For those of you that don't know, Ronnie has started taking classes at UH Sugar Land (through UH Victoria) for a computer degree in order to make a career change. Classes started on January 17th. He is taking four classes, three in class ones and one online one. What this means is that on Mondays through Wednesdays, he leaves for class by 6:30 and I am home along with Hurricane Mellie those nights.
So, last Monday night was the start of our first full week. Mellie was in a good mood, and as we didn't make it to the grocery store over the weekend, I packed her up to go pick up a sandwich at Subway. Usually, Ronnie cooks dinner for us. This is probably going to be the biggest adjustment for me. Being responsible for providing the two of us with dinner.
When we got to Subway, I carried Mellie in and as I was considering my order, the Sandwich Artist (as they used to be called) asked if Mellie was mine. I guess this is a question I should get used to. I'm already used to being told that she looks EXACTLY like her father. But now, I need to get used to people being suspicious of whether she's even mine? I know the lady didn't mean anything by it, so I told her that she was and added "She looks just like her Daddy."
After I got my sandwich, I took Mellie back to the car and loaded her up into her car seat. "Are you ready to go go go?" I asked her several times. Then, I climbed in myself and started the car, only to hear Mellie in the back say "ga ga ga," which I realized was her way of saying "go go go." So, I repeated "go go go" and heard "ga ga ga" from the back. Liking how this was going, I said "Dee Dee" (our cat's name -- Mellie thinks Dee Dee hung the moon). I heard a little voice eagerly say "Dee Dee" from the back. "Da da?" I asked. "Da da!" was the response. By now, we were driving through the Randall's parking lot, so I pointed out the people in the parking lot and encouraged Mellie to say "hi" to them. Silence. So, I moved on. "Ma ma?" Crickets. "Dee Dee?" "Dee Dee!" was the eager response. "Ma ma?" Pause. "Da da!" "No, Mellie, say Ma Ma!" Crickets again. Then, in a tiny little whisper so soft I almost missed it, I heard "Ma ma." It filled my heart up.
So, we got back to the house, and I shared my sandwich with Mellie by tearing off pieces of the bread and the chicken. Just as I chewed and swallowed the last bite, Mellie turns to me and makes the sign for "more" and said "