Mother’s Day was a month after Adelina was born. I wasn’t in the mood to do much, to be honest. The thought of going anywhere, especially a crowded place, with a newborn and a toddler terrified me. How would I ever leave the house? My mom was in town, though, and Graham encouraged me to take her somewhere for a fun girls day out while he had to work. We chose Shedd Aquarium for our Mother’s Day outing because we hadn’t been there in quite a while and it would keep V entertained.
I bought our general admission tickets online so that we wouldn’t have to wait in line when we arrived. I also purchased parking from the closest lot I could find, which was the Adler Planetarium lot. From there it’s a short walk to the aquarium. I carried Addi in my Baby K’tan and V walked. You could easily bring in a stoller or wagon and enter through the accessible entrance, though. (If it’s crowded it’s not as easy to get around with a stroller. Plus, you have to wait for the elevators to be available when you have a stroller.)
To get your show tickets, simply go to the kiosks (next to Soundings cafe) and pick your times. It’s best to do this as soon as you get there. We were able to choose the 2:30 time for which we sat down 15 minutes early to get decent seats.
One thing I was nervous about was nursing in public. I pumped and brought with me a bottle for Addi but I also used the nursing room at the aquarium. The family restroom and the nursing room are found off the main lobby to the right. I wished Shedd Aquarium would have more family bathrooms vs. just having changing tables in each bathroom, especially when you have more than one kid to take to the restroom. Also, I waited 20 minutes for a family to exit the one restroom. While the nursing room is available, the Shedd website encourages moms to nurse wherever they feel comfortable at the aquarium.
For lunch, my mom and I enjoyed huge piles of veggies nachos at the Bubble Net food court while V had a broccoli cheddar soup. I didn’t have the motivation or energy to pack our own lunch, but you could always bring your own food and eat in on the terrace with views of Chicago as your backdrop.
There’s so much to see at the aquarium that you could easily spend a whole day there. I liked the addition of sculptures throughout the facility that were made with plastic found in the ocean.
Overall we had a successful outing with A & V and I was grateful to spend time with my mom on Mother’s Day. Her help was much appreciated!
