Atlanta Zoo – Panda Babies!!

We at the Hotel Thompson have been watching all of the excitement with the Atlanta Zoo and one of their panda’s named Lun Lun.  Lun Lun has been pregnant and actually went into labor Monday, 07/15/2013.  She gave birth to twins at 6:21PM on 07/15/2013.  We’ve been keeping up with all of the excitement of how they rotate the two babies to have time with their mommy.  It’s totally fascinating!  Mom/Dad said they can’t wait to go back to the zoo in the future to check the family out.

I actually did some research on panda’s that I thought would share.  How much of this information did you know?

• At birth, panda babies only weigh around 4 ounces – that’s like the equivalent to a stick of butter!  They are pink and hairless – just like this picture of one of Lun Lun’s babies.  But although they are small, they can vocalize and make sounds. Can you believe that?
• Around 25 days after birth, they get a full coat of hair with their black/white markings.
• Around 75 days, they start getting their first baby teeth.

• Around 72-76 days, their eyes fully open.
• At 100 days – according to Chinese tradition for good luck, this is when their names will be announced.
• Around 3-4 months, they start walking and by 4 months a cub can walk and climb.
• Around 4 months, they start to eat solid foods and bamboo.
• Around 5 months, they can run and climb tall objects.
• At 1 year, they weigh around 50-60 pounds.

This information/pictures were shared from the Zoo Atlanta site here in Atlanta, Georgia.  Mom/dad go there often to visit the animals.  They have a fabulous zoo!  You can find out more information about the zoo at http://www.zooatlanta.org  They even have a panda cam set up so you can watch these wonderful pandas!  Hope you enjoyed it my friends – XOXO – Bacon

 

National Yellow Pig Day

Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping my paws on the nuts of the world

Hallelujah! Can you believe they make a holiday for this little oinker we have here at the Hotel Thompson called Bacon? It’s not enough that he’s a spoiled little tyke, now he has holidays. It’s certainly a great reason to celebrate with Bacon – we’ll take that anyday.

Yellow Pig Day is today, July 17th. This is not to be confused with National Pig Day celebrated on March 1st every year. Are you wondering what the difference is between the two pig day holidays? Let me explain it to you 🙂

National Pig Day on March 1st, recognizes and appreciates domesticated pigs, like Bacon. Pot-bellied pigs are often found in petting zoos and sometimes they can be found in regular every day homes like at the Hotel Thompson as members of the family. (I would say as pets but we all know that Bacon has gone beyond that category and is now a ‘member’ of the family. Some would say a child.) I’m sure you already know due to Bacon’s blog here that pigs are highly clever and intelligent animals. They will focus in on one thing until they accomplish whatever they are trying to do. Pigs like Bacon can learn how to open doors, gates, fetch like dogs, roll over and other amazing tricks. Ellen Stanley, an art teacher in Texas, created National Pig Day in 1972. Her intent was to to recognize and be thankful for pigs as intelligent domestic animals. And I have to admit, this holiday is HUGE at the Hotel Thompson.

Yellow Pig Day on July 17th is a mathematician’s holiday celebrating yellow pigs and the number 17. Have you ever seen a yellow pig in real life? Probably not, but wouldn’t it be fun to have them yellow? Why not celebrate yellow pigs anyway! This holiday has been celebrated yearly since the early 1960’s, primarily by mathematicians on college campuses but hey it’s a holiday – let’s celebrate! I wonder if Bacon’s Aunt Tina knows about this date? Did you know that she is in fact a mathematician and a college professor? See smartness runs in the Thompson family 🙂

The Yellow Pig was created by mathematicians Michael Spivak and David C. Kelly in the early 1960’s. Spivak and Kelly were students at Princeton University, studying of course mathematics. History was made as they were listing interesting properties of the number 17. During this thought wave, the yellow pig was born. The yellow pig and the number 17 have been linked ever since.

So, spend some time today thinking and working in multiples of 17 and thinking about little yellow pigs.