Living on the edge

*For some reason, this post completely disappeared from the blog last night. Here is a recreated version, with the hopes that Mor-mor will re-post her inimitable comment.

Last year Edith joined her Uncle Peter at his college reunion for the first time. She didn't have a great view, since at 22 days old she couldn't yet see over the top of the Baby Bjorn:


This year she attended reunions incognito. She was afraid an old friend from Forbes College might recognize her and comment on how much weight she's gained. Not many people triple in size from one reunion to the next, after all:


The fifth reunion theme for Uncle Peter's class, which was the last to participate in the Nude Olympics before the administration shut it down, was Running from the Law. Edith looks cool-enough customer to play the part, no?

In fact, she is becoming quite fond of testing the limits. On Wednesday when I picked her up from school, I found Ms. Chrissy holding her and singing a song about "Edith, who isn't afraid of anything." It turns out Edith is getting a reputation for being a daredevil on the playground.

There is a small hill there, and she loves to toddle down it as fast as she can. Even pitching over doesn't faze her, as multiple teachers have now told us, having watched her tumble with their hearts in their throats. She just gets up and keeps going.

On flat ground (I hope), she has been practicing walking with her eyes closed. She scrunches them up and sets out. I've seen her scrunch them that way when I push her high on the swing.

She apparently has been climbing the playground equipment and going down the slide like the big kids for several weeks now. Having seen how fast she comes down the slide on the neighborhood playground when I'm with her, I find this astonishing--and not a little scary.

But the stunt that had Ms. Chrissy singing the unafraid song took place on the jeep. On the school playground is a jeep frame made out of metal climbing bars. (They call it a car, but it looks more Hummer-like to me.) Edith had climbed into the driver's seat to pretend to drive. Then instead of going back out the doorway, she tried to do like the big kids were doing and exit up and over the top of the back crossbar. This occasioned a faceplant and a slightly bloodied lip. But before the panicked Ms. Chrissy could reach her for a hug and comfort, she had stopped crying and was toddling off. There were new obstacles to conquer.

I'm going to have to read up on thrill-seeking personalities. I want to be prepared when she finds out what roller coasters are. It's a cliche, but really, I don't know where she gets it from.