Tiny Dancers

Tiny Dancers:  Are We Human, Or Are We Dancers?

(A line from a song that I hear a lot when I’m hanging out with my boy Ez.  I like the tune.  Anyway).

I took these photos a few weeks ago when we visited the hospital to say hello to a brand new baby cousin (and congratulations to his exhausted mama).  Here, in the hospital hallway, my youngest daughter is one of the four tiny dancers.  Her cousins (each a new big sister) are the other three.  It seems a magical combination.  Nora loves these cousins, and they love her.  I think they need one another.  They’re ecstatic in each other’s company.

When I took these pictures, they’d just left their mother’s (or aunt’s) hospital room where each had a long turn holding the new baby.  I think they were tired of being quiet and not wiggling (and yes, someone soon shushed them as they cavorted…I was too caught up in taking pictures and laughing to fulfill the role of responsible adult).

Nora had barely finished one of her dance competitions (hence the bun and makeup–and a future blog post) before our hospital trip, and so dancing was on her mind.  An infectious concept. Her cousins (mostly) joined in.  I loved how they fed off each other.  The eldest, when she realized the youngest was a little frozen, did her best to draw her in (notice the tiniest dancer almost never moves, while everyone around her is very fluid). Hugging is a favorite tactic for inclusion.

I hope Nora forgives me for the incidental and unintended proof that she was still picking her nose at the end of her second grade. It’s ok, Nora…most of us never grow out of it entirely.  Sometimes, it’s just necessary.

There’s something about watching children play together like this that fills me with hope, and with wonder. And delight…little girls are just…delicious.