Monterey Bay Aquarium, Take Two

Not at all interested in the rays, just the water
Originally uploaded by pure_h2o.

Yesterday, the Dill family made the trek to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Overall, it was a good trip, but Franz and I were struck by what a difference two months made. Last time we went, Eli didn't get much out of the trip and he remained pretty calm. Not this time. He definately noticed more, but with that came an obvious sense of him being totally overwhelmed. Poor little guy, he freaked out anytime there was a conversation a notch above "inside voice", which I found to be slightly hypocritical since he's the loudest human being on the planet. He liked the fish, but was distracted by all the people; they made him on edge. Franz and I walked close together, and about every fifteen seconds or so, Eli would lean in and reach out to whoever wasn't holding him, demanding that it was their turn to be blessed with his company. This went on the entire time we were there. Both Franz and I were flattered and impressed that he didn't play favorites, but our arms got a little tired by the end of the day.

Eli's favorite things at the Aquarium were all things that he had at home: the globes, the wheels on other kid's strollers, the touch pool with the ray in it might as well been our dog's water bowl, as he couldn't have cared less about the slimy ray swimming around because how could he pay attention to that when there was ALL THAT WATER to splash everywhere?

It will be interesting to see what he's like when we go again, and how he's changed. My hope is that he won't climb us in horror as a toddler squeals everytime a wave comes in at the tide pool exhibit.