Several months ago, we started feeding Thomas with a spoon.  He would try to pull the spoon from my hand and feed himself.  He just made a  huge mess.  Between us and the babysitter, we managed to break that habit.  Now, he’ll just open his mouth like a little bird without grabbing at the spoon. Well, he is almost 10 months old, and I would like him to learn to feed himself.  I read about it, and learned that the fatter plastic spoons are easier for babies to grasp.  So, tonight at dinner I loaded up the spoon with some fresh avocado and left it on his tray.  He picked it right up and put it in his mouth!  He ate it all, and only made a small mess.  I think it will be a while before he can actually dip the spoon into the bowl of food.   

Thomas just started waving bye-bye recently.  It is usually hit or miss.  Sometimes we’ll say good-bye to someone, but he won’t start waving until he’s buckled up in the car.  Other times, he’ll wave when we wave to him.  The last few days, he has started responding to my command.  When I say “wave bye-bye,” he does!  This is the first command he has responded to.  It is so cute!  I shot a video this morning.  Yes, his thumb is always  in his mouth.  He’ll usually just wave with the other hand.  The thumb rarely  comes out. 

Thomas is definitely too young for the zoo.  It didn’t help that he missed his afternoon nap, and was completely exhausted.  The weather was gorgeous, and there were dozens of moms pushing strollers.  I could see how it’s a great place to take kids.  We’ll take Thomas back when he’s older. 

The first spot was the petting zoo.  There were a few goats out in the open, but most of them were “resting” behind a rope.  There were also some sheep and a potbellied pig in some enclosures.  There was a bucket of brushes, and the children could brush the goats.  Daddy held Thomas up so he could pet and brush one of the goats.  

Just past the petting zoo, there was a “children’s room.” It was air-conditioned, and filled with quiet activities.  The employee inside said that it’s a great napping spot in the summer.  There were cubbies with animal and occupation dress-up outfits .  There was a bookshelf stocked with animal books.  One half of the room was filled with flower pillows for sitting on.  The wall was lined with more pillows, and there were lots of stuffed and plastic animals to play with.  

 I plopped Thomas down on a flower pillow.  He took a minute to look around, then started crawling around.   He loved it!  He pulled books off the shelves.  He face-planted in a giant stuffed elephant.

  He could have stayed there all day.  It was like a fantastic romper room made just for him.  After that, we took a tram ride around the perimeter of the zoo.  I look forward to going back and actually seeing the animals!