It's been almost a solid year of husband and I talking about taking our girl to the zoo. She is easily a lover of animals, and we knew she would just adore an experience to see more exotic animals, especially elephants and giraffes. Life happened and somehow a year crept by and we still hadn't made our way to the North Carolina Zoo. So when husband had a last minute trip to Dallas pop up last week, we took the opportunity to use the second half of the week as a little mini family vacation before baby sister arrives.
If you've ever been to the NC Zoo, you know what a hike it is around this massive place. I'm fairly certain I was crazy to think all of the walking would be a stroll in the park for an almost 34 week pregnant gal. It was a beast that left my legs weak and my feet swollen. But it was also so joyful to watch Greer absorb everything around her, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I even loved the experience for myself, not having been to this zoo since I was a child. And by far my favorite part was feeding the giraffes. If you ever get the change to do something like that, take the opportunity because it's unreal, even as an adult!
Don't be fooled by her face, she loved feeding Jack, this huge giraffe. I don't think the photo gives an accurate depiction of just how big this guy was, especially that head of his. And his tongue was crazy long, but he was so gentle. Afterward, Greer kept telling us that we had fed the giraffe salad, which was basically correct; we had fed him romaine. And as her souvenir from the gift shop she picked out her own stuffed Jack to take home.
Our sweet girl was just as amazed by the elephants as she was with the giraffes. She decided which of the three elephants was the mama, daddy, and baby elephant. Though there was no actual baby elephant there, she appropriately picked the smaller one to represent the baby :)
The lions were our last stop of the morning before leaving for lunch and nap time back at the hotel. Husband and I even napped while our girl snoozed, which was amazing. We never get to nap in the middle of the week, and after walking miles in the zoo, it was needed. Once awake, we rallied and headed back to the zoo. If you ever visit the Asheboro Zoo, be sure to keep your receipt from your ticket(s) purchase so you can leave and then re-enter. We spent about an hour checking out the alligators, turtles, cougars (which Greer affectionately referred to as kitty cats), seals, and polar bear before calling it a day.
The polar bear was like such a big kid, swimming the same lap over and over again. I loved that we could watch the polar bear from a deck, then go below to watch him swim. Greer didn't quite get the concept of the glass acting as a barrier between her and the animals, which made her uneasy at times. But besides that, she really loved the whole experience, and I'm so very glad that we finally made the trip to the zoo for our darling girl.
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