Yesterday we went to the California Academy of Sciences which is now conveniently located in downtown San Francisco a few blocks away from BART. The building is pretty small and there wasn’t much to see beyond the aquarium. Their ant exhibit has closed and a new one on chocolate is opening soon.
The aquarium is much smaller than it used to be, but they have several big tanks with multiple windows in addition to smaller tanks with one or two species. The kids (3 yo) were pretty interested in looking at the fish, though not for very long.
There is a small area with penguins and you can see them being fed at specific times. They have small bean bags where people can seat and the kids just enjoyed playing in the area after glancing at the penguins for a few minutes.
Upstairs there is a toddler room where they enjoyed playing with other kids for a while.
In all we probably spent about 2 1/2 hours there, though you could see everything in well under an hour if you were by yourself.
As the place stands I don’t think it’s worth the $7.00 admission, but it’s free the first Wednesday of every month (yesterday). It wasn’t inordinarily crowded either. Lunch at the Grow Cafe was good.
Author: marga (Page 146 of 158)
My baby is now a little over 4 months old and I find myself with even less time than I had at the beginning. For the first couple of months I was able to put her down on her swing and she’d happily swing while awake. That seems now like a distant memory. If she’s awake now, she wants to be held /and/ paid attention to. And she barely sleeps. Depending on when she wakes up she’ll either take one or two naps in the morning, neither of which will be longer than 40 minutes, in that time I need to squeeze pumping, a shower and getting stuff ready for going out that day.
We’re out most afternoons now, the park, the library, swimming lessons, a weekly outing, and even Mike being back doesn’t give me much of a break as I usually end up with Camila while he does anything. Even writing this is hard, Camila just woke up and she’s crying every time I turn my head away from her, but she’s on her swing, almost behind me. Thanks God I can type without looking at the screen!
Anyway, I am still here and still alive, but in these most difficult months (for me) of baby-motherhood: when they are too old to sleep and need constant entertainment but too young to sit by themselves and play with toys.
When we like someone, we find them more beautiful. If someone is nice, kind, generous, charismatic, it’s easy to find them physically attractive as well, or at least concentrate in whatever beautiful physical aspects they have. Beauty is so subjective anyway, the same face can be either horrible or beautiful depending on how you look at it (and who is a better example of that that Spanish actress Rossy de Palma?).
Smiles, when real, also make people look prettier. Whether this is because they make them look nicer and more likable, or whether most faces actually benefit from a smile, I’m not sure. But I know that babies whom I once thought ugly, suddenly become beautiful when they start to smile.
Mothers day is coming soon. This song, written by Isamel Serrano for the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, came up in my song list as I was rocking my baby to sleep. It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me why I chose the path I have. I’ve posted this song before on my blog, but my old blog is now “private”, so I’m posting it again. My translation.
He looks for you, mother, while his body is rocked
by the sea in which he sinks asleep.
He dreams with your embrace, searches for memories
to which to hold on so he won’t fall asleep.
The sea roars, it’s a tempest, a cry.
Who could have sent a thousand angels to heaven?
And he hears your screams, white scarves
cover its waters, the wind brought them.
Send a wave to take away
the traitors who planted so much death.
Boats and castaways hear their voices.
They say “Never, never, forget our names”.
Tell the mothers that someplace,
where it’s needed, we continue fighting.
Mother, your son hasn’t disappared.
Mother, I found him walking with you.
I see him in your eyes, I hear him in your mouth,
and he calls me in everyone of your gestures.
I see him in my struggle and he is with me
among the flames of every new battle.
His strong hands guide mine,
towards a future, always towards victory.
His strong hands guide mine,
towards a future, always towards victory.
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