While the husband was on vacation, we had the chance to take Baby to many special activities. Given that she's a pretty outgoing, curious sort of girl, she generally loved them. However, one or two seem to have greater prominence in her memory than others. The visit to The Experience Music Project, for example, has never been mentioned again. The trip to the Pacific Science Center, on the other hand, gets mentioned at least daily.
It was our second attempt to visit the science center since we learned the hard way that they are closed on Tuesdays. Finally, though, we were in. Being short on time, we skirted the children's play area since we figured those are available in many places. Instead we headed over to see the snakes and naked mole rats. The rats were not such a big hit (maybe they are too far away or maybe because they're just so darn ugly) but the snakes and amphibians were very popular. Another big hit was a large suspended globe with the continents and weather patters projected on its surface. The baby loved watching the clouds swirl.
Next up was the butterfly room. We waited our turn, got a lecture about not walking on butterflies, and then entered the "airlock." It felt a bit like walking into the bathroom when somebody's just had a hot shower which is a very nice feeling on a cold day. The butterflies immediately came over to see what was up, and two huge brown ones flutttered all around us. One landed on Daddy's head, and the baby was amazed. Then one landed on her head, and it was just a bit much. She started to cry, and I had this weird moment of trying to shoo a butterfly off her head without touching. It was strangely reluctant to leave! Once the "monster" was gone, the baby's spirits returned very quickly, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the garden.
The funny thing about all this is her memory of it. She "tells" that story all the time (with help from me once I know what she's getting at) as if it was a funny thing that happened to her. She makes her sign for butterfly, says "hop hop" (go figure), and then pats her head, and laughs and laughs. I don't know if she's remembering it differently than it happened, or she thinks it's funny that it scared her. Either way, the visit to the butterfly house is one that will be remembered for a long time to come.
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