1. Agouti

pretty good. 9/10

2. Fawn

i thought this will be a very poor fit but seeing them next to each other it's not that bad. still. 5.5/10

3. Chinchilla

that rabbit is sure chinchilla colored. 10/10

4. Magpie

both being vaguely black-and-white does not actually make two animals very similar. 1/10

5. Ermine

mmhm. needs a black tailtip. 7/10

6. Squirrel

if you're watching them from far away. squinting. in rain. 3/10

7. Lynx

not that much similarity but i love lynxes so 8/10

8. Otter

oooh, i get it now, because the lighter chests. still not a great choice 3/10

9. Fox

you know what, this one is fine. The black parts don't exactly match but the impression is good 8.5/10

10. Marten

um. what. 3/10

yeah yeah it's "silver" and i assume they meant the beech marten but i still think it's a poor name

11. Seal

i can see the similarity, especially with the eared seals. hehe. 8/10

12. Sable

hey I don't think I've posted them together before

and this technically doesn't belong but it's important

The almost-three-year-old is reading a little, doing sums, speaking in full sentences, and very firm about what she does and doesn't want. So is the one-and-a-half-year-old, but she can't always vocalize what it is she wants yet. She is a little mischievous and you can see her watching you for a reaction and enjoying the reaction she gets when she does something funny.

I spent the morning recently sitting the almost-one-year-old and he can't talk but can very clearly accept or decline food, demand affection, and reject attempts to play if he doesn't like them. For a while we turned it into a game -- I would push his little soft mousie close to where he was sitting and he would very firmly push it away with his feet while laughing at me because he foiled my cunning attack.

My favorite part is seeing them light up when they see their parents. I've never seen anyone smile as wide and bright as when they've been playing perfectly calmly with me but then their parents arrive home. I don't know when the official milestone for facial recognition is, but it's very young -- an infant might not be scared of you, they might even like you, but they know you aren't Parent, and Parent is the source of security and good in the world. Really cool to see. And thinking I might be part of their lives until they're adults themselves is exciting. Nerve-wracking, but exciting.