We had a good time and I think Lily really did enjoy seeing everything. She especially enjoyed jumping in the puddles that had formed on the "rain forest" floor and riding all the escalators up and down. I could hardly pull her away from the big sting-ray tank or watching the divers swim around as they fed the sharks. She ran from wall to wall so she could continue to see him. Every tank we went up to she'd look at me and say, "Open?" I think she really did understand that you can't "open" the tanks, because before long she was asking me with this sly smile on her face that she uses for asking for things like donuts for dinner.
However, I did learn/was reminded how truly difficult it is to take a toddler to a place like an aquarium on your own. We did pretty well until we grabbed lunch at the cafeteria. Carrying Lily, a bottle of chocolate milk and a cup of french fries (yes, that's what I let her eat for lunch - I'm terrible, I know.) was extraordinarily difficult. Especially because she was hungry and tired by then and wasn't too thrilled to wait in line. But other than losing a few fries along the way, we did pretty well. I did get lots of dirty looks from the parents with their more "balanced" meals. I fessed up to the family at our table that I was her aunt and that's why I could get away with this kind of lunch, which softened their opinions, I think.
All in all, it was a fun day. Here are a few pictures of our day (note the "pash-u" in her mouth in all of them!)
Hey you, with the camera... come look at this lizard! 
Checking out the turtles. 
Leaning up against the tanks and sliding down them was a particular favorite!
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