Unfortunately, Mellie was under the weather for the majority of my five day Christmas holiday. She had a low fever off an on (sometimes getting "high" although it didn't get high over the Christmas weekend).
Friday: In the morning we stayed home and did stuff around the house. Meaning we mostly vegetated as I was also under the weather. In the afternoon, I called Ms. Betty to see if we could bring her Christmas gift over as Mellie had not been to day care since she was picked up Tuesday with a fever. We got Ms. Betty a bottle of Malbec wine (her son advised us it was her favorite) along with a cheese torta, crackers, and a nice bar of dark chocolate. I figured she has to deal with Mellie all day, she deserves wine. Ms. Betty was very happy about the gift. She had several of her family members over, and showed me how Mellie likes to dance with her. Ms. Betty had her kitchen counters redone with a beautiful back splash, and I complimented her on them and chastised Ronnie for not telling me about them. The adults were preparing a traditional Venezuelan Christmas dish similar to tamales (but much better) and the two adolescents were playing a dance game on the Wii, but they took the time to enthusiastically greet Mellie. When we were leaving, I showed Ms. Betty how Mellie will say tree. Right before we left, she told me a fabulous (depending on your point of view) of Mellie's day care antics. Apparently, one day another child, Juliet, got ahold of Mellie's shoes. Juliet is about six months older than Mellie and significantly larger. Mellie took offense at Juliet having her shoes and proceeded to tackle Juliet, sit on her back, and pull her hair like horses' reins. Juliet, understandably, started screaming bloody murder. Mellie then let go of Juliet's hair and put her fingers in her EARS!!!! So funny. I mean, obviously, it's not ok to tackle someone and sit on their back while pulling their hair, but it IS rather funny. So, after we left Ms. Betty's we went to our local Kroger's for some groceries and stuff to bring to Christmas Eve at Ronnie's sisters house. Mellie did pretty well there. I found one of those Jingles Hallmark books where the little stuffed dog responds when you read certain passages. Ronnie wouldn't let me buy it, and told me it would be cheaper after Christmas. I made a note to go back first thing on Monday and get one.
Saturday: We left around 9:15 to go to Sarah's house. Sarah, her husband Wes, and their two kids live in a house on some land in Lolita, which is in Jackson County, between Edna/Ganado and Port Lavaca. We got there right at 11. Initially, me and Mellie went into the house. My brother and his wife (Ju Ju and Ju Ma) were there, along with a couple of Wes's family members, and Sarah. Mellie ran around in circles in the house for a while before I realized everything was going on in the garage, so I took Mellie out there. The guys fried shrimp and fish, and there was grilled fish and mulled wine. Uncle Harley made a delicious tossed salad, and there was ambrosia, fruit salad, rolls, potato casserole, corn relish, and an array of desserts. Mellie had a good time running around, and when Uncle Jerry got there with her new arm chair, she was very pleased. Grandma Simicek was there, she recently had some heart problems, and it was good to see her. Mellie ate a good amount of food, cried when their yellow lab licked her face, and tried to play darts with Ju Ju and cousin Tanner. They, smartly, decided she should not be trusted with sharp objects. Uncle Dave was there, and so were Ronnie's cousins Greg (and his girlfriend), Kelly, and John John (and his wife). After eating, presents were exchanged. We all made out with quite a bit of money, and Mellie got a new toy and a new outfit (a shirt that says "My Aunt Rocks" from Sarah and Wes). We had planned to go to Mass with the family, Tanner was going to be in the Christmas Pageant, I had even brought nice outfits for both me and Mellie to change into. Unfortunately, I talked to Ronnie, and we weren't really feeling very well, and Mellie hadn't really napped, so we knew she would be a nightmare, and decided to skip mass. We started packing up the car with our goodies, only to discover that Mellie's new armchair did not fit in the trunk. We decided we would have to put it in the backseat, which meant moving her car seat from the middle to the passenger side. About this time, Mellie refused to let me hold her and had been on the porch of the house. Now, of course, she wondered down and was trying to climb on the swing, despite the blistering north wind. I had been trying to move the seat, and when I gave up and asked Ronnie to do it, I realized she was exposed. I went and grabbed her and her UT blanket I had made her when I was still pregnant, and started moving stuff to the trunk to make more room. Fortunately, Uncle Wes took her from me and we found her a hat to help keep her warm while I was moving stuff. Finally, the car seat was re-installed and the armchair was fit in and we were ready to go. Mellie slept most of the way home. When we got home, we opened presents. Ronnie got the clothing I had got him, and we got our stocking presents. Mellie opened her gifts from Nana (she is becoming a pro at unwrapping gifts) and was thrilled with the baby doll she got. Even more than that, she loved the play pots and pans we had bought her, and took everything out of the box and spread across the coffee table, pretending to cook by stirring some of the skillets. Finally, she went to bed. After she went to bed, my neighbor called; she had a gift for Mellie. I went over to get it and it was a rocking horse! She gave me some wrapping paper and asked that I wrap it. I brought it home and attempted to wrap it, but the roll was about empty and there wasn't enough paper so I put a bow on it for her.
