Kevin's Assessment Results

Well, we went and got the results to Kevin's psychological assessment on Thursday afternoon.  There were no surprises.  They told us pretty much exactly what I expected to hear. Here are some highlights from the report, with my comments/observations added in [ ].

• Kevin's presentation is consistent the diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder [ASD], likely toward the milder [high-functioning] end. 
• It is also necessary to stress that Kevin is very young, and assessments at his age are not necessarily predictive of future functioning. [In other words, this is not necessarily a permanent diagnosis.  He could show improvement as he matures; he could have increased difficulties; he could remain the same.]

Here are some of their specific observations from the testing results:

Strengths

• Kevin's cognitive skills [I.Q.] are actually in the High Average range: Percentile=87. [That is, if 100 children Kevin's age took the test, he would perform better than 87 of them.]
• He had a particular strength when came it to Working Memory, performing at a significantly higher level than would be expected for a child his age: Percentile=99.  [This means he is particularly good at taking in, remembering, and using small amounts of verbal and non-verbal communication in the short term, i.e., repeating sentences or copying a sequence of blocks.]

Areas of Concern

• Kevin's Adaptive Functioning/Behaviour is in the Moderately Low range: Percentile=9. This involves 4 areas: Communication (how he understands and communicates with others); Daily Living Skills (practical skills needed to care for himself); Socialization (how he gets along with others and uses leisure time); and Motor Skills (how he is able to move and coordinate his limbs and manipulate objects using his hands and fingers).
• Socio-Emotional/Behavioural Functioning:--Autism Related Behaviours: Kevin's results for Communication and Total Score fell above the cut-off for autism spectrum disorder and his Reciprocal Social Interaction fell above the cut-off for Autism (higher scores). 
• Some examples of concerning behaviours and/or interactions that Kevin showed include limited attempts to direct others' attention to his interests, unusual vocal tone, repetitive use of words and phrases, limited use of gestures, eye contact that was not well integrated and coordinated with other forms of communication, social overtures that were limited to his own interests or demands, less social communication than would be expected, and interactions that were sometimes awkward and difficult to sustain.
• Kevin also showed some other behaviours associated with autism spectrum disorders including limited pretend play and play that was restricted to cause and effect (toys and cars); some unusual sensory interests (e.g. looking closely at objects and dragging head on floor during play); and somewhat repetitive interests (e.g., spinning wheels on cars, lining up cars in a specific order).
• Problematic aspects of Kevin's Socio-Emotional Functioning:  Kevin is a child that has difficulty making friendships; may be socially awkward, disinterested in social interactions, have difficulty reading others' social cues; his interests, behaviours, and language can be unusual and/or somewhat repetitive or rigid.  Emotionally, he is prone to internalizing challenges and may be anxious, fearful, easily frightened, clingy, irritable, and cry easily.  He is also externalizing behaviours at times and may be stubborn, defiant, and aggressive [e.g., hitting, throwing toys in frustration].
• Overall, these items "often" seriously affect his home life, interactions with other children, and learning.
• We were also already aware that Kevin has Sensory Processing differences, which also affect his perception and reaction to stimuli in his environment.

Recommendations

• Kevin will need support in his classroom [it's not yet clear what form this will take] to be successful, interact with other children, maintain a calm and alert state, and to feel good about himself.
• Kevin should start seeing a Speech and Language Pathologist to assist in his use of social language.
• Kevin will continue to see an Occupational Therapist to work on his fine motor skills and sensori-motor strategies to help him maintain a calm-alert state.
• Kevin needs specific interventions like social-skills groups, social stories and books related to friendship, social scripts, adult intervention and modelling of appropriate social skills, and play groups/playdates. Given Kevin's high intellectual skills, it is likely that he will learn steps for interaction easily, but will have difficulty applying them in real-life situations. Therefore, it is important to practice by role-playing these situations with an adult first, and then gradually have him implement these new skills with his peers.
• Given Kevin's challenges with anxiety, we need to introduce him to techniques focused on calming and emotional coping strategies (e.g. breathing, relaxation, a calm-down area, soothing sensory materials, and calming self-talk). 
• We need to help Kevin recognize and label his feelings, and build his confidence (e.g. through books, modelling, positive self-talk).
• In general, children like Kevin do best in environments that are nurturing and supportive as well as predictable and highly structured (e.g., picture calendars and schedules, predictable routines).
• Teaching materials for Kevin should use the different senses and non-verbal cues (different colours, visual  aids, touch, movement, smells, role playing, etc.); frequent shifts between discussion, listening, and hands-on materials may also be helpful.
• When giving him instructions it is important to have his eye-contact (physical contact like touching him on the shoulder may also be helpful). Keep instructions simple, break down tasks into smaller steps, and augment verbal communication with non-verbal cues such as gestures or pictures, and have him repeat the direction.
• We should, as a family, explore the types of services and resources that are available for children with a diagnosis of ASD (e.g., the Autism Society of Ontario).

