Backward Birdie

A few weeks ago at the Little Gym, Teacher Katie showed Clara and her fellow Beasts how to walk backward.  Birdie quickly had this whole walking backward thing nailed, and it is clear that she can't understand why we don't all motor around backward.  Before she struts her backward stuff, Birdie will look at you all, "I'm gonna rock it like MJ here with a moonwalk.  Why don't you watch and take some notes."  On Thanksgiving Day morning, when we went to the Mall of America for the Walk Against Hunger, Birdie did a few stretches backward, charming many of her fellow walkers.  But that was actually nothing compared to what she did this morning.

Two of Joe and Clara's three great great aunts were able to come over this morning for brunch.  We decided to let Joe and Clara eat at their little white table in the living room.  Julie stepped over one of the chairs on her way to the dining room with some place mats and napkins, brought her foot down too quickly, and smacked her toes pretty good on the top of that chair.  She had just tossed the place mats and napkins on the table and was in the kitchen on her way to the basement for something else, when Clara padded in and said "I going give you a hug.  You o-kay?"  Oh Brigade.  You can't get much sweeter, can you?  Julie said she was o-kay, that is was just a little owie.  Clara said, "You need Band-Aid?"  She and Joe will use any excuse--or none at all--to get some medical bling, so no doubt, she was mystified when Julie declined the Band-Aid.

That's when she looked and Julie, and smiling--and never looking away--slowly started walking backward down the hallway until she was in front of the bathroom, at which point she turned, and exited, backward, into the living room.  It was pretty smooth.

Here is a clip of Clara jumping, walking back ward, and being silly.  She does all of this while gripping chop sticks in her hand.  Julie was worried the whole time she was filming Birdie, and in fact, the clip ends with Clara falling after jumping in--where else?!--the bathroom.  Notice how Birdie decides that the bathroom is the room for jumping.  What is it about acting like monkeys in the smallest room of the house that is wall to wall--literally--hard surfaces?