Lanie Spinning

Lanie having a lovely time dancing in the kitchen.  Eventually (not in this video), she fell hard and hurt her hands.  I picked her up while she was sobbing and she refused an ice pack or kisses. 

"No mummy...." she whimpered, "I need a banana."

Whatever it takes.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Lanie got a musical puzzle for Christmas, from which she has removed all the pieces, stored in the toy washing machine, and operates by stepping on the puzzle to set it off, then she dances.

Vivian at Ballet

                                                                     The curtsey is great ; )

Dancing

Dancers

Vivian's caregiver has a friend who taught ballet in Columbia and comes to house to dance with the girls.  Here they are ready for "class." 

Vivian's Other Birthday Dance

This dance was on her actual birthday, but at her friend's birthday party.  I walked in after a work meeting to find her dancing with just one other child in the midst of the party, as happy as could be.  It makes me think of the song "I Hope You Dance."  As a parent (& a teacher), children are so innocent and you just hope they don't lose that spontaneity and ability to enjoy every minute.  I hope she is always able to dance with no inhibitions.

"I Hope You Dance"

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

I hope you dance....I hope you dance.

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin',
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.

Spontaneous Tap Dance

My sister took this video at Vivian's birthday party when she broke into a spontaneous dance in the kitchen.  My grandmother, Fifi, used to love tap dancing and would do the same thing in the kitchen, so it was very bizarre to see.  There is a lot of my grandmother in Vivian, her fiesty love-of-life attitude, her dancing, and some of her actions.  I wish they had known each other, but it seems like somehow perhaps they do.

Dancing Girl

Vivian likes to celebrate birthdays and loves to dance.  Here she is yesterday at her caretaker's house dancing at her friend's birthday party.

Vivian at the Allergist

Our appointment today at Children's Hospital went much better than anticipated.  We did a prick test with Vivian at the allergist for tree nuts and peanuts and all looked good!  We have a order to get blood tests done to rule everything out, but I'm hopeful!  She also did pretty well, all things considered, and because we are going back to get the blood work, I even took them up on their order to get a flu shot.  One child done at least.

Chris came with me which was a big help and she didn't try to escape or have total hysterics, just minor hysterics when someone was actually touching her (or trying to).  The skin test takes fifteen minutes after the pricks, so we set up a dance party for her.  This was as she was winding down- her moves were much more lively for the first few songs.

Dancing?