Preemies at the Zoo. . .

don't always mix. At least that is what The Belle had to say. Sometimes I forget that we aren't your average family on our various outings. Today reminded me that we aren't typical. Although Adeline looks just as typical as can be on the outside, she often struggles when taken out of her familiar surroundings.

I have previously discussed her sensory issues and how they hold her back. I feel that most people don't understand this or how it impedes her development. I get frustrated because it sooooo obvious to me. For example, (you knew this was coming right) today at the Zoo was not much fun for Adeline. For most toddlers like Lila Grace, the Zoo is a place where you bounce from one animal exhibit to the next in complete excitement. Lila and Savannah were always three steps ahead, searching for that next animal and laughing at its behavior. For Adeline, well let's just say we had to hold her the entire time. She was stiff, buried into our shoulders and just trying to hold it together before the experience was over. I tried many times to put her down, entice her in the cute monkeys or distract by the tiger but nothing worked. She was climbing up my leg before I could even get both of her feet on the ground. The sounds, the smells and the quick movement of the animals were too much. She tried, she really did but it just wasn't in her sensory limits. The kicker was lunch. One of the larger birds was screeching its head off and oh boy, did Adeline turn heads. She cried big crocodile tears for a good 15 minutes. For those of you who are not a parent to a micro preemie you most likely would turn your head to the sound of Adeline's hoarse cry. It sounds like she is being strangled and is rather unique. Unique means everyone looking with confused or sympathetic eyes. Really, how could a toddler be that unhappy at a zoo, right?? It is after all the tiny Brandywine Zoo.

So how does this impact development? For most children, the zoo is a learning experience or at least an experience they can later draw upon. Not so for Adeline. She didn't look at half of the animals and didn't enjoy it enough to want to remember it. A zoo is a place where you learn about different diets, different habitats and other differences exhibited in a wide range of animals. I am sure Lila could tell you the otter was swimming in the water and the monkeys were playing in the trees. Although the otter was one exhibit Adeline attended to, she will most likely not remember it. Her stress level was all encompassing. When I read a book about the zoo Lila will connect the book to her real world experience. Adeline will not. This experience, albeit not crucial to development, is an example of how Adeline is unable to learn from some typical toddler experiences. There are too many of these experiences to note but when put together, they leave their mark - a gap in the typical road of development.

I should give Daddy credit. He had her smiling in the pavilion in no time at all!

Now that I have all of that off my chest, I must say we had a great time. Adeline clung to Daddy while Savannah and Lila were two peas in a pod. It is nice to watching them enjoy each other. The zoo is located on pretty fantastic grounds which left plenty to do besides animal gawking. We watched the mighty river flow after our last couple nights of hard rain, we played in the pavilion and threw pennies in the fountain. The weather was perfect and by the end of our time there all three girls were smiling.

I must note that Adeline and I were left down on a large rock on the river's edge while Alex hiked the other two girls up to the bathroom. It all the sudden dawned on me that I had sat on those rocks before hugging a two year old. That two year old was Savannah. We were into week three of our very long NICU stay with the twins. At that moment, I was still clinging to Savannah for strength and love. The twins were still very much engaged in their fight for life. I remember having my picture taken with Savannah with my tired and plastered on smile. Today, although no picture was taken, my smile was authentic. I was sitting on rock listening to Adeline giggle after throwing each leaf in the running river. Sensory issues or not, we are still so darn lucky.