This Sleeping Beauty Plays Dress Up With Her Mom While She Naps

This photographer dresses her 4-month-old as pop culture icons while she naps.

ByABC News
August 25, 2016, 6:08 PM

— -- Four-month-old Joey Marie Choi is an adorable baby by day, and one of many pop culture icons by nap time.

While Joey sleeps soundly, her mother, photographer Laura Izumikawa, dresses her little one up.

"My husband and I always loved to dress up for Halloween every year, and it's just in our blood to have fun like that," Izumikawa told ABC News of how it all began.

And despite the age-old saying, the new mother couldn't stand to sleep while her daughter caught some z's because, "she’s just so darn cute while she’s sleeping!"

So Izumikawa began having some fun. At first, she surrounded her daughter, an incredibly deep sleeper, with some props. But then it became a personal challenge.

Fan favorites include Garth from "Wayne's World," Beyonce, Han Solo from "Star Wars," and Eleven from the Netflix summer hit "Stranger Things." Izumikawa has also dressed Joey as a sushi chef, a mermaid, a baker, and even an Apple Genius. The list goes on, and each is cuter than the next.

"The ideas come when I'm watching a film or reading an article about something and an iconic character comes into mind," Izumikawa said of her inspiration. She then scrounges around the house to see what materials she can find. So far, she hasn't had to buy a thing for her daughter's costumes.

Though Izumikawa was never in it for the likes (the photos were originally taken for family only), since she began sharing the hilarious snaps of her daughter on Instagram, she's amassed an impressive 109,000 followers. Although the attention was initially unsettling, Izumikawa told ABC News, hearing that her silly pictures were lifting spirits convinced her to keep posting.

But aside from the "aws" and the laughs, Izumikawa said she hopes parents can get a little more from her photos.

"There's so much shaming going on with parenting, and we’re all just doing our best to raise our kid. We all love our children," Izumikawa said. "I think it's good to be supportive and lift each other as parents, but I also hope parents are reminded to have fun and find the humor in parenting and not take it too seriously."

PHOTO:  Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
PHOTO: Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
PHOTO: Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
PHOTO: Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.
Photographer Laura Izumikawa dresses up her 4-month-old daughter while she takes naps.