***

Mommy's Closing Thoughts

Like I said at the start, there were no surprises for me here (except maybe the pleasant surprise of Kevin's cognitive strengths).  However, it was still a lot to take in, and that's why it took me a few days to organize my thoughts before I could get on here and summarize the results.  I say "summarize" because the official report was 13 pages long!  Now, we move forward, exploring the available resources, notifying Kevin's school, and seeing what we can do to improve his communication skills.

One thing that has hit me really hard is seeing that Kevin has been given this diagnosis, and he is high-functioning, I can't help but be overwhelmed by thoughts of what we will learn about Ryan in the next 6 months, as they begin his assessments for ASD.  At this point, Ryan is clearly much more profoundly affected than Kevin ever was, even at the same age. I can only hope that Ryan will make a major leap in his skills around the age of 2, like Kevin did. 

Finally, it's interesting that we are in the More Than Words communication program for Ryan, but now I am beginning to recognize many ASD characteristics and communication skills we discuss in that class that are helpful for high-functioning children like Kevin, too.  Looking on the positive side, I guess that's a bonus of these classes: we're getting two-for-the-price-of-one! ;) 

September Updates

I think we're going to have to go back to monthly updates. When Mommy goes back to work, she doesn't have the time to be as detailed on the blog as she wishes she could be. You know how it is.

***

Andrea

Andrea said farewell to summertime daycare on September 2. Actually, they had an end-of-summer Hawaiian luau throughout the daycare centre on September 1 to say goodbye to summer, and all the friends who would be leaving for elementary school soon. 

Andrea showed me some Hawaiian dance moves she had learned that day when she got home from daycare.

Andrea's first day of Grade 1 was September 6. She was very excited to finally be in a "grade," but a little nervous about who her friends and teacher would be.  As usual, she had a great first day, and has settled into first grade just fine.

She's all ready to start Grade 1!

She has already noticed the differences from kindergarten. She complains that they do work all the time and that they don't get to play as much ("We're always so busy doing crafts, crafts, crafts!").  She's also amazed that she has homework pretty much every night now (reading, writing, pattern activities, etc.), and that she has to study for tests! In fact, Andrea had her first spelling test yesterday.  She was very nervous about it, and was totally obsessed with getting perfect on it (wonder where she gets that from?). Thankfully, for her sake, she achieved her goal!

Andrea's first test:  SUCCESS! (just a little reminder about upper/lower case letters) 

In between school and homework, Andrea is a very busy little person.  She always needs to be doing "something fun today" or else it's "boring" and her "worst day ever!"  Needless to say, we do our best to keep her entertained.  We've been trying to the kids out playing in our yard a lot, and Andrea's all about computers and hand-held games. (She is desperate for a Nintendo DS. We'll see. Hopefully she can make it till Santa visits on Christmas Eve, and hopefully, he will bring her that most-desired item!) We have also decided to sign her up for some fun Mad Science classes, which will take place after school on Tuesdays in October.

A rare, cutesy moment: Andrea and Kevin snuggled in Andrea's bed, playing games on their Leapsters.

They still love their trampoline. On this particular fall-like day, there must have been a lot of static in the air!

Kevin

Kevin officially said good-bye to Daycare on September 9. Of course, he had participated in the end-of-summer-luau at the daycare the week before, too. The closest thing I had to Hawaiian wear for him (and Ryan) were his swim shorts, so that's what he wore to daycare that day. Plus, while he was at school, his class made flower leis for themselves.  

Kevin's so funny when he tries to dance. This was his attempt at "Hawaiian moves."

On Labour Day, Kevin had fun helping Daddy with his "labours" in our backyard: trimming trees, pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, etc.  Kevin adores his daddy, and loves to follow him around and watch/try to help with everything he does.

There . . . and back . . . patiently following along as Daddy mows the lawn.

