Sunday, September 8, 2013

Nine


When we moved onto this Farm 7 years ago Eleanor was a Toddler with just one baby brother under her wing. She spent her days pottering around the farm by my side and chatting away in all her inquisitiveness and pink gorgeousness.

Then - 2006


Not much has changed, except she has just turned 9, there are an additional 3 little brothers to boss around and she wouldn't be caught dead in pink.

Now - 2013


Occasionally she gets asked how she copes with all those boys. Such an annoying question but she takes it all in her stride and says "fine!". She truly means it.



In fact, the afternoons would be rather dull without her 4 willing participants of her "after school club" that she runs out of her bedroom each afternoon.



We celebrated her birthday with a slumber party with 5 of her friends.

Home-made lasagne and chocolate pudding were on the Menu as requested.

For the first time, there were no party games. Instead, the girls entertained themselves and us adults with a cleverly choreographed dance concert.



Baby Flynn was a big hit too.




All she wanted for her birthday was a new beanie and she picked out Ysolde Teague's "Urchin" Beret for me to make for her.



Also on her wish list was an Egg Incubator. It's probably not the usual request for a 9 year old girl but this animal lover has been asking for one since her last birthday.



I hear her tell her sweet friends that she is going to keep the girls, maybe sell some but all the boys will be eaten. Ruthless Capitalist!

Three fertilised eggs were popped in for the 21 days it takes for them to hatch. After "candling" them it appeared that only 1 egg had an embryo within so we watched and waited with baited breath for the sole Embryo to hatch.

And today, the day our country elected a new Prime Minister, her first baby chick hatched - a Light Sussex chick named Coco.



Welcome to the World!

I think if Coco can survive all the poking and prodding that she'll be subjected to in this household then she'll do just fine when she joins the rest of the flock. Unless, of course, she is a boy.

Eleanor wasted no time putting 3 new eggs from our own flock into the incubator - a Silver Spangled Hamburg and two Hyline/Spangled crosses. Best Present ever, she said. An incubator - the gift that keeps on giving.


32 comments :

  1. Happy birthday Eleanor - my little girl would be so jealous, she is animal mad too! Unfortunately, little Coco wouldn't last too long in this household, not with a cheeky kitty cat on the prowl !

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  2. Happy 9th birthday to your gorgeous girl, love her choice of beanie and blue definitely suits her:) Love her birthday present too, how exciting to see her first little chick hatch. Have a wonderful year of being nine Eleanor. x

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  3. Lovely girl! Hope she had a lovely birthday. 9 years old is a wonderful age to be, I remember it well. She sounds like the sort of child I was, asking for an incubator/something animal/pet related and not liking pink!
    My mother has 6 brothers (5 younger) and no sisters. My 3 and a half year old daughter will be getting a baby brother shortly although she's insisting it will be a girl called Tulip. We're a family of few girls and lots of boys!

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  4. Happy, happy birrhday. Your nine year old the oldest, and mine the youngest. Birth order is quite an influence, though I think our two animal enthusiasts would hit it off famously.

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  5. Happy Birthday to Eleanor - and to the chicky. Perhaps it will get called Toni or Tony.

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  6. Happy birthday wishes to Eleanor! I absolutely love that she has an 'after school club" for her siblings. That is exactly the kind of thing my oldest daughter would do. It brings back some wonderful memories. I also love how she wanted and egg incubator for her birthday. :-)

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  7. There is such an uncanny resemblance between you, Mel, and this beautiful daughter of yours. It's in the smile, I believe? Happy birthday Eleanor and those two juxtaposed pictures of her as a toddler and nowadays really made me ponder the magic of time passing and how our children evolve.

    Warmest wishes,

    Stephanie

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    1. Oh, my thoughts exactly! I saw in a flash my own little boy, all grown up and walking the same patches as he does today - you have a way with words and pictures Mel!

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  8. Happy birthday to your gorgeous girl ... there's nothing wrong with being the only girl ... I was and it is a lovely way to grow up ... love the egg incubator ... Bee xx

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  9. Happy birthday, Eleanor! She sounds like a lovely girl. I really enjoy the photos of her with her brothers, especially where she has them all sitting on the floor. I love having just the one girl, even though I only have two children. I can't wait to hear more about her chicks. :)

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  10. Happy Birthday Eleanor!

    Gorgeous daughter, gorgeous hat, and I love the 'splits' shot ... those girls look like they had fun!

