Costumed

Initially, I didn't really have any intention of costuming our girl for Halloween. She is less than excited about being dressed in general, and anything on her head used to make her scream. You know, the hat problem. So I figured this Halloween would be a wash. Especially since daddy had to work, and QQ and I would be home alone.
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In the end, of course, we all caved. I found this zebra costume for $4 at the baby resale store a couple of days ago while looking for fleeces, and couldn't resist. It reminds me of Margot Tennenbaum's childhood production in The Royal Tennenbaums....minus the signature Margot eyeliner, that is...after all, QQ is only a year old.

Her decision to ride her dump truck while in zebra costume was interesting. But she needs to find her own path in this world, right? I'm not going to question her choices. Goodness knows daddy and I are less than conventional.

She is just one bundle of giggles since she's been feeling herself again. One wriggling, dancing, cooing, kinetic bundle of giggles.


She is also determinedly communicative with us in whatever ways she is able. She must have pretty much constant eye contact. The other day, while she was sitting in my lap and I was trying to read an email from daddy at work, she put the flat of her hand on my cheek and deliberately turned my eyes to look into hers, as if to say: "Me! focus on me."

She also keeps contact by reaching for our hands. She has a number of different ways of doing this. Sometimes, it's just for us to help her stand. Sometimes, it's a single touch, a sort of reminder that we're still in contact, and then she'll go about her business. My favorite, and the most recent development, is that sometimes when we're out running, and she's drinking a particularly good bottle of lunch or dinner, she will reach up from the stroller asking for my hand. When I give it to her, instead of just touching fingers, she will grasp it firmly and squeeze it a couple of times as if by way of transferring a message, and sometimes she will draw it down by her cheek and hold it there for a time while she drinks.

And of course, the comical facial expressions are pure QQ, and I am constantly relieved to find that her surgery has not prevented any of these. The Groucho Marx eyebrow waggle, the winks and half-smiles and suggestive sideways glances that are pure, broad slapstick. I'll never know where she got that theatrical sense of humor at such a young age.

Oh, and the hats? I was right...she's totally over it.


Her range of motion, while still restricted to surfaces that she can touch for support, is wider by the day. It's to the point where I know we're going to have to bolt the furniture to the walls and take grandma up on that baby gate she's been offering.

The little monster is more and more determined by the day to get into trouble. Yesterday she spent most of her day attempting to pull over bookcases and mirrors, getting into the dog water, attempting to reach into the toilet with both arms (fun!) and, finally, taunting the dog until he growled at her. She really, really pushes him -poking at his eyes, overturning his food while he's eating, tugging his very sensitive ears. He didn't actually touch her, just growled in warning. She immediately cried, and the dog spent the rest of the day burying himself behind the sofa cushions so as to stay away from her. Poor thing!

I can hardly blame him. She really is a terror on wheels these days. And speedy.

And still displaying her dance moves. Every time she hears music, even if it's just a cell phone jingle, she'll bobble her head from side to side, and sometimes when she's particularly worked up she'll do a little tap dance with her feet.


She loves to swing herself at the park and rock herself on the rocking dinosaur, and her latest accomplishment was learning to make the rocking chair go on her own.


She can now not only get to her feet, but also get back down without falling or landing hard on her butt. This is a big accomplishment. I no longer hear those loud thumps followed by indignant wails every time she lets go of something, nor does she wail for me when she needs to get down.

Independence suits her, and she definitely has that "I do it!" attitude these days.


Yesterday morning, QQ and daddy went on an errands run and came back with a pirate costume. This was probably inevitable.

And, predictably, she makes just about the cutest pirate ever!

Only trouble was, in spite of our searching, we couldn't find the awesome pirate hat that Hayley gave us last spring. So we had to make do with just the bandana. I guess she'll wear the pirate hat for Christmas instead...or Thanksgiving. Or both. It's never the wrong time to dress like a pirate (well, until she gets to the years of job interviews, that is.)

Here she is performing a pitch-perfect pirate jig.



Thank goodness she has no interest in candy yet, except to pick out the brightest wrapper.

...and offer it to mommy.

Poor daddy's suffering from sleep deprivation after midterms. It ain't easy.

But QQ makes the sun shine, even on the most exhausting days.


Upside-down pirate.

Oh, the glee. It never gets old.

Hey mum, remember when you couldn't put anything on your head (much less hers) without a melt-down? Well, this is how far we've come. It's currently one of her favorite games.

And produces a stream of giggles.

That's our happy little pirate.