Kinda like Lemmy, but different...

Big Kitty
Originally uploaded by epmdesigner.

Other than the fact that she came down with a major fever during our visit, Leah loved the Rosamond-Gifford Zoo. She's been a number of times already but now there is a whole lot of recognition in her eyes when she sees certain animals. Even with her eyes half closing and exhaustion settting in, she managed to squeak out a very sweet "ROAR!" as we passed the lions on our way out.

Leah and her Grandma really enjoyed the dog training demonstration with the zoo's barn dog Emma. Leah had a tough time holding herself back...she loves dogs and really wanted to pet sweet Emma. We saw sheep, donkeys, a llama, some really cute meercats (another favorite of Grandma! They are so cute!), lynx, and a whole lot more. We dodged some rain here and there and Pete enjoyed showing Leah the tigers up close and personal. The Nowak clan LOVES cats of all kinds, but the big ones are particularly exciting.

It was right after this shot that Leah started melting down...poor thing. Not the usual toddler, screaming meltdown...just giving into feeling over tired and feverish. Luckily, the zoo isn't too large so we swung by the penguins quick (another Leah fave...she loves anything that swims like she does!) and even saw a monkey who took a sincere interest in Leah. I joked with my little "monkey toes" that she and the monkey were probably separated at birth.

Well, LeLe made a full recovery but she's now a little under the weather thanks to her DTaP innoculation yesterday. The reason I am able to blog this morning is because the little angel actually requested a nap. She said "Rock?"...so I said sure and rocked her in the rocking chair. Then she pointed to the crib and said "Lola?" So I asked if she'd like to go in. "Yes" she said.

"Alright" I thought...hardly believing what I was hearing (at 8:40 am no less!). I put her down and said "Wow, you are being a very good girl asking for a nap when you need one!" She smiled weakly and said "Yes," implying "DUH, of course I'm a good girl Mommy!"

I covered her with her Lola blanket and wished her a good and restful sleep. I wish you could have seen how sweet she looked. "OK" she said. Even though Leah at 18 months has proven to be a real challenge this little interaction reminded me that I named this blog Sweet Leah for a reason!