5/13/09

Back in the 'hood...

Every once in a while, when we're out for a run with the stroller, I free QQ from her shackles and let her explore a bit. Poor kid spends two hours every evening strapped into the Cougar...she deserves some freedom now and then.
Being QQ, she is fearless, and loves to explore new places.
Some moms, I realize, would not let their child pick up someone else's dog's ratty old chewed-on tennis ball off the ground, and play with it. But Q was so thrilled to find a ball, just there on the ground with nobody around to claim it...I didn't have the heart. Look how proud she is!

I absolutely love this little smirk. This is her newest expression (well, besides the pout and the frown, also new) and I think it's the cutest thing on earth.
The only thing cuter is when I hand her a cheese puff (we call them cheetohs, even though they are the organic version) and she holds it up and points to it before biting on it, just to make me say the word. So, obligingly, I say "cheetoh".... and first the corners of her mouth turn up - I've never seen anyone else who could literally turn up just the corners of their mouth, like a cartoon - and then she snorts, and then she chuckles, and then she throws her head back and shrieks with laughter. I'm not sure why, but she thinks "cheetoh" is the funniest word known to man. The other night, on a particularly long run, she went through half a can of cheese puffs, holding up and pointing to each one before putting it in her mouth. I think I said the word "cheetoh" about 85 times that night, and each and every time she dissolved into peals and snorts and snorfles of delighted laughter.
So...back to that ratty ol' dog ball...










5 comments:

monica said...

I'm impressed that you have your camera and photo ops when out running. I sometimes take mine with me but I don't want to let the little vixen out of the chariot knowing that she'll scream and thrash when putting her back in. She starts to melt down after about 1 hour:( but torturing her for my benefit is better for us all in the long run (no pun intended). Cheers, Monica

Maia said...

Monica, Oh, yes - I'm just that joined at the hip with my camera. I can't go two hours without it. And -especially this time of year - we always see the most wonderful things while out and about. So I just throw it in the basket of the stroller.

For the first few months home, QQ would also melt down after an hour or so, sometimes less, but I can't live without my runs, so I kept at it, and she eventually learned the drill. She now quite enjoys it, and even straps herself in when I put her in the stroller. She doesn't mind getting in and out, either. We sing songs, eat snacks, and play games on the road (I've learned to multi-task pretty heavily while running!)

Jen F said...

I love this set of photos!

Virginia said...

I love these photo's!

Vivian M said...

Oh please, please get the Cheetos snort/laugh on tape!!!!