A Few Good Milestones

Last week, we made a couple of major changes to the house.  We finally got the cool new barstools we had been waiting three months for, and we switched out my high chair for a barstool with a booster seat.  Very cool!  Gran toasted me on my success at eating like a big girl!

Also, mommy and daddy took the side panel off my crib, turning it into a big girl bed with a rail.  I can get in and out of it at my choice!  Although daddy was afraid I would run all over the place all night with this new found freedom, quite the opposite happened.  Blessed with the honor of being a big girl, I am more calm at bedtime, happy to crawl into the bed on my own, clutching a book in one hand and a blanket in the other. 

And finally, my cusine choices are exanding, including sushi!  I love sushi!  In fact, I asked for it by name last week.  I really like eel and tuna, but I will eat salmon and california rolls and seaweed, too!

Papillon

Hello!  I took daddy shopping yesterday and helped him pick out some new jeans.  While we were at the store, I found this Butterfly costume that is just TOO perfect.  Don't I look great?

Fair Game

On Friday, daddy took me for my first trip to the Iowa State fair. It was a totally awesome, fun filled day. We started early, heading out with breakfast in the car. As you can see, I was well accessorized for the day, looking as fashionable as always. On the long drive to Des Moines, I read some clothes catalogs, listened to "Sophie music", and watched the Iowa landscape roll by.

Before the fair, I went with daddy to Des Moine University to talk to the EM club. Daddy was there to talk about Emergency Medicine as a career choice. He mentioned me a number of times, to point out how proud he was of me and that his profession allows him time to have special days like this!

After a quick run to CostCo, it was off to the fair. This picture is the key one for the day. At 17:02 on August 21st, I ate my first corndog. And I loved it. And I ate in record time. Cool.

We toured the animal stalls. The livestock pavillions are HUGE! I never knew there are so many types of cows. But they all just say "moo". We also saw the big boar, weighing in at1700 lbs and the big bull who weighed over 1.5 tons!


good advice!

I don't think we should get too close to that deer, daddy!

The famous butter cow. I told dad I wanted to see the "cow made of butter"

A butter Neil Armstrong!

What a cool bison statue. The man was carving them with a chainsaw!

We rode high above the midway in a people mover thing. It was really cool,

Daddy says its just like a chairlift at Mammoth!

I thought the chairlift was awesome, but daddy was scared and held onto me super tight. Its OK, daddy, I said, we're safe up here!

I got to see a sow feeding her piglets. These pigs can go from birth to bacon in only 6 months. Amazing!

I won a stuffed leopard on a fishing game on the midway. I clutched my prize as daddy dragged me away from the fun and into the car. But I fell asleep as we pulled out of the parking lot and slept all the way home. What a day!!

My Pet Goat

Gran is here this week visiting me and we went to Mimi's farm to play. I got to hang out with my pet goat, Annie. She's really cool- very sweet, very curious, and very calm. She's almost as perfect as my doggies. We walked around the garden, smelling Mimi's amazing plants. Her farm is beautiful!

Gran and I went to the park today to play on the swings and the little rides. I loved it so much I told gran, "Come back?" We will. Tomorrow!

Breakfast at Lou Henri's

Daddy took me to breakfast again today. We had a really cool morning. I woke up to Nali sniffing my head and then daddy and I read some books right away. I read a couple of penguin books, which got me in the mood for Happy Feet. So I asked daddy, "I want to watch the penguins on TV". He turned on Happy Feet in mommy and daddy's room and I watched it while he got dressed. Then we went to Lou Henri's, our favorite breakfast spot. Of course I ordered pancakes, but I liked the blackberry jam on the toast the best. Check it out:

Hi, Gran! See you soon!

The Coralville Pool!

On Sunday we went to the Coralville City Pool for some swimming. I was really excited- jumping up and down kind of excited. When most people from LA think of public pools, then frown at the idea of a run-down rinky-dink lap pool. But the Coraville pool is amazing- it is as good as any small waterpark! It has a sloped entrance pool, like a beach, three small slides into the regular pool, 2 diving boards, a dozen small waterfalls and sprayers, and two gigantic, tower based super slides. One of the big slides sends you almost straight down super fast into a toliet bowl- shaped finish where you spin around until you get dumped from 3 feet up into the pool! Daddy can't wait to try it!

But we just stuck to the kiddie pool, which was fine with me. I slid on the small slide about a dozen times, laughing hysterically each time. After an hour, mommy and daddy had to drag me away because I just wanted to keep going! I can't wait to "come back".

Here's a bonus- daddy spotted this duck family at work. Mommy was leading the chicks across campus to the river. How cute!