Daddy's Girl...

As some of you may remember from a previous post, when we found out we had a little farm kid on the way, Carm was hell-bent that it needed to be a boy...a boy to play hockey and be a farmer. We all know how I feel about this, so we won't go into the whole "girls can do anything boys can" spiel again, but the point is Carm was a little thrown off when we were told Maddie was a girl and not a boy.

It took him a couple of days to get used to the idea of having a little girl....I don't think I can count the number of times he told people I "turned his boy into a girl" in those first couple days after our ultrasound. Eventually though, he warmed up to the idea and the closer the due date came, the more excited he became (well, as excited as Carm can get). He constantly talked about the livestock that he and/or Grandpa George were going to buy for her, what chores she would do in the barn, what shows she would go to, the baby contests she would enter and win, etc. And then the moment Miss Maddie made her fashionably late (she IS a Kyle) appearance, any lingering doubt about having a baby girl dissipated as he was handed the little pink bundle that was Madelyn.

She has had him wrapped around her little finger since the word go.

Within weeks of her arrival, Maddie was a budding livestock farmer with a baby lamb, several shorthorn calves, a jersey heifer calf, a holstein bull calf and 21 baby ducks to her name...her first public outing was to the Spring Discovery Holstein and Jersey show in London!

Carman has never hesitated to help out with any of the "Maddie Chores"...he can change a mean diaper and even tries his hand at picking out outfits for her from time to time....he needs a little work on coordinating the socks with the rest of the outfit, but he doesn't do bad! He is a very hands-on daddy and one of the best parts of being a mommy sometimes is just watching him interact with Miss Madelyn. It can be quite entertaining!

Like I said, she has him wrapped around her little finger. 

But, her daddy is not the only man she has charmed in her short life....Grandpa George and Uncle CK also fit nicely into each of her back pockets. I have quickly learned to dress her in her "barn clothes" when we go down to the farm to visit during the day because between her dad, grandpa and uncle, her outfit is never clean for long! She is well versed in making chop, feeding calves, milking cows and checking the cattle at the pasture farm. 

This past weekend I spent the night away from Maddie for the first time. I was a little worried, but Carm didn't hesitate when I said he would have Maddie by himself for a full 24 hours. His mom was also away for the day, so it really was Maddie and the guys for the day. From what I hear, they all had a great time....there was a pile of laundry to prove it!

It is definitely a relief knowing that I can spend the night away without having to worry about how they're getting along. Next up....Carm and I will BOTH be spending the night away from her next month...will we be as lucky? We'll have to wait and see!

On another note, I had a couple of photo shoots with Mandy and Drew and Suzie and Swithin over the weekend, here are a few of my favourites: