1 Mother 2 Another

To be filed under Your Kids Really Do Watch EVERYTHING You Do:

As a retired dancer, I have a lot of strength and dexterity in my feet still.  If I’m holding Maddie, I often use my toes to pick something up rather than have to bend over and dead weight her back up again.  This happens rather frequently, since one of Maddie’s favorite games is “Drop (fill in the blank) And Watch Mommy Pick It Up!”  It’s quite handy, though it bugs my husband to have the napkin he dropped handed to him with (what he claims are) stinky feet.

And wouldn’t you know, a few weeks ago I caught Maddie trying to do the same thing.  Pieces of paper, stuffed toys, rattles, teethers, you name it.  She stands there with furrowed brow, smushing her foot over and over again on the desired item.  She’s even starting to get that she has to do something with her toes; she just isn’t sure where they come into play and so wiggles them at the object as if waving hello.

I affectionately offered her a crash course in Pedi-Picking the other day, and she practiced diligently on her foam dollhouse bathtub, but so far no luck.  She has managed to get a couple tricks under her belt, though:  her Twist N Shout Elmo is activated with a button on his base and she’s managed to turn him on with her foot – hardly surprising since that’s the only way I’ll lazily do it.  And one day we were lying snuggling in bed with her head on my stomach and her feet near my face, and I pulled the sheet over my head for a game of peek-a-boo.  Clever little minx managed to pull the sheet down with her toes, avoiding the strain of having to sit up.

So I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before she begins picking up stray Cheerios with her toes; since her Gamma is a former dancer and aces with foot dexterity as well, she’s got plenty of examples to look up to. 

Continuing a long and prestigious line of … something.