No Lions, 1 Tiger and No Bears, Oh my!

Last weekend, we took Bennett to the zoo for the first time.  He has been very interested in animals lately and judging his love of dogs, I thought he'd be thrilled to see the animals he's read about in books in living color.  We packed up our bags with snacks, drinks, cameras and a well-rested baby and trekked to the other side of Nashville for an afternoon of animals.

It was the first truly beautiful spring day of the season and the park was packed.  After waiting in line for ages, we made it to the monkeys.  You could tell our kid was a bit confused.  He stared at the hairy creatures swing from the branches, heard them squeak and all he could do was squint in their general direction.  I have to admit I was expecting some pointing and squealing.  Notsomuch.

Oh look, far far away, something with what appears to be a long neck!

I couldn't wait to get to the lions and tigers and bears other animals he's seen and read so much.  The layout of the zoo is perhaps too condusive to the natural habitats and not for toddler viewing.  They were football fields away and our poor kid could barely make out the fourteen foot giraffe or the two ton elephants. To top off our disappointment, there were no lions, one sleeping tiger and no bears.

The petting zoo more than made up for his lack of enthusiasm at other exhibits. He nearly tackled the goat, practiced his owl hoots, and the kangaroo was actually a Tasmanian "Bennett's Wallaby." And there was a baby, in her pocket, in her pocket!

Unfortunately, the most enthusiastic face looks like enthusiasm for umm, something else.

Another highlight of our trip was Bennett's discovery of the hoof-prints along the sidewalks.  He was so excited, that other visitors stopped to comment over the cute kid.  Granted, that does happen all the time.