My Fair Lady

The multitudes of flashing strobe lights. The blaring, un-edited-for-language rap music. Throngs of sweaty strangers. Cloying air thick with grease smoke. The smell of a thousand animals sharing a room, and the glorified merchandising of plastic junk. Ahhh, the county fair. You may not think of it as the perfect environment for my tender 10 month old t0 spend a serene afternoon, but you would be as wrong as the two-year-old we met who wanted to play "splashies" in pig urine.
Just ask Little One! She didn't get to enjoy any of the gourmet concoctions out of the fleet of deep fryers, but She did enjoy Her picnic while watching bevies of poofy-haired little girls shake their bon-bons and back their thangs up on the outdoor stage. Just taking in that show would probably have been worth the entrance fee, as far as She was concerned. (I wasn't sure whether to be concerned myself, or to put Her on the wait-list for the studio).
But there was more!
We strolled past shouting vendors, safaried through herds of shrieking children, and climbed mountainous peaks of hay. Little One's eyes said, "Ooooohhhhh! Aaaaahhhhhh!"
But Her favorite part was the animals. They make fun noises to copy. They move around autonomously! They smell SO interesting.

She made particularly close friends with this guy, who was either really cute and friendly, or wanted very badly to eat Her.







She met Her friend for tours of exotic creatures and indoor exhibits, strolled through the occasional burst of rain, and splashed in puddles. She even watched a baby chick hatch. (Which was about the cutest thing ever since SHE hatched).
She cheered on the horse races. She even got to pet a bunny and a chicken. She was delighted. So delighted, that when the bunny hopped off to entertain other squealing tykes, She simply transferred Her attention to the nearest furry animal- and began petting the shiny blond tresses of the boy next to Her.
Since Little One is not yet "This Tall to Ride", we satisfied ourselves with just strolling through the tilt-a-whirls and ferris wheels, and the cacophony of the midway was plenty adventurous just to pass through. I had planned on topping off the big day with a ride on the carousel, but when I checked in Little One in the ticket line, I realized that the fair had been SO exciting that something happened in Her stroller which practically never happens.

She plumb wore out.
Ah, well. There will be many carousels and other adventures in the future. I certainly can't say She didn't squeeze a ton of fun out of things. She had a blast, and She did great. Definitely worthy of a blue ribbon!