PEE-PULL!

Well Harriet officially does about twenty thousand things a day now that are completely and utterly adorable. Everywhere we go lately people stop us and want to chat to Harry (she of course always chats back), comment on Doll or comment on her activity or just comment that she is a delightful child. Which, of course, she is.

In this first photo you can see just the top of the most gorgeous jumper hand knitted by Nana. It is fantastic! Harriet keeps requesting it, even though about ten minutes after this photo was taken there was a lovel shade of babycino down the front and it now resides in the laundry until the next gentle wash.

Today she seemed to sprain a ligament in her knee and was non-weightbearing on it which was a bit scary. But after James cancelled work for himself and rang Nana to cancel her trip down and we were all packed and ready to wait at the hospital, she seemed to be a little happier to use it...and then a little bit happier and then it seemed fine. Which was obviously a huge relief! We all ended up having an unexpectedly lovely day together, including a serendiptiously timed lunch at Sushi Train with Sara, Pete and the gorgeous Miss Maddie. Harriet is the queen of edamame (well, she learnt from the best) and will happily sit down and tuck into a big bowl with absolutely no help from either of us.



We went for a test drive of the Prius, but unfortunately the driver's seat doesn't move far enough back for James' legs and consequently we're going to have to investigate biodiesel options rather than hybrid technology for our new car. Harry had her hair back today in ponies (I know they're called piggytails but I like to call them ponies instead). I didn't really get a good shot of her with them in, we were too busy having fun today to take photos (*shock*!). She looks so grown up though.


She loves to blow her nose and at any chance of a slight sniff I'll be asked for a tissue. The other day she came runnig up to me with the tissue extended saying "Mama, booger in tissue now", dropped it on my lap and went running back off. Ah, this parenthood business really does leave you with the pretty end of the stick, huh?



Her latest issue with the world is "pee-pull". This is usually said with an indignant index finger thrust forward emphatically to point out an offending piece of rubbish by the side of the road. She looks at me and says with much disgust "PEE-pull Mama! Yucky!". Yes, people are the evil of the world polluting our environment. Can Tim Flannery say it any more succinctly than that? However her newfound interest does mean that I am starting to scan the footpath ahead of me to prevent too many stops and too many requests for me to pick up something particularly unsavoury with my bare hands and place it in a rubbish bin another kilometre down the road.



It has been really, really icy cold lately. The other day we walked over to the 'Big Park' and instead of going on the trike Harry insisted on pushing her stroller instead. The stroller has now become a huge issue - it must accompany her everywhere! Anyway, we went to the park and there was such an icy wind blowing through the area that I had to insist on truncating the visit. It was seriously VERY cold. Anyway, Harriet just didn't seem to feel it! We were wandering down the pathway with absolutely no care in the world. She was quite happy to stop and investigate each rock, every seed pod, all the leaves, individual flowers and chase after all birds, regardless of whether they were in the right direction to get home before the icecaps came rolling in or not. I asked her once "Harry, aren't you cold?" to which I received a blank look and an extended palm; inside the palm lay a smooth, oval, light grey pebble. She caressed it gently, turned it over a couple of times and said to me "Mama, rock palm. Cute.". She then snapped out of that immediately, dropepd the pebble and ran off yelling back to me "Mama, runninnnnnnggggggg...." in the jagged tones of a toddler whose feet pound the ground with every fibre of their being. Although I may have pneumonia I definitely won't forget how deliciously simple that rock looked. Nor how gently she touched it.