More chicken! More chicken!

That's the refrain I've been hearing from Graham at night or before naps over the last two days. The chicks have been staying at the Nelwood household, bringing with them their chirps, cheeps, and escape attempts. (Really, they're so close to flying out now!)

This time, without other distractions, has helped Graham embrace this whole chick adventure. He loves petting them now and calling them by name (mostly Annie and Moontha). He points at certain chicks and commands that I pick them up so he can pet them: "Uppie, mama, uppie!"

We're also talking about chickens in general more and more. Our visit to the Minnesota Zoo farm babies exhibit found us in a barn with both adult chickens (many of the same breeds we have —beautiful!) and chicks, too. Graham had a ball climbing behind this big wall of chicken paintings and poking his head through. Hello my little chicken!

We've also been reading a few library books with chicken characters. Our favorite? "Chicks & Salsa," all about chickens on a farm who get tired of their feed, so they sneak into the garden, pick tomatoes and cilantro, make salsa, and have a fiesta! On other nights they sneak out of the coop and make enchiladas. Somehow they also manage to find Mexican costumes and musical instruments.

As for our real chicks, I've definitely noticed Moontha as the the chick in charge. She likes to stand right on top of the feeder while the others are eating. She has even pecked at a few of the other chicks from her slightly elevated perch. When not there, Moontha wanders away alone, pecking at the plastic walls. This chicken wants out.