Rainbows and ponies

No, this isn't Zafra's 6 month (!) birthday wish list but some of what we saw this week. Monday was a lovely day in the midst of lots of grey, rainy English days, so we put on our wellies and headed out to the New Forest. To be more accurate, I put on my wellies. Neil's canvas shoes have now been pushed over the edge to oblivion. After a lovely pub lunch in Burley, we followed a route in one of our little books which took us over the hills, through the heathland and along some of the old railway line. It was brisk, gorgeous and just a little muddy! Neil's been working extra-hard lately, so he got to wear Zafra for more attached parent bonding.

Don't be fooled - this was one of the few dry spots! Parker was covered in mud by the end.

Zafra was bundled up and fell asleep soon after this photo.

About 3/4 of the way through our walk, it drizzled for about 5 minutes, not long enough to get us wet but just long enough to produce Zafra's first rainbow!

Happy First Valentine's Day Zafra!

As we made our way back to the car to head home, we found a few New Forest ponies hanging around the cars trying to hitch a ride. We had to politely refuse them, as the car seat doesn't leave enough room for a pony.

Going my way?

There were more playdates and fun times with friends. Here's Zafra at her friend Imogen's flat.

Imogen kindly let Zafra share her playmat. They were holding hands, but stopped just as the camera came out!

Zafra trying out Imogen's babypod

Zafra's laughter comes fast and easy these days. There are so many things that make her laugh, sometimes as simple as a sideways glance. One particularly fabulous development is that Parker now makes her laugh. Often, all he has to do is walk in the room for her to descend in fits of giggles. Here, though, was a brave moment in which he licked her hand. Not only is it funny because he's just Parker, but it tickles as well! As you can see, she tends to flail her arms when she giggles, so any sniff or lick risks him getting smacked in the face, but he doesn't mind it too much.

Another incredibly cute discovery was realising that kissing her cheeks really fast also causes a giggle fest!

Zafra loves kisses and she gets so many of them that she's starting to learn to give them, sometimes slobbery cheek kisses and sometimes sweet kisses on the lips.

But she does still love a good chew on someones nose!

 We're hoping that we'll be able to capture the elusive hands and knees rocking on video for the next post, but no promises! Until then, here they are, your miscellanous photos.

No autographs, please

Zafra wearing a hand-me-down from her cousin Lucie. I love this dress because the pleats make her look like a cupcake!

Zafra had actually fallen asleep sitting on my lap and stayed asleep while I moved her. She started to stir and only settled back down with her head on my leg. She's so sweet when she's asleep!