Couldn't resist!

Flynn has been sporting her Hot Wheels t-shirt today. Having had a male best friend for many of my toddler years, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Hot Wheels. I still get a little tingle of acquisitiveness in my fingertips when I walk down the aisle of tiny hot rods at Tarjay. So when I saw this shirt, I knew she had to have it.

As for the car, faithful readers may remember how much M. and I loved the movie Speed Racer. While the actual Japanese cartoon was mostly off my radar during its heyday, M. was a big fan. So we were thrilled to find that we both loved the movie version. And yes, when the promo items came out in stores, we totally caved. We got a Speed Racer helmet (complete with built-in sound effects) for our nephew Harrison...and although it was still early days, and we figured she'd probably want nothing to do with it when she came home, we also bought Flynn this car (also with built-in sound effects). OK, ok...so we bought it for ourselves, with Flynn as a feeble excuse. We were pretty sure that she'd turn out to want a stuffed unicorn or a doll or a tutu instead. We were even more embarrassed when my mother picked it up and glared in consternation at the loud sound of squealing tires and Speed Racer dialog it makes when you move it. OK, maybe not the best choice of toy for our blushing flower of a daughter...

HAH!
So it was to my great surprise when I found that Flynn L-O-V-E-S the Speed Racer car. She can play with it for hours. She loves to set it racing across the floor, watch it crash with a tremendous, dramatic screeching of tires, and start all over again.
Well...my mum predicted even before we left for China that Flynn would be a daredevil, and when she met her, she felt the evidence supported her theory. Our early experiences with her also backed it up. At first, as you know, we were concerned that her "fearlessness" was really a form of detachment engendered by her institutionalization. As she has relaxed and come into her own, however, it has turned out to be just that: fearlessness. She is a mover and a shaker, up for anything and phased by nothing (well, except for her short-lived fear of baseball hats. But that's over now.) She has no motion sickness and enjoys car rides, plane rides, and anything that involves a new horizon or a fresh experience. She is always on the go, and if you let her she would go head-first off the edge of every chair, couch and swingset. It is a neat trick these days keeping her on the changing table long enough to get a fresh diaper on her, since she is both strong and in constant motion.
We were wondering what her nickname would be, and, while "Flynn" doesn't necessarily beg for a nickname, I think we have it:
"Speed" just seems to suit her!
I'll have to see what M. thinks of it when he gets home.
btw, that Hot Wheels t-shirt reads "Built for Speed" on the bottom.

And just to emphasize the point...here's my blushing flower exhibiting one of her signature moves. This one always makes me think of John Travolta on the dancefloor in Saturday Night Fever. It never fails to crack me up. Oh, Flynn, how I adore you!
(PS - if M. doesn't like "Speed" for a nickname, I think "Racer X" would be a good runner up. If we had a second one, we might call her Trixie.)