Sunday: Merry Christmas Mellie! She slept until 9 or 9:30, bless her little heart. She usually wakes up between 7 and 7:30. She pulled all of her gifts out of her stocking and eyed the rocking horse warily. We didn't feel well so we skipped Mass (it didn't help Mellie slept so late). Basically, we just stayed home all day and enjoyed each other's company.
Monday and Tuesday to come in a future post.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Mellie Learns Language
So, as I mentioned in my last blog post, Mellie has been starting to express herself. The way I see it, she probably has more words than I know because I may not recognize what she is saying. However, here is a list of words I am pretty confident she speaks:
Anytime you ask Mellie a question, she answers "yeah," which leads me to believe perhaps she doesn't entirely understand the word. But, she does understand that when you ask her a question, "yeah" is an appropriate answer, so I give her credit for the answer. You can ask her about anything, and 85% of the time, she will answer "yeah." However, when go to do whatever she agreed to do it, she will still get upset if she doesn't ACTUALLY want to do it. Funnily, she will shake/nod her head, and when she does THAT, what she says is what she MEANS. Yes, we find many ways to amuse ourselves with her automatic "yeah" answers. They are also useful at bedtime. "Mellie, do you want to go to bed?" "Yeah." "Ok, let's go." That doesn't mean a meltdown won't ensue when you actually put her IN bed. :)
Sometimes, when you call her name, she'll respond "huh?" I don't see this as often, but Ms. Betty does, and so does Ronnie. It's funny, because Ronnie does the same thing.
"Hi" is her favorite word right now. When I get home, she greets me with "hi" multiple times. I go into my closet, and she follows me, greeting me with a hi. Ronnie takes her upstairs to get changed, when she comes down, it's Hi. I don't hear bye as much as when I am leaving, she is entirely too upset to tell me bye. Occasionally I will hear it when Ronnie goes, or when she throws something and I tell her "Bye *item name.*" Byes are almost always accompanied by a wave. In fact, if you tell her bye, she'll probably wave, but she may not say the word.
Tree is her newest word. It's also the word that she is using to identify everything in her world. She points at the fan and says "tree." She points at a cabinet and says "tree." She points at ANYTHING and says tree. As I said in my last blog, she learned this word because she has a little Christmas tree in her room that absolutely fascinates her. Honestly, she is fascinated with any Christmas tree. I don't know that she recognizes that a Christmas tree is the same as the trees outside, either.
So, in my return to forensic interviewing (despite the fact that our center is not ready to do any actual interviews yet) I have become more sensitive to language. Preschoolers have always been my weakness as an interviewer, and I am hopeful that Mellie will be able to help me be a better interviewer. So, last night, I was trying to encourage her language development and was playing with blocks (and then once she started throwing them) we moved on to a different topic. Since she loves Dee Dee so much, I was talking with her about what a cat says, Meow. I could get her to see the me part and the ow part, but she wasn't terribly interested in putting them together, although she came pretty close. It is exciting and fascinating, and I can't wait to learn the lessons she will inevitably teach me.
- mama
- dada
- Dee Dee (the cat)
- yeah
- huh?
