CAT! (the xl edition)

Last minute change to the image I planned to blip today- after my sister knicked my photo for hers (in her defence I did put it on her facebook wall, but I was planning on using a slightly different version of the same photo for tonight's blip)

Today we went to the highland wildlife park to meet Ivy's cousin Aurora and her Aunty Kirsty and Uncle Andrew to celebrate Auroras first birthday. It's funny how big both girls are now- here they are when they first met last October.

Ivy was great on the drive down- she slept till Inverness, where she got out to go to tesco with me and had a ride in a trolley where she wiggled her feet about and joined me in shouting 'weeeeeee'. We forgot to pack her a bannana and tesco only had green ones, apart from one scabby yellow one that had gon ea bit off at the bottom I found lurking under the display. The lady at the till didn't want to sell it to me- I explained we wanted an 'eat now bannana' and Ivy ate up to the fousty bit (louging about on Euan's knee in the car) and was perfectly happy. Then she slept the whole way from Inverness to Aviemore.

We got to the park before Kirsty and Andrew, so went to see the snow monkey's being fed. Ivy I think would join the snow monkeys given half a chance, there was nursing babies who jumped on and off their mum's backs to be carried about, an abundance of fruit and water to play in. She was fascinated- copying their sounds and pointing at them to make sure the people round about her had seen too. We also went to see the red pandas, which moved for us when we watching. The baby red pandas had been stashed by their mother in a whiskey barrel.

When Kirsty, Andrew and Aurora arrived we went to see the tigers, where Ivy made a new friend with a little boy who couldn't have been much older than her. We stopped for lunch and Ivy particullarly showed affection for her uncle Andrew, taking a running lunge at him. I got to walk about with Aurora holding a hand- Ivy doesn't do this, she preffers to move under her own steam, but I wish she would. I suspect she'll be at least 3 before she'll walk holding my hand. Ivy wasn't too sure about sharing Euan with Aurora- and made sure he knew he had to look at her most.

We gave Aurora her birthday present, which was a pair of suckpads for her carrier and a 'that's not my dolly book'. Ivy saw this, swept the suckpads aside and grabbed the book and made her 'read to me' squeek at Kirsty. We need to teach her the concept of giving presents I think...

She slept the whole way home too, waking up in Inverness and going back down again easily.