Kevin's first day of Junior Kindergarten, at his new "big kid" school, was on September 12.  He didn't really want to go.  He kept saying, "I like my old school," and "I don't want to go to the new school." The pictures I took of him as he was getting ready for school that first morning show his feelings quite well.

In Kevin's own words: "I don't WANT to like my new school!"

"This bag is too HEAVY and I DON'T LIKE it!"

"Cheese!" (laughing, with his thumb in his mouth, and closing his eyes on purpose)

He told us for the first few days that he didn't like it, and he was tired and grumpy after school.  Then, a few days later, he said he liked it sometimes, and it was okay.  This week he admitted to having a few good days. Finally, last night, he randomly announced: "I like my new school!" We were glad to hear it.  Besides, his teacher told us he's doing fine. Also, a friend with a child in a nearby classroom peeked in one day, and said Kevin looked like he was happy and having fun. We do know that Kevin will soon be receiving Occupational Therapy through the school with an OT from the John McGivney Children's Centre (where his Gram used to work!), so that will help him with school skills like his pencil grasp/printing and using scissors.  We will also be receiving the results of Kevin's psychological assessment this coming Thursday, and that might reveal some areas of need/strategies for Kevin for his social interactions at school, too.

Kevin is starting to get like his big sister, in that he's always wanting to be on the go, and doing something fun.  Well, last night, he got to have a boys' night out with Daddy! It just so happened that Daddy got some pre-season Red Wings tickets at the last minute, and Mommy couldn't go, so Daddy decided to take Kevin! Kevin had never been to a professional sports event before.  Andrea had gone to a few Tigers' games and a Lions' game, but Kevin was too little. Daddy said it was time for Kevin to have a turn, so he got to go a Red Wings' game! (I think he was just excited to go somewhere special, all alone with Daddy, and get to stay up way past his bedtime!)

Daddy took these pictures of Kevin at the game.  That serious face is one of awe. 

Daddy said he liked watching the game, and especially enjoyed it when the Red Wings scored a goal, and the lights, music, and spectators went wild.  Of course, his first question was, "What happened?!" ;)  However, they barely made it through the end of the first period before Kevin got tired. Daddy said he didn't complain or cause trouble, but he looked like he was falling asleep, so they headed home. I guess maybe Daddy needs to take Kevin to an afternoon game next time, but we know he had a good time because he asked if they could go to the game again, today!

Ryan

The one thing  we've learned about Ryan is, as his OT put it, kids with SPD (sensory processing differences/difficulties/disorder) are "consistently inconsistent." They have great days, and they have days where everything irritates them. (I guess that could apply to anyone!) Most days, though, Ryan is happy little guy. It is interesting to watch how he reacts to different things in his environment. Let's take my camera, for example. Most days, he will look straight at it, but not at me.  Also, it's hard to get him to smile for the camera because he's either studying the camera intently, or the bright flash makes him frown. (Even when the flash is off, there's still this weird orange light that annoys him.)

Ryan's in his gear for the Hawaiian luau at Daycare.

This isn't a pose; he's busy studying the camera!

You would assume that a child who is sensitive to bright lights and loud sounds would be very upset during a thunderstorm, right?  Well, here's a great example of  our "consistently inconsistent" child. One night there was a severe thunderstorm raging outside: wind, rain, lightning, thunder, etc.  Suddenly, Ryan crawls up to the front window, grabs the ledge, and goes into high-kneeling position to peek outside.  His reaction to the storm amazed me; he was fascinated!  He was cooing, squealing, wiggling, and smiling at the chaos outdoors.  I said to myself, he must take after his Grama Marty because she's always loved to watch wild storms outside.

Although I took this picture after the worst part of the storm had gone by, you can still see the reflection of a lightning bolt in the window glass.

Look at that face! He's totally into this storm! :)

