Year 2: Week 5

Dear Zayde,


This week I learned that the animals in my books are just representations of actual living species. Sure, I've seen plenty of cats and dogs to know that some people live with animals, but it never occurred to me that a horse was a real thing. I had no idea that all those furry four-legged and feathered two-legged creatures I'd seen in illustrations could be found in someone's back yard. On Saturday, my parents took me to a birthday party at a home with a lot of grass out back. I knew something extraordinary was happening as soon as I noticed the small crowd of children and adults gathered around and in a temporary fence. Inside the fenced pen were a lamb, a calf, a mother goat and its kids, two ducks, and a couple of unexpectedly mellow chickens. At first, I was a tad overwhelmed with the new sights and smells, but by the second time that Mommy walked with me into the pen, I was curious enough to do some sensory exploration. I decided to pet everything but the foul. (Those feathers didn't look as inviting as the fur.) The highlight of the menagerie was, of course, the pony. The big kids, the ones who could walk in and out of the animal pen all by themselves, took turns riding the pony around the yard. I wasn't interested in riding, but I did enjoy petting the horse's mane, which I learned is soft and thick. The birthday girl is my cousin from Daddy's half of the family, and she is now three years old. Seeing as this was my only experience at a girl's third birthday party, I shall use it as my reference point and the basis for my expectations. In other words, I get a pony in two years, right?

Recently, I learned to say uh-oh. I've been making the sound for perhaps a few weeks, but it wasn't until a few days ago that I've been able to apply it to so many useful situations. Uh-oh is the perfect utterance after I "drop" something from the tray of my high chair. I've used it when I "spill" my cheerios all over the living room rug and also when I "inadvertently" remove the items from Mommy's wallet and fling those contents in every direction. One night, while in the bathroom waiting for the tub to fill up with water, I was enjoying my diaper-free time while Mommy handed me bath toys so I could throw them into the tub. I was standing up, minding my own business, when I noticed that the floor beneath me was suddenly wet. I looked down, and there was a yellowish puddle between my legs. Not knowing what else to do, I looked up at Mommy and said, "uh-oh!" She seemed confused at first, but then she said "uh-oh," too, and laughed a little too loud before plopping me in the tub and calling to Daddy to bring paper towels. As you can see, my new phrase is versatile and charming. I've had so much success with it that I'm thinking about adding another adorable word to my vocabulary. Any suggestions?


Uh-oh,
Zelda