got a bird that whistles, got a bird that sings

It's extremely rare that I look on our calendar and see a blindingly empty square staring back at me. My immediate reaction is that I've simply forgotten to write down our plans for the morning but, to my surprise, there simply weren't any. I decided that a relaxing day was in order and naturally that meant Ethan and I would end up at Butterfly World.

This is something we used to do all of the time when he was a tiny infant, the fluttering butterflies hovering over him in the stroller helping lull him to sleep. We'd sit on the glider in the rose garden and listen to the sound of waterfalls off in the neighboring gardens, the sounds of birds chirping in the aviary. What a difference a couple of months makes, as when I sat with him on the glider in the rose garden today, he fought his hardest to get down, sit on his own and rock on his hands while staring excitedly at the lorikeets the next exhibit over.

Back "when he was a baby," he was terrified by the very sound of the lorikeets. Today? Today he laughed so very hard each time they squawked that he had hiccups by the time we left the exhibit. Luckily, the lorikeets are very patient little birds and didn't seem to mind Ethan's incessant reaching for them and trying to smother them in slobbery baby kisses. They're a little bit quicker to react than our cats at home, luckily for them.

Ethan has long since been asleep and the house is quiet, but I still hear his crazy belly-deep laughter in my ears. It was a wonderful morning spent exploring nature, taking in the colors of the magnificent little creatures in this world. It warms my heart, really, the respect that he has for nature and animals already. It is one of my greatest hopes for him that this continues on as he grows and he will forever be able to see the beauty in all living things.

and in this perfect weather, we'll find a place together

The weather was something out of a dream today. I heard rumors of a cold front rapidly approaching South Florida but still was hesitant to believe these rumors. I checked the weather and was surprised out of my mind to see temperatures in the low to mid 70's, a far cry from the temperatures in the upper 90's we've been stuck with. I knew that today's agenda just had to consist of something outdoors, something where Ethan and I could breathe in the fresh air and enjoy the weather while it lasted.

Naturally, we went to Butterfly World. I have an annual pass in hopes the weather grows cool like it was today. While it feels like just yesterday I was taking Ethan on his first visit to Butterfly World, a significant amount had changed. He was now sitting in his "big boy stroller," no longer tethered to the infant seat that he had grown to despise. And, really, he was a big boy these days, a far cry from the newborn that I brought home from the hospital just four short months ago. I'll spare you the long, emotional tirade about the fact my little boy keeps growing at a rate faster than I'm comfortable with because most of you reading this are moms and you know where I'm coming from.

Following suite with his last visit -- his first visit -- to Butterfly World, Ethan was clear about his infatuation with the tarantula in the Bug Zoo. He polished off a bottle as we sat by the lake, enjoyed the cool breeze and waited for the Lorikeet exhibit to open. This was my bad idea of the day. I should have stayed in the Bug Zoo, watching the cockroaches and tarantulas devour their prey much to Ethan's astonishment rather than develop the well-meaning idea that Ethan would love to feed the Lorikeets. I held him in my arms and handed the exhibit guide a dollar for the food. Ethan watched as the Lorikeets hopped onto my shoulder with his best "I'll give this a fair shot" expression. After about five seconds, he thought about it and decided this was not at all his idea of fun. He began screaming so loud that the Lorikeets flew off equally as horrified. We went back to the Bug Zoo. He forgave me and my good intentions. I bought him a shirt that says Cute As A Bug with bugs on it, representing his favorite part of Butterfly World: the Bug Zoo.

I strapped my not-so-itty-bitty-baby into his convertible seat (we officially said "buhbye" to the infant seat yesterday! Excuse me while I go cry in the corner that my little baby just keeps on growing up!) and we headed home where he passed out for two hours. (See also: the longest nap he's agreed to take for quite some time.) The fresh air often is the greatest medicine of all and even though the weather reports predict our local temperatures to start creeping up again as soon as tomorrow morning, I'm officially eager for the winter. Or, you know, the semblance of winter we get here in Florida.

can you still feel the butterflies?

This morning Ethan and I went to Butterfly World. The weather lately has been beyond perfect and today was no exception. It was the first time in as long as I can remember that we were able to spend the day outside without producing a droplet of sweat. Ethan loved Butterfly World. I carried him in the Ergo for most of the time, carried him from time to time and let him sit in his stroller for a little while, too. Despite where or how he was seated, I'm pretty sure his eyes were fixed upwards the entire time. His little look of wonder as he watched the small birds and butterflies flutter around his head -- along with all of the bright foliage and flowers blowing in the breeze -- was too cute. I love watching him when he has that inquisitive little stare, like he's just absorbing so much of this magical world.

We spent close to two hours at Butterfly World, which included spending a great deal of time rocking on a wooden rocking bench underneath a shady tree in the flower garden. This bench is located just to the right of the macaws and Ethan jumped each time they squawked. He was equally as unamused when we went up to visit the raucous birds. He much prefers the tiny finches and hummingbirds to their larger (and louder) avian counterparts.

We visited the Bug Zoo and I had my first taste of what it means to be a mother to a boy. I'm not a squeamish person by any means but I would much prefer watching the butterflies or birds than Ethan's favorite creature of the day, this guy right here:

Oh, boy, did Ethan find him fascinating. We spent nearly ten minutes just sitting in front of his exhibit and watching him slowly creep around his habitat, his furry legs stretching out onto the glass. The majority of the spiders at the Bug Zoo at Butterfly World are not kept in cages but freely roaming the walls next to signs that say "if you don't touch us, we won't touch you." The Bug Zoo is not my favorite exhibit, if not only for the reason that Ethan's beloved tarantula is located directly next to a tank filled with cockroaches.

After five whole rounds through the butterfly garden, Ethan's eyes still wouldn't break their stare up towards the sky where tons of brightly colored butterflies fluttered above his head. He decided he just couldn't nap with so much to look at which resulted in an overtired meltdown as we fled for the exit. He was asleep the second his seat clicked into the base.

It was a fantastic way to spend a few hours and something I plan on doing again soon, especially as the weather continues to cool off a bit. I renewed my annual pass hoping that Ethan continues his interest in Butterfly World for a little while longer, even if it means sitting in front of the tarantula for what feels like forever!