tiny ballerina

A few days ago she started talking about a "banahnina." It took us awhile to figure out what she was referring to, but we finally figured out she was saying ballerina. How she knows what a ballerina is is beyond me, but then I didn't know she knew the word "octagon" either when she pointed one out to me at a stop sign the other day! She picks up things all over the place.

So anyway, this weekend my mom and I went to a series of children's garage sales and one of the things my mom found were some Isotoner-like slippers for toddlers. They look silimar to ballet shoes, so she bought them for R to pretend she's a "banahnina." They're too big for her, but the elastic allows them to stay on her feet, and she is now constantly asking me, "Put on banahnina shoes, Mommy?"

I asked her to pose like a ballerina for the picture. Here's fifth position....

...and here's her interpretation. Needs a bit of work, but I think she's about ready for the stage, don't you think?