- hi
- bye
- tree
Anytime you ask Mellie a question, she answers "yeah," which leads me to believe perhaps she doesn't entirely understand the word. But, she does understand that when you ask her a question, "yeah" is an appropriate answer, so I give her credit for the answer. You can ask her about anything, and 85% of the time, she will answer "yeah." However, when go to do whatever she agreed to do it, she will still get upset if she doesn't ACTUALLY want to do it. Funnily, she will shake/nod her head, and when she does THAT, what she says is what she MEANS. Yes, we find many ways to amuse ourselves with her automatic "yeah" answers. They are also useful at bedtime. "Mellie, do you want to go to bed?" "Yeah." "Ok, let's go." That doesn't mean a meltdown won't ensue when you actually put her IN bed. :)
Sometimes, when you call her name, she'll respond "huh?" I don't see this as often, but Ms. Betty does, and so does Ronnie. It's funny, because Ronnie does the same thing.
"Hi" is her favorite word right now. When I get home, she greets me with "hi" multiple times. I go into my closet, and she follows me, greeting me with a hi. Ronnie takes her upstairs to get changed, when she comes down, it's Hi. I don't hear bye as much as when I am leaving, she is entirely too upset to tell me bye. Occasionally I will hear it when Ronnie goes, or when she throws something and I tell her "Bye *item name.*" Byes are almost always accompanied by a wave. In fact, if you tell her bye, she'll probably wave, but she may not say the word.
Tree is her newest word. It's also the word that she is using to identify everything in her world. She points at the fan and says "tree." She points at a cabinet and says "tree." She points at ANYTHING and says tree. As I said in my last blog, she learned this word because she has a little Christmas tree in her room that absolutely fascinates her. Honestly, she is fascinated with any Christmas tree. I don't know that she recognizes that a Christmas tree is the same as the trees outside, either.
So, in my return to forensic interviewing (despite the fact that our center is not ready to do any actual interviews yet) I have become more sensitive to language. Preschoolers have always been my weakness as an interviewer, and I am hopeful that Mellie will be able to help me be a better interviewer. So, last night, I was trying to encourage her language development and was playing with blocks (and then once she started throwing them) we moved on to a different topic. Since she loves Dee Dee so much, I was talking with her about what a cat says, Meow. I could get her to see the me part and the ow part, but she wasn't terribly interested in putting them together, although she came pretty close. It is exciting and fascinating, and I can't wait to learn the lessons she will inevitably teach me.
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Joy of Christmas with Mellie
Although this is not Mellie's "first" Christmas, in my mind it is, because it's the first Christmas where she is really enjoying the season. She loves to look at Christmas trees, to reach out and grab the ornaments, to reach out and touch the tiny colored lights. Mellie "helped" me put up our own Christmas tree, which involved taking ornaments off the tree as quickly as I could put them up. She has her own little fiber optic tree in her room, covered in homemade foam ornaments. Yesterday, she pointed to the tree and said what we consider to be "what's that?" (I have a hard time believing that she has about six words and she is already stringing words together) and I told her it was her "tree." She has been (trying) to say tree ever since. Last night, she pointed at my zebra print over the fireplace and said "tree!" She has also pointed to the fan and said "tree!" Clearly we have some work to do.
Anyhow, back to the Joy of Christmas with Mellie. Yesterday, I was baking Christmas cookies. I made chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, and cut out sugar cookies which I decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting. While doing this, I wistfully dreamed of when Mellie will be big enough to "help" with this. By the time I was done, though, she was terribly upset as I had not paid very much attention to her while I was busy baking and dreaming of her "help." I need to remember to enjoy who she is today instead. She watched as I decorated the last of the cookies. I made a little cookie for her to eat, but she wanted to hold it herself, which absolutely was not going to happen. We finally compromised, I ate the frosting off her cookie and then she got to eat it. A compromise that pleased all parties.
So, what do you get a sixteen month old for Christmas? Honestly, I would bet all she would actually want (if she could express herself) would be more hugs and kisses from mommy and daddy, more time spent patting DeeDee the cat, and more time spent going through our cabinets and gleefully dragging out all of our pots and pans. She seems to enjoy baby dolls, but Ronnie says the three she has are enough. So, I've bought her a box of her own play pots and pans (I'm pretty sure she will prefer the real ones) and a little purple stuffed animal with lavender you can heat in the microwave for her to hug when she doesn't feel well (since the mouse in our house destroyed the other one -- a story for another day, I suppose), and a stocking full of little things for her like a little cap and hair clips. Uncle Jerry has gotten her a leather armchair, which she will love, and Ju Ju and Ju Ma (my brother and his wife) have brought over two outfits (which she drug all over the house and threw a fit when I took them away, even just to wash so she can actually wear them) and a couple of books. Ms. Debbie has gotten her a toy alphabet Caterpillar, and I think that's all I can think of. Last Christmas, she had a meltdown when we tried to get her to rip the wrapping off her presents. What will she think of it this year? At her birthday, she was not a fan of pulling items out of gift bags, will she like it any more four months later? I spend entirely too much time contemplating such things, and what I should do to make it a good Christmas for her.
