Outtings!

Yesterday, we went to a zoo-like setting and let Madness go, well, mad with his good friend, Dimples. There is nothing quite as cute as watching two toddlers go completely nutters for some sealions, or jump back from Flamingos when they squawk.

Madness and Dimples play very well together, as long as neither of them have food they don't want to share with the other. There is a lot of running full pelt at each other, but no touching, which I suppose is normal for this age. They're around the same height, though Dimples is slightly smaller in stature, which Mrs Dimples and I discussed today.

All in all, it was lovely to get out and enjoy the public holiday. The sun was shining, and Madness showed every single person at the zoo his belly button, which is his new thing and precisley why I don't like putting him in onesies anymore!

He loved the animals, making monkey noises at all of them, except the actual monkeys. They had a playground there, and he and Dimples shared a waffle for afternoon tea. Awww. They shared their drinks, too and I can't wait to see them be old enough to worry about cooties.

Also good about day trips is Madness, while a bit nuts on the drive home and not eating all his dinner, goes to bed early and goes from zero to sleep in under 9 seconds.

Fun tip: When out and about with your Madness, and s/he starts going ahead with a temper tantrum or cute-yet-embarrassing behaviours, just carry on and pretend s/he belongs to someone else. This will save you from a lot of disapproving looks and judgements from petty idiots who probably don't have children.

Serious tip: As the Northern Hemisphere summer's approaching fast, it's important to remember the basics when taking outtings with your Madness. In Australia, we slip, slop, slap to protect ourselves from the sun: Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat. It's not a bad idea to remember these sun safety basics for your baby. Also make sure you take plenty to drink! Dimples has a fabulous insulated metal drinking bottle that holds plenty of fluids and keeps it cold. Total drinking bottle envy, I'm grabbing the first one I see. I might get Madness one, too.