Tennessee Aquarium

We try not to let Michael's disabilities stop us from doing activities as a family. Even though we know the day may be challenging we feel it is worth it. The hardest parts of these days is that Michael doesn't understand the WHY of some situations. "Why can't I run wherever I want?" "Why can't I drink or eat in this room?" "Why can't I be noisy here?" "Why do I have to sit in stroller, hold hands, not run..?" "Why doesn't that random stranger want to pick me up?" :) Since he has no verbal communication (speaking or understanding it) we cannot reason it out for him. Over time we have stopped worrying about the stares and comments from the people around us and just focus on our kids and making the day as fun and worthwhile for them as we can.

Yesterday we visited the Tennessee Aquarium. This is Michael's second visit to an aquarium. He went to one in Boston in October. We had an idea of what to expect. He wants out of his stroller as much as possible, doesn't pay attention to the people he bumps and weaves through and rarely stops moving for more than a few seconds unless there is water available to touch. This time we would be experiencing an aquarium without the aide of my parents, which we had in Boston.

Our first stop was to the sting ray exhibit. We knew he would enjoy this since he LOVED it in Boston. He doesn't really notice the sting rays. The appeal is the water. We have to watch him closely to make sure he doesn't try to climb in :) He is usually content to touch the water and we think he see the rays when they swim close and that is enough for us. Convincing him it is time to LEAVE is a bit of a challenge.

The next exhibit was the Butterfly Garden. Since butterflies are so small and move too quickly he did not notice them at all. He had to stay in his stroller in here and he was not thrilled with that. It was also very warm in there and he does not like being clothed when it's warm. We had to repeatedly put his shirt back on which made him cranky and noisy. We got the usual looks from people not understanding what was going on. You know the "Why can't they control their child?" look. We didn't want to leave the room since Elizabeth was having so much fun in there so the other onlookers would have to survive. 

We had quite a few moments when Michael did not want to go where we wanted. Nor did he want to be confined to a stroller. He would run about, weaving through people and Daddy would patiently follow. Occasionally Daddy was able to find a quiet corner to briefly sit with him and other times he had to be held and would pout over it.

Overall, fun was had :) We gained knowledge about oceans and rivers and what all lives in them. Michael got to practice holding hands and walking with us. He had to avoid bumping into people because he does not seem to notice they are in front of him. He also had to deal with the disappointment of not getting his way. Each time we have one of these day trips they seem to go smoother and smoother. We are excited for our next one!