We took our little boy Canyon to the Franklin Park Zoo when he was just a month old. Honestly, we thought it would just be a quick trip, something fun to get out of the house. But it turned into one of the craziest, most beautiful moments of my life.
We were standing at the gorilla enclosure when I noticed her Kiki. She had a newborn too, a tiny gorilla named Pablo. The second I saw her holding him, I felt it. That mother bond. It was written all over her, the way she tucked him close, the way she kept one hand on him while her bigger kids wrestled in the background. It made me think, yep, I know exactly how that feels.
I waved to her. Just a simple wave. And then something I’ll never forget she looked right back at me, grabbed her baby, and walked closer.
It was like time slowed down. Just me, her, and our babies. Two moms on opposite sides of the glass.
I lifted Canyon’s tiny hand and pressed it to the glass. She leaned forward and touched her finger to the same spot, like she was studying how small his hand was. Then she tilted her head, moved her hands like she was trying to talk, and kept looking straight at me. And I swear I could read her eyes. She knew. She knew I was his mom, and she respected that.
The way she stared at him pure love. The way she stared at me almost like she was proud. Like she was saying, I see you, I know what you went through, I get it.
And here’s the wild part: I didn’t feel scared for a second. If the glass wasn’t there, I probably would’ve let her hold him. I never doubted she understood how fragile he was. She was careful with her own baby. She would’ve been careful with mine.
We’ve talked about going back so many times, but with a newborn life is… well, life. The zoo actually sent us a stuffed gorilla for Canyon. He cuddles it all the time. We show him the video too. He doesn’t know it’s him yet, but one day he’ll understand.
And when he does, I’ll tell him the story. How when he was only one month old, he made a connection with another baby and with a mother who just happened to be on the other side of the glass. No words. No explanations. Just moms. Just love.
