling while the male panda, yang guang was sleeping in a somewhat compromising position, not exactly camera ready shall we say ;) hence no photo
it was amazing getting to learn more about these beautiful creatures. carly and i were mesmerised while the boys were more interested in the school kids in their hi viz jackets.

tian tian has just recently been artificially inseminated as the natural way was a total no go. it turns out tian tian likes to play hard to get, which isn't ideal for a lady who's only fertile 2-4 days a year.

the zoo might not know until as late as september whether she is pregnant, and if she is, she'll decide whether she wants to go ahead with the pregnancy and if not she'll abort the foetus. crazy hey. i now finally understand the big fuss in getting these beauties to breed.

next up was one of my personal favourites
the penguins :) cutest, smelliest guys going
 the zoo is actually on a hillside so you get the most amazing views of the city. we didn't brave the top that day as we didn't have time but that walk is certainly going to be my new work out
 i actually thought this was real, oh dear.

with not even half of the zoo done it was time to head back for dinner. it was great watching the boys faces, they took it all in their stride and joe was in point heaven, pointing out all the animals :) i think this is going to be where we spend most of our summer...nothing quite like getting  your monies worth!

* i'd like to point out this post has taken me the best part of tonight to do, as since putting caleb down he has already been up five times with his sleep sitting/standing/crawling or whatever the hell it is. i really hope this is going be a short lived phase. our frazzled, sleep deprived brains prays at least that it is.

6 comments

  1. That looks like so much fun! A pass to something like a zoo is a great birthday idea! I've stayed close to some of my NCT buddies and it is so nice having friends who's babies are going through the same stages. I have no idea about this standing thing :/ will keep my fingers crossed he grows out of it soon for you!

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    1. oh it's so nice having friends who are going through the exact same stage as you and your little ones hey! best thing i ever did was go to the classes, ended up with four amazing friends out of it.
      thanks for having your fingers crossed for us on the sleeping front, we need it ha ha!

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  2. So cute. :) Baby friends are the best. :) Also baby girlfriends. Gosh, poor Mateo already has 4 pre-arranged marriages at this point.

    And yes, the moms are usually more excited that the little ones, ha. They are happy with a cardboard box and a stick...or maybe a pigeon or two to watch/chase. Us on the other hand...we CANNOT wait to show them the WORLD! :)

    PS pandas are exciting. I'd be the first to be jumping up and down. :)

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    1. ha ha that boy is in demand!!

      caleb was so funny at the zoo...pandas? ah whatever...kids...now your talking!

      hope all the organising for your trip is going well, exciting stuff!

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  3. What a brilliant idea! A year pass to the zoo! I believe that the best gifts are those that are "events" rather than material items. Definitely, the perfect choice. Your pictures are amazing :)

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    1. thank you katie!
      totally agree on the present front. memories last forever :)

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