Eye of the Tiger

Some nights after Regis and I get home, we like to walk Adrienne over to the local playgrounds before dinner. It's a great time to be out in Singapore as the hot sun is finally down and people start to slowly emerge from their afternoon hibernation. These community playgrounds are a great place for toddlers to climb and explore (and despite the general emptiness of these pictures, they are typically full of playful young kids). I think I mentioned in an earlier post how much Adrienne likes the slides at these playgrounds. She has since discovered the joys of monkey bars and how fun they are to swing on. Sometimes she and Regis (since he is really just like a big kid) like to have contests to see who can hang in there the longest. You can tell from Adrienne's face that the competition is ON. I think Adrienne won this particular round. While they were competing, I was snapping a few pictures with my iPhone and thinking about how cute the two of them are.

But then I started looking at these pictures a little closer.  I mean, there is Adrienne hanging like a funny little monkey and looking adorably sweet...but look a little closer, at her eyes. There is a seriousness in them, a plan of sorts, the eye of the tiger. I think she has realized that the only thing between her and total chaos freedom is some core muscle strength.  I can see it in those eyes: she is envisioning herself catapulting out of her crib and onto the dresser containing all her beloved stuffed animals; she is scaling the dinning table to reach the forbidden and highly-desired pens and markers that we keep just out of her reach; she is climbing the kitchen cabinets to eat all the delicious goldfish crackers and chocolate cookies hidden on the top shelf; she is mounting the shelves to have constant access to her cherished Dora DVDs. Oh no....this is not the look of child's play; this is the look of a champion with a plan. Watch out world! Things may never be the same....

See, the proof is in the pudding: what kind of 20 month old does leg lifts??