This morning my pregnancy insomnia had me up and moving at 5 am. Anyone who knows me knows that I am definitely NOT a morning person, however, for some reason today I had a burst of energy and decided it was the perfect day to take Charlie to the Shedd Aquarium, finally. Turns out it was a “free” day, although only for general admission. The Polar Play Zone, which was our whole reason for going, was extra, but a small price to pay to see my little girl’s eyes fill with pure wonder. It was pretty awesome.

We got there promptly at 9 am, when the doors opened. There were maybe 10 people there…so we went downstairs to the PPZ first, before it got crowded. It is the coolest exhibit. Across from the underwater viewings of the penguins and dolphins, there is a play area made to look like a penguin habitat. Kids can literally dress up in a penguin costume and slide down an “icy” slide, build nests, and crawl through tunnels. Behind all of it, there was an animated background depicting penguins doing those same things. I had a hard time getting Charlie to put the costume on…she was a bit timid about getting out of her stroller at first, but finally let me walk her up the “rock” stairs and catch her as she came down the slide. She was completely enraptured by the “kengas” that she saw. The last time we came to the Shedd was with Ms. Jen this time last year (I don’t even think she was walking yet!)…so it was definitely a change and so fun to see Charlie really “experience” it.