Ryan also had a big change in his world this week. He moved up to the Toddler Room at daycare! They have been excellent through this transition.  The daycare and Ryan's Children First team have been working hard to ensure a smooth, successful move from a small baby room with 6 kids to a crazy toddler room with 18 kids!   So far, things seem to be going well. Almost all of his days have been "happy days." He's had a little trouble adjusting to sleeping in a cot in a big room with 18 other kids, but even that's been okay; he's just sleeping a bit less, and it takes more time for him to settle to sleep some days.  He has a special chair to help him sit at the table with the other toddlers during lunch and snack time.  They are also trying to give him mashed up bits of their food, and sips of their juice, and then giving him his usual pureed food and milk when he gets fed up with their stuff (usually after only a couple of spoonfuls or sips).  When he seems a bit overwhelmed by the toddlers, they take him to a cozy, quiet spot for a few minutes, and then he's fine again. Generally, we've been getting positive feedback every day about Ryan having good days and seeming to enjoy himself.  They did ask permission to request a Program Support Worker to help out in their class. They told me they have two other little ones who have special needs, too. Quite frankly, I'm surprised they didn't request a PSW just for Ryan, with all his special needs, when they have 17 other toddlers to be chasing after and caring for!  I asked when they might get the extra support, and they said they aren't even sure if their request will be granted. Seriously?!  Anyway, the teachers in there seem great, and they are very supportive of Ryan.  We've already established a good line of communication between the daycare staff, Children First staff, and our family.

Ryan was stretched out, relaxing on the floor, after his big first day in the Toddler Room at daycare.



Then he noticed the camera, and he got the giggles because he was over-tired. Silly Guy!

Ryan has also become more curious lately. He likes our kitchen floor a lot. (?) A few other signs of development are that he is eating yogurt, and sometimes willing to try a few bites of a new food; he is making a bit more eye contact; he will take turns rolling a ball back and forth with me (albeit without eye contact); he is starting to push cars around a bit instead of just playing with the wheels; and he will sometimes lean in towards me or touch my hand gently if he wants more tickles.  There are a few more little things, but each bit of progress is important for Ryan. One thing that makes me really happy is that he seems to be trying to say "Mum" or "Mama" a few times lately.  If he could gain some speech, even a few words, that would be fantastic!

Finally, here's a fun video I made of Ryan on one of the first nights he explored the kitchen, and got all excited about it.

***

PS (added September 30):
Andrea was chosen "Student of the Month" for September!  The theme for this month was "Great Beginnings." Andrea has a great start to her Grade 1 year!

Kevin and Ryan Updates

Kevin's Psychological Assessment

Kevin went for his psychological assessment on Wednesday and Thursday morning this week.  (Daddy took him in because he had some vacation days, and I was just starting back to work this week.) On the first day, they did cognitive testing portion with Kevin. The child psychologist came in and introduced herself to Kevin, and explained the procedure to Daddy.  Then, she took Kevin into a separate room, where they sat across from each other at a little table. She asked Kevin questions about pictures, gave him puzzles to work on, tested him on following instructions/language comprehension, etc.  Daddy was in a room next door that had that two-way glass, so he could observe, but Kevin couldn't see him. Our Children First Resource Consultant (RC) sat with Daddy and explained things/took notes. Kevin responded well to the questions and seemed comfortable with the process.

On the second day, they did more assessment of the social/play areas of Kevin's development. Daddy and our RC were in the room, but off to the side, and were not to get involved unless Kevin made a specific request of them.  This time, a student was using a family of dolls to try and engage Kevin in social play, like encouraging him to use the doll to kick a ball back and forth to another doll, etc.  Kevin quickly lost interest in this.  In the variety of toys they provided, he zeroed in on the one car and one space ship available, and only wanted to play with those.  The child psychologist stepped in and tried to engage Kevin using those toys he was interested in, with mixed results.  By about halfway through the appointment, Kevin was telling everyone, "I liked yesterday better," "I don't like this appointment today," and "I want to go home now."

We'll get an official report with the child psychologist's observations and recommendations in about 2-3 weeks.  Daddy said they didn't say too much else, except how surprised they were that Kevin responded so well on the first day, and showed  boredom and irritation on the second day.  They said most kids like the play assessment better, which I suppose would make sense.  But since when have my kids followed other kids' trends?!

Kevin's Sensory Profile Assessment

We finally got the formal reports for the boys' sensory assessments. Here's a summary of Kevin's results.  He does have "sensory differences" in some areas.

• Kevin may miss sensory input needed for participation. He has difficulty organizing input related to his endurance/tone. Therefore, he may have difficulty sitting for long periods of time, remaining alert, and maintaining participation with peers.
• Kevin seeks/obtains sensory input at a level similar to others.
• Kevin is bothered by sensory input much more than others.  He may become so overwhelmed by sensory input that it interferes with participation. He can become either too excited, or too withdrawn, to respond appropriately or complete some tasks. He becomes frustrated or upset easily when his nervous system is not interpreting input in a helpful way.
• Kevin detects sensory input to a degree that is similar to others.