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  11. Just perfect... So lovely to have such a wonderful daughter

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  12. She is gorgeous and pre-teen......such a bonus. Beautiful post x

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  13. Happy birthday to Eleanor. I loved the pictures of the after school club are they always that well behaved in her class? So nice to ask for things that are useful she must have been so delighted with her first chicken. Treasure these moments they pass by so quickly.
    Sarah x

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  14. Happy Birthday to Eleanor! She sounds like such a great girl. I hope Bella is like Eleanor when she is nine. I love that all she asked for was a beanie and an incubator. That picture of the after school club made me laugh...Bella love to make Angus her assistant/pupil/servant in all role play games. I dread to think what she'd be like with more younger siblings! x

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  15. Isn't she beautiful! Happy birthday to your sweet girl. B x

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  16. I love seeing photos in the same spot but years apart.
    Eleanor looks lovely in the knitted beanie.
    And an egg incubator as a present, why didnt i think of that. You might have a chicken breeder on your hands.
    Yesterday we got 3 new chooks, light sussexs. Apparently the Wheaten Maran breed is selling for $150 a hen we were told, so there might be a bit of a business idea in rare breed/heritage breed chooks for Eleanor.
    x

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  17. I absolutely adored reading this post, I love children that think outside the square. The beanie is devine and she is absolutely gorgeous and as for the incubator, that is gold. Good on her.

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  18. I love..love..love this post! Your gorgeous girl Eleanor..is a beauty. How lucky are your darling boys to have such a talented sister! One of my daughters was anti-pink for the longest time. She decided it would be purple for her and only purple. It suits her dark hair and blue eyes perfectly. When they know they know! I love that your daughter wanted an Egg Incubator and named her first chick 'Coco'...magic! xx

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  19. What a wonderful post Mel, I so enjoyed reading every word. Happy birthday to your very gorgeous girl Eleanor, she is a stunner!!! Me thinks you are going to have your hands full soon (but then so you are beautiful lady!). It was so lovely to get a little snippet of your family life, I so enjoyed it and I am sure her four brothers just adore her for everything she is. What a great request for a birthday pressie, a fab beanie (well done Mum) and an egg incubator, it doesn't get any better than that. Little coco looks like he/she will hold their own just fine and what lovely way for your children to grow up, I am feeling just a little in awe! Sending you much love xoxo

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  20. Happy birthday special girl! She looks delightful, mel. Beautiful in that hat and amazingly flexible with her chums. I'm glad she had a happy day. What a fantastic present the egg incubator is. I love light Sussex hens.
    Much love Sarrah xxx

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  21. Who knew there was such a thing as a bedside table egg incubator? goodness me, best gift in the world I think. Love the pics of the after school club and what a lucky girl she is to have four gorgeous brothers to organize and wrestle with. mel x

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  22. Happy Birthday Eleanor! How I wish I had big girl to help me with my four unruly boys. Love the present - perfect! xx

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  23. Beautiful post Mel, I too love that she has her brothers wrapped around her finger in the "school room", all eyes to attention!
    My little girl commented the other day that she really wanted a sister (*3 brothers), who knows it may happen, but I assured her she was one very lucky little girl to have 3 brothers who will one day be much bigger and stronger than her and will protect her and love her as much as mum and dad do.
    xo

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  24. ...and way to go with that beanie. just gorgeous, you clever girl x

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  25. An incubator! That has to be the coolest birthday gift ever :-)

    And thank you for sharing the story of your Dad and his cherished cars in my post about finding joy in less. I imagine few of today's toys would be so cherished and last so long. x

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  26. Like tricia said, I think that might be the best present ever! My boy's class has just had 12 chicks hatch in their classroom in an incubator and the excitement from all the kids was amazing. To have your very own next to your bed? That dear mama is the bees knees.

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  27. Happy birthday to Eleanor, I love the sleepover dance performance picture & the chicks!

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  28. Hello mel, nice to meet you! (Bumbled my way here by bloghopping!) just wanted to say that your daughter seemsa wonderful little girl/ young lady.. love her birthday request, her chicks and her beanie hat! ( did you make the crocheted blanket on her bed too?)

    Leanne x

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  29. Hi Leanne, Thanks for stopping by. No, unfortunately I didn't make this granny square blanket (I picked it up from the Op Shop for $5) but I did make one last year. Mel x

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  30. What a gorgeous girl you have Mel, both on the inside and the outside. That beanie is lovely, such a pretty colour... in fact I love her whole ensemble in that shot of her outdoors. Love that she asked for an egg incubator!! And love that Coco has joined your family :) The photo of Eleanor's after school club is SOOO cute... especially with baby Flynn sitting straight and tall at the end of the row :) Happy birthday gorgeous Eleanor xx

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  31. Oh look at Baby Flynn sitting in the after school club like he's one of the big kids! Cuuuuuuute

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