Water Baby

Addy loves her "feeshees" so Dick and I wanted to take her to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach before she went home. We'd just gotten in the door when Addy spotted this guy and made a beeline for him.
Addy liked the exhibits, especially the ones where she could get right up to the glass and try to touch the fish. The sea lions and otters were very active while we were there and Addy loved both. The jelly fish, one of my favorite displays, drew a giant yawn.But once we got outside, Addy was in heaven. She loved splashing in the manta ray pool; she had no interest in touching the rays, she just wanted to play in the water. The pool's edge is designed so Addy could lie on her belly and splash to her heart's content - while grandma kept a grip on her shirt and legs. Since Addy was getting tired, we stood outside the lorikeet exhibit rather than take her inside where the birds landing on her arms or head might scare her. I thought our day was about over and was making plans to leave when Addy spotted the water play area.

She saw the water spraying from the giant squid and took off for it at a dead run. I thought she'd come running back the first time the water hit her in the face. Wrong. She was thrilled; such a look of pure joy when she realized nobody was going to stop her from playing in the sprinklers.She chased the water, climbed on the squid, directed the water sprays at herself, and generally had a fantastic time. Can you tell from these photos just how wet she is? Water was literally pouring off her and she was soaked to the bone. She couldn't have been happier. Can you imagine how much fun she's going to have on the water rides at Disneyland when she's older?? A change of clothes - which Dick had the foresight to bring along - and a quick snack marked the end of our trip. Addy had a lot to tell her baby and her monkey on the ride home.