Serenity now

Luckily, nobody else seemed hindered by my suffering. I am, however, dreading work tomorrow, since the majority of my day consists of tackling animals, so they don't bite or scratch the doctor. But whether I'm under the weather or not, I rely heavily upon my weekend to get me through another long stretch of battling traffic, coworkers, toddler tantrums and bills---otherwise known as life. While some look forward to Saturdays and Sundays, I NEED them. And thus, following Sunday zoo tradition, my sanity is restored.

But how could I ever resist an opportunity to see a bear sprawled on its back?

One thing that surely must have been getting old were the one-on-one close-ups of myself and Topie. But what other option was there when it was the two of us going solo everywhere? Don't get me wrong, we have a blast together, but Topie truly enjoyed the company of her Aunt Ju-bag and Uncle Jared today. They were awesome hauling the Tope-ster everywhere and pushing the stroller while I sulked along wishing I were dead (haha, I'm exaggerating)---I'd really thrown out my back the day before trying to lift 165 lbs of dead weight (literally, a Newfoundland that had been euthanized) and I was mildly hunched over and slow-moving. In any event, Topie loved the attention. Uncle Jared, while new to the family, has truly wound Topaz tightly around his little finger. I think it's because he's a big kid himself! 

Or does it???

Is it just me or does posing with the 

various statues never get old?

I have to thank my soul-sista Michelle for teaching me the finer points of timing settings on a digital camera. One would never guess that so many group portraits were taken with my sweet little sony propped vicariously on a rock/branch/stroller and I'd managed to rush into the frame and pose only moments before the flash.

It appears as though Sundays at the zoo might very well become a tradition. While the excursion itself has proved enjoyable enough for the weekly return, the discovery that one of the world's largest mammals shares my name (spelling included) was not so amusing. The fact that "Christie" was the smaller of the pachyderms was of no comfort whatsoever. Ok, ok universe, I get it---exercise more. Right. Anyway, the old girl there is pregnant and it was quite interesting to learn that the elephant gestation period is roughly 24 months. Ew! And I thought 9 months was rough. Even so, with any luck, this summer Topie and I will be blogging about the zoo's newest addition. I hope by then I will no longer resemble the mother of "Baby Elephant."