Therefore, Kevin will need classroom modifications to his seating and school supplies (scissors, pencils, etc.) to ensure he does not tire too easily.  He may also need a quiet space or some coping strategies to help him when sensory input becomes overwhelming.  The big message we need to get to his future teachers is that if Kevin appears restless, or is having difficult behavioural responses, it could very likely be due to his sensory differences, and should be handled in a manner appropriate to his needs.

Ryan's Sensory Profile Assessment

Here's a summary of Ryan's report. 

• He has a "particularly low threshold for sensory input," meaning, "it takes a very small amount of sensory stimulation for him to become overwhelmed and he is not able to attend to or understand the important information in the environment." 
•  Ryan's differences in integrating sensory input "are affecting his participation in his daily activities (i.e. not yet feeding self, not yet transitioning to solid foods, avoiding playing with others . . .)." 
• Ryan tries to "gain control of his environment by moving away from uncomfortable stimulation and/or showing distress (crying, turning away)."
• Ryan does not seek enough sensory input to sustain successful participation.
• He may become so overwhelmed by sensory input that it interferes with participation.
• Ryan detects sensory input more than others. He may be so distracted by sensory input from his environment that it interferes with his daily functions.

At this point, we are already aware of these issues, and this just put it into a clinical summary for us.  We are continuing to work with Ryan's Occupational Therapist (OT) to "explore sensory and self-regulation strategies to support his ability to function within his various environments." 

Ryan's 18-Month Check-Up

This week, we also took Ryan to the pediatrician for his 18-month check-up and immunizations.  (Ryan is 19 months old this week, but the pediatrician wanted to do it by corrected age since Ryan was born about 5 weeks early.) Our doctor has been following all the reports from Children First and all the other specialists Ryan has been seeing, so he's very much aware of Ryan's developmental delays and sensory issues. Anyway, here's a summary of information from our visit to the pediatrician:

• Ryan is almost 27 pounds, and 33.5 inches long.  He's a big, healthy boy, in that sense!
• I asked about the sore he's had on his cheek for 8 weeks. I have tried putting polysporin on it, but it comes and goes. The doctor said, "Put Polysporin on it." I told him we already did. He said, "Put some more on, and put a bandage on it." Whatever.
• I asked about Ryan's constant grabbing/scratching of his private areas.  The doctor's response: "Oh, that's normal." Whatever. (It's not normal that he's giving himself a constant rash.)
• The doctor told me Ryan should not be drinking more than 12 ozs. of milk a day because it will make him severely anemic.  I think he saw the look I gave him, because he quickly added, "Of course, with his food-sensory issues, it may take time to adjust this . . ." Um, ya. The only liquid he will tolerate is milk. (I tried water yesterday and he looked like he had sucked a lemon.  He also took about 3 sips of apple juice, and then tossed the bottle across the room.)
• GOOD NEWS: Ryan's MRI results are completely clear. Like it was with Kevin, we don't know what's causing all his developmental delays. However, this time, we do know the sensory issues are negatively affecting his development.

Of course, the big "A" popped up again at the end of the appointment. The doctor asked, "Have you considered an investigation into a diagnosis of Autism for Ryan?" to which I responded, "Yes. He's on the waiting list for a psychological assessment from Children First within the next 6 months or so." The doctor agreed that they usually start testing for autism around age two or later.

***

Despite all the medical concerns, we still have our lighter moments. A few nights ago, Ryan was laughing like crazy at a Pampers commercial that has babies crawling, scooting, and walking to some up-beat classical music. He especially enjoyed the baby at the end.  Since we have the DVR, we were able to rewind and play the commercial over and over, for about 20 minutes straight.  The more we played it, the harder Ryan laughed!

The Toldeo Zoo

Yesterday, we decided to go on a mini road-trip to The Toldeo Zoological Gardens.  We have never been there before, but heard a lot of great things about it.  Plus, it's only about 45 minutes across the U.S. border from us, so it's a reasonable car ride to get there.  Andrea and Kevin were very excited to go.  All three kids did surprisingly well on the car ride, and we only heard, "Are we there yet?" three or four times.  Furthermore, Ryan loves car rides (as long as we keep moving), so the hour-long freeway trip was perfect for him.  He was very vocal, but also very relaxed, during our drive to the zoo. (He slept all the way home. It was past nap-time).

***

Andrea is ready to go to the zoo!

