a day at the zoo - part 437

I've always liked the Bermudian Aquarium Museum and Zoo. I liked the ambitious nature of someone trying to create an aquarium AND a museum AND a zoo all on a plot of land smaller than the average Toys R Us. However, this having-a-kid thing has caused more visits than i think human interest allows. I think i would qualify as a guide. At random, i will correct people's interpretation of the destructive algae chart as i wander through the exhibits. But Schuyler is finding it more and more fascinating and therefore you will be subjected to more and more posts of her in front of the same exhibits at marginally different ages. Maybe i'm just saving ammunition for when she turns on me in the turbulent teenage years and tries to argue that i don't love her. When clearly i love her more than even myself (and i didn't think that was possible... and neither did her mother).

i dig redheads

Sure, Jackson may get jealous but Schuyler likes to keep her options open when it comes to boys. Hence Théo (Alex and Priscillia Potts' son) gets a look see from our cub. As with most men her age, he seems relatively indifferent to her coquettish advances.

verticals

I'm a little anally retentive about my photo posts... so these are the vertical ones from the BAMZ visit number 437

easy as ABC

In order to ensure that Schuyler's latent dyslexia becomes as pronounced as possible we have finished a craft project entitled "the alphabet... sort of". It is the alphabet but not in the simple (and recommended) completely linear order... Schuyler's mum lovingly painted each letter and Schuyler's dad hung them on the wall. It's more of a puzzle than a teaching tool but we think it's pretty cool and makes the room say "baby's room" rather than "supply cupboard" as it did before.

Turkey Day

Every good two foot tall American girl deserves sweet potatoes on her first Thanksgiving (but we gave her butternut squash instead without complaint). As a non-American father of an American girl (and, not by coincidence, also the husband of an American woman), Thanksgiving has actually started to take on some meaning for me. It's a time when i start missing the American half of my family (and the occasional Chilean). If you are reading this, please know that we'll be having sweet potatoes with marshmellows (only in America!), stuffing and turkey with cranberry sauce. It won't be like the feasts of Lake Placid, but we will be thankful for it anyway. We miss you guys.

lil miss stinka

In this series, Schuyler wears a "STINKA" sweater from Aus courtesy of her Aunt Lou and Uncle Will (green cotton pants, models own) which is more apt these days now that she is actually swallowing her solid foods instead of wearing them. P.S. her dad looks like a real dork in this photo... oh well, at least i don't poop my pants.

chark attack

Well, it was Charlotte(Carolyn and Chase's daughter)'s seventh birthday and, for those of you that are keeping track, liz and i met when Charlotte was in utero so her birthdays are a kind of anniversary for us. I don't think anyone else sees it that way. Even liz. but it's something i certainly think about when she hits a new birthday. Well, it was a good time. Weather broke and was actually darn hot and, as you can see, so bright that eye protection was required. Strangely, she acquiesced to the sunnies quickly and with little drama. She must get that easy going, go-with-the-flow attitude from her parents.

happy trails

Ferry Point Park is the only place you can go in Bermuda and not see anybody for a half hour or so and that is exactly what we love about it. On a very busy day, you might bump into ten people on your 45 minute walk there but on many days you would be alone for most of the walk - just you and the waves and the longtails. On this day, we were completely alone and with good reason: it was blowing 25 knots and a bitter northwesterly wind threatened to turn the stroller into a kite. Still, the dogs were excited to be in a place where they could pee indiscriminately for 45 minutes straight (if marking = possession then i think they now own a good three acres) and where they could smell something other than our living room. Blue was particularly impressed and reminded us of his younger self, bounding about little a sprightly young pup. Our hairless pup probably had the least fun... which is to be expected when you are strapped in a chair and thrust into cold, gale force winds against your will.

splish splash 2

Now that our little cub has started in on solids, the bathing ritual has become much more frequent by necessity. Fortunately, she's a big fan of the ol' bath - especially of her little rubber duck. I don't think the duck is as happy to see her though.

a day in the jungle with the cub

As an excuse to get out of the house and to appease the child with the most fur, we ventured out to the wilds of Tom Moore's jungle... well, ok... we made it to the outskirts of the jungle owing to our young charges, but still it was a good experiment. It turns out that we can actually take the baby and the dogs all for a walk together with only moderate difficulty. Of course, the dogs were keen to play huskie to the buggy and we were tempted but as there were witnesses and that sort of thing is frowned upon by law enforcement officials, we let the matter rest.

baby jail - part 2

Although the likelihood of incarceration for a juvenile female are pretty low, it's always good to get some practice.

november in bermuda

Some days it's difficult living on a sub-tropical island - the 20 minute commute to work, the clean air, the low taxes - and then there are the days when your six month daughter can play with plastic cups outside in mid-november and you have to keep her in the shade to avoid a sunburn. These are the days when i don't miss England.

zoo station

Through the sheer force of repetition, we aim to indoctrinate Schuyler in the history of the bermuda's flora and fauna, however, her main attraction at the moment is still the falling water driven by any pump or anything she can put in her mouth. She seemed nonplussed by the experience again despite our viewing of the alligator pond complete with real, live, American alligator. At this point, outings such as this are probably more for the photographer and her husband than for the cub strapped to my chest. Afterward, Schuyler took us out to lunch at Rustico which is a good restaurant none of you have probably ever been to but should really try and visit when next you are in Bermuda.