Penguins

We went to the zoo today with Lisa & Hudson for a class about penguins. When we arrived the teacher told Grace that there was also a Gracie in the class. We all laughed about that then got seated. I had to ask Gracie's mom, "I'm sorry, I'm going to be horribly rude, but is she from China?" I quickly followed that with "we're a waiting family." It was a great experience to talk to another local mom with a daughter from China. We had a nice chat about their experiences, the wait, and the overall joys of adoption.

Grace & Hudson had a great time. They learned all kinds of penguin facts, learned how to balance eggs on their feet like penguins do when hatching, went to the aquarium to watch the penguins in their habitat, then came back to the classroom for a snack, craft, and story. The best part by far was getting to meet & pet a real penguin. One of the zoo keepers brought in a small, South African, penguin to meet the kids. The adults got to pet her too! Her name is Louis, yes, Louis is a girl. Her boyfriend's name is Lisa. I guess the only way to find out a penguin's sex is an exam by a veterinarian. They had already been named before their keepers knew their sex. They differentiate the sexes of the birds for zoo purposes with a black wingband for boys & a white wingband for the girls. Grace & I will have fun on our next zoo visit finding the girl & boy penguins.

There is an adorable children's book about penguins. The title is "And Tango Makes Three." It's the story of 2 male penguins at the Central Park Zoo that fall in love. They try to hatch a rock so the zookeepers decide to give them a fertilized egg. They proceed to hatch the egg and are wonderful parents to their little chick Tango.