Kevin is ready to go to the zoo . . . ? Not quite.

A friendly Harbor Seal swam close to the glass for us, so we could get a good look, at the Arctic exhibit.

The Polar Bear was sitting in the sun, glancing over his shoulder at us.

Ryan sat up and watched Andrea go on the African carousel.  He and Kevin weren't interested in going on any rides for themselves.

Andrea had Daddy for company on the African carousel. She chose to ride on a baby elephant.

After the carousel, we got in line for the Africa Safari train ride.  Ryan was getting tired. It was close to nap time, so he almost fell asleep on Daddy while we were waiting!

The little boys were not too excited about the train ride. Kevin got scared and cried (yes, there are actual tears in this photo!), so we had to coax him on the train. It's odd because he went on the Thomas train at Greenfield Village back in May, and had a great time.  Oh, well.  Ryan was just sleepy.

Andrea and I shared a seat behind the boys. I tried to take a picture of the two of us, but ended up with Andrea's big grin, a bit of my arm, and a bit of my eyebrow!

The first animals we saw on the safari train were the African Wild Dogs.  They were resting in the shade.  These are called "painted" wild dogs because of their spotted coats.

This Impala was right next to the fence in the next section of the safari.  It didn't seem at all bothered by the train or the visitors.

Next we saw a Zebra and two Wildebeest grazing by each other.

The Zebra and Wildebeest were joined by a Giraffe, in the shade.

It was interesting to see how well these different grazers got along together.

Two Impala were hiding nearby in the shade, while the Giraffe got a bit closer to us.

As we came around the other side of the Africa area, we saw another Giraffe, two East African Crowned Cranes, and an Ostrich.

As we came around the bend, Andrea also made an amusing, but not surprising, observation.  It was a warm day, in an open-air exhibit with live animals, so the scent was a bit pungent at some points.  Andrea was sitting quietly, when she suddenly made a comment about how it smelled kind of gross, due to the animal droppings!

(However, most of the ride was pleasant. I guess we just got downwind of the poop smell at that point!)

They also had some interesting bushes and plants beside the train tracks. Andrea thought this flower was especially pretty.

Andrea's looking at a huge termite mound (ew!) and the Ostrich is walking near it.

Kevin started to relax and notice the animals about halfway though the train ride.  I believe he was asking about the termite mound when I snapped this photo.

Ryan likes most gentle-motion rides, like in the stroller, in the car, and on this safari train. He didn't really notice the animals, but he was relaxed and content.  He almost fell asleep again!

The two Wildebeest and the Ostrich are joined by a big Saddle-Billed Stork.

East African Crowned Cranes are monogamous; they mate for life.  They also have cool hairdos!

***

After the safari train ride, we stopped to have lunch.  There we learned that Andrea and Kevin hate lemonade: apparently it's too sour, even when sweetened (long story, with much childish complaining).  However, the lunch area was interesting because where we sat overlooked the safari area, and two or three griaffes and some of the other animals kept coming up close to the edge of their enclosure, near the pcinic area.  I saw a giraffe and an impala playing together, chasing each other, like they were racing or playing tag!  After lunch, we headed off to see some more animals.

***

The tigers were sleepy, and resting in shady spots.  This Tiger was resting under a tree. (There was a glass viewing area that was supposed to help us see the tigers better, but it was a bit smudgy.)

Daddy, Kevin, and Andrea spotted a Tiger asleep in the rock cave.

Here's a close-up of the Tiger who was napping in the cave.

These are African Penguins.  The one poked his head out of the water to say hi!  Andrea, Daddy, and Kevin got to go down some stairs to the glass viewing area, so they could see an underwater view of the penguins swimming by them.

Here's some more of the African Penguin habitat. There didn't seem to be too many penguins out. (They were probably hiding in a cooler area.)

Meanwhile, Ryan and I found our own shady spot, with a cute sculpture of a momma tiger and her cubs.

Andrea sat on the momma tiger's tail to pose.  It looks like the cub is about to pounce on her! Watch out, Andrea!

***

Unfortunately, the kids lost interest about halfway through the zoo exhibits.  It was hot on that day, too.  We were only there for about 3 hours (including a long lunch break).  Therefore, we missed out on a lot of interesting things, like the apes, reptile house, butterfly conservatory, etc.  However, it's a zoo that's not too far away and seems to have a lot to offer, so we plan to try again in a year or two.