I have been trying to work on her Christmas stocking, even though I know there is no chance I will finish it before Christmas. I feel bad when I look at me and Ronnie's beautiful cross-stitch stockings, and her manufactured one. Plus, one like mine and Ronnie's will hold more stuff than the one she has now! There just isn't enough time in the day. It's nearly impossible to work on it when she's awake, and once she's in bed, I am ready to follow. I've made some wonderful progress, and it's already a beautiful piece. I need to take a picture and post it here.
We took Christmas pictures right before Thanksgiving. I had the idea of us all wearing hockey jerseys, and the pictures came out really well. Ronnie has already requested that we wear Texans jerseys next year, although I think hockey is slightly more Christmas-y than football. I also found a cute little dress for her at a consignment shop in Bay City. Those pictures turned out wonderful, especially since the photographer figured out Mellie laughs when you say ouch. Here are a couple of my favorites.
With Love from the Simicek Family - Ronnie Joe, Mary Anne, and Mellie the Pterodactyl
Anyhow, back to the Joy of Christmas with Mellie. Yesterday, I was baking Christmas cookies. I made chocolate chip cookies, gingersnaps, and cut out sugar cookies which I decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting. While doing this, I wistfully dreamed of when Mellie will be big enough to "help" with this. By the time I was done, though, she was terribly upset as I had not paid very much attention to her while I was busy baking and dreaming of her "help." I need to remember to enjoy who she is today instead. She watched as I decorated the last of the cookies. I made a little cookie for her to eat, but she wanted to hold it herself, which absolutely was not going to happen. We finally compromised, I ate the frosting off her cookie and then she got to eat it. A compromise that pleased all parties.
So, what do you get a sixteen month old for Christmas? Honestly, I would bet all she would actually want (if she could express herself) would be more hugs and kisses from mommy and daddy, more time spent patting DeeDee the cat, and more time spent going through our cabinets and gleefully dragging out all of our pots and pans. She seems to enjoy baby dolls, but Ronnie says the three she has are enough. So, I've bought her a box of her own play pots and pans (I'm pretty sure she will prefer the real ones) and a little purple stuffed animal with lavender you can heat in the microwave for her to hug when she doesn't feel well (since the mouse in our house destroyed the other one -- a story for another day, I suppose), and a stocking full of little things for her like a little cap and hair clips. Uncle Jerry has gotten her a leather armchair, which she will love, and Ju Ju and Ju Ma (my brother and his wife) have brought over two outfits (which she drug all over the house and threw a fit when I took them away, even just to wash so she can actually wear them) and a couple of books. Ms. Debbie has gotten her a toy alphabet Caterpillar, and I think that's all I can think of. Last Christmas, she had a meltdown when we tried to get her to rip the wrapping off her presents. What will she think of it this year? At her birthday, she was not a fan of pulling items out of gift bags, will she like it any more four months later? I spend entirely too much time contemplating such things, and what I should do to make it a good Christmas for her.
I have been trying to work on her Christmas stocking, even though I know there is no chance I will finish it before Christmas. I feel bad when I look at me and Ronnie's beautiful cross-stitch stockings, and her manufactured one. Plus, one like mine and Ronnie's will hold more stuff than the one she has now! There just isn't enough time in the day. It's nearly impossible to work on it when she's awake, and once she's in bed, I am ready to follow. I've made some wonderful progress, and it's already a beautiful piece. I need to take a picture and post it here.
We took Christmas pictures right before Thanksgiving. I had the idea of us all wearing hockey jerseys, and the pictures came out really well. Ronnie has already requested that we wear Texans jerseys next year, although I think hockey is slightly more Christmas-y than football. I also found a cute little dress for her at a consignment shop in Bay City. Those pictures turned out wonderful, especially since the photographer figured out Mellie laughs when you say ouch. Here are a couple of my favorites.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
With Love from the Simicek Family - Ronnie Joe, Mary Anne, and Mellie the Pterodactyl
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