Weekdays with Savannah

She’s such a great kid! Or she was… but now I believe we are entering the classic “terrible twos,” and for those of you who haven’t had the privilege to experience them, let me tell you, they are truly terrible. And I think this is only the beginning. This past week, Savannah, our dog Jackson, and I went to Sesquicentennial State Park where she proceeded to run off in every direction except for the one I wanted her to go. When I tried to gently guide her back, she would become a limp noodle on the ground. When I would pick her up, she wanted back down and would kick and scream. Nice afternoon stroll through the park? FAIL. By the end of the day, I was ready to throw myself down on the ground and kick and scream.

The next day, we tried our luck at the zoo. Not exactly much better, but I didn’t have the dog and I was armed with her stroller this time (which is blessed with buckle straps to keep kids in). People in the parking lot laughed with me as I buckled her in to go into the zoo; of course, she was screaming and kicking. Once inside the zoo, I wouldn’t let her ride the mini train (not stroller friendly), so again another episode of running the opposite direction back to the train and becoming a limp noodle when I encouraged other options. So… I strapped her back into the stroller (kicking and screaming again of course) and we headed for the tram to take us to the gardens (stroller friendly, yay!). She enjoyed the tram ride and thankfully also enjoyed the gardens. The garden area at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC is one of my favorite kid friendly spots. Lots of wide open space, large toys on the lawn, a playground, a tree house, and a dino digging area which we discovered for the first time this trip! I spent most of the afternoon chasing her around, until she found the dino digging area equipped with buckets and shovels. She happily played in the sand/rock box for at least 20 minutes, which let me catch a glimpse of the sweet, adorable, gentle child that I know and love. WIN.