Farm Friends

So I'd been meaning to post these pictures for a little while now, along with some accompanying text to let you know just how much this little girl loves her farm animals. For those who have recently enjoyed a video chat, you'll know that a great conversation with the little Miss C can consist of asking "What does the cow say?" "What does the horse say?" etc...She really has quite a good repertoire of animal sounds.


In line with her love of animals, we are always on the lookout for new opportunities to get up close and personal with a few of these farm friends. I've detailed our encounters with baby goats and a miniature pony here before, well on the other end of size spectrum we recently got to visit with some draft horses at a "ploughing playday" nearby. The look of sheer delight on her face when she saw these big animals was enough to make the visit worthwhile.

Horses ready for ploughing

And here comes the horse-drawn wagon

Happy Half Birthday!

Today the little lady is 18 months old. I can't believe it really, but there it is. The girl has reached, what seems to me, the official threshold of toddler-dom. And a toddler she is indeed, exploring the world on her little toddle-legs, asserting her interests and preferences in no uncertain terms, and just generally filling out that fun and funny little character of hers.


Here are the things I am enjoying so far:


1. Her increased and joyful interaction with the world. Her "hellos" and "hi's" have suddenly become bountiful to just about anyone passing by who catches her interest. Anyone shorter than grown-up size also gets a "baby" thrown their way and also possibly a poke in the eye or mouth while she points out these newly discovered facial features (we're still working on "look but don't touch").


2. Her desire and ability to eat more chunky foods. Though any large chunks of vegetable are still largely disdained, this girl has become a fiend for pasta, rice, quinoa and pretty much any type of grain she can shovel in by the fistful. Also apples, strawberries and kiwis rank high on the list.


3. Naps that have sometimes reached the 2 or 3 hour mark. Yes, it has really happened.


Here are the challenges:


1. Her suddenly increased attachment to me. She loves the new meet and greet, as long as I'm right there. The moment I leave the room = tears.


2. The new-found drama when she doesn't get her way. The throwing herself backwards to get out of my arms, pounding on the floor and wailing kind. At least I try to take comfort in the fact that it is often for something like not wanting to come inside from playing. Glad my girl likes the outdoors.


So, you'd think that if I was going to write a whole post about being 18 months I would at least have thought to take a picture on this auspicious day, but I didn't. At least not until about 5 minutes ago. Instead let's take a little trip down memory lane to this day in May 2009 to see how far we have come:

Mother's Day at the beach