Life At The Zoo

Pretty cute, yeah? So, we've gone through a few critical transitions since our last serious talk here at McMiller PDX:

Angry Badger
For the first month, this was about all we got. Typical activity here was that Erin would be asleep, with a don't-f-with-me wrinkle in her brow, and it would be time to take her to bed, or to move her, or whatever. Ms. A and I would both look at each other and wordlessly think the same thing: no way am I going to disturb the Angry Badger, you do it. You see, for me at least, after many years in the Boy Scouts and as a weekend woodsman, I have learned that you never, ever approach a wild animal, or awaken a sleeping one. This could result in grave bodily harm, or, in Erin's case, damaged parental eardrums, lost sleep, and sore feet from walking her around for hours.

Well, that particular side of Erin changed over the period of a week. Suddenly, a few weeks ago, we had a new animal on our hands:

Growly Bear
I love the Growly Bear. Growly Bear is still a wild animal, but an adorable one. Unlike the unpredictable and ferocious Angry Badger, the Growly Bear will cry in an endearing fashion only when she needs something. In this mode, she's got the kind of toothless growl that you want to humor, "Oh, yes, you're very ferocious, I know. Now let's get you out of these poopy diapers." You see? Nothing to fear.

Then, our little lady metamorphosed yet again in the past week:

Cuddle Monkey
This is a unique animal. She interacts with you. She'll smile when you smile. About once a day we even have real conversations. Seriously. Well, the kind of conversation where the sounds you make don't generally involve the lips or the tongue. She's got "ah-goo" and "ah-poo" down pretty pat, and can coo like no one's business. She'll respond when we talk, just like we respond when she talks. She enjoys hearing books being read, hearing songs sung, or just having someone play with her, usually by having her toys give her smooches, "Mmmm-wah!"

We generally see the Cuddle Monkey in the morning, and mostly Growly Bear in the afternoons. Angry Badger, not to be forgotten, makes a semi-regular appearance but usually doesn't stay too long. It's a nice little zoo we have here.