SEA WORLD!!! (day 2)

Jaina woke up still a bit feverish, but we decided to press on with our plans. We had a great breakfast of made-to-order omelets (bacon, tomatoes, and fresh spinach for me, I don't remember what John got, but I think it had mushrooms in it), potatoes, fruit, yogurt, pancakes, and whatever else we could convince Libby to eat. Then we made off for the park. we had bought our tickets online and were able to go straight to the entrance. I had to stop and get my season's pass printed out, so John took the girls through security while I waited. And as a bonus, I got a free Sea World straw cup thingy! I got inside the park and walked around calling John until we found each other by the dolphin pool, which unfortunately hadn't opened yet. we walked around a bit to get our bearings, walking through the Anheuser-Busch barn to see the Clydesdales in the process. The sky was overcast and we had a cool breeze going on, for which we were very, very greatful.



We spent that first day going to a bunch of shows. Libby LOVED Shamu! Jaina liked it some, but still wasn't feeling that great. We also got to see the Viva! show, which had beluga whales and aerial acrobats, which was really cool. It was like a circus-in-the-water sort of thing. One whale mama had her baby tagging along (they don't ever seperate moms and babies) and it was neat to see the little guy mimicking his mama as she followed the trainer's cues. We went to Shamu's Happy Harbor where there were playgrounds, a splash pad, and a few rides. John took Libby on her first roller coaster (twice!) and she thought that was just awesome. Since I'm the roller coaster buff in the family, I was sad I couldn't be the one to take Libby on her first coaster, but they don't allow visibly pregnant woman on even those dinky little pre-school coasters. So I took Jaina to the splash pad and she walked around and was cute. We got ice cream and made a mess and at that point it was past lunchtime, so we deicded to make a day of it and head back to the hotel.



We spent the afternoon watching TV and playing in the pool, and we all got a good night's sleep. The next morning we had some more great breakfast and headed back to the park. Libby wanted to see Shamu again, so this time I took her down to the splash seats while John and Jaina watched from the dry zone. Libby was not impressed. We also went over to the Sea Lion show while Jaina napped. Libby seemed to like that one, even though she didn't get the humor of the show. After that, we went to the waterpark part of Sea World. We had to wait in line for about 15 minutes (on the way out, the line to get in was about 10 times as long as when we went in). We went straight to the Lazy River. Libby and Jaina LOVED the Lazy River! We were in there for ages. Around, and around, and around. It was so nice to sit my pregnant self in an innertube in the cool water and just float. Jaina sat with me and Libby hung out with John. After we started to prune, we got out and walked over to the kiddie splash ground. It was hot, and I got a massive sunburn. Not fun. After we realized how burned I was getting, we clothed up and left, buying a stuffed Shamu on the way out. Shamu instantly became Jaina's best friend. We hit the penguins on the way out, then left.

One more miserable, sunburned night in the hotel, and we drove back home. Sea World is our favorite place, and we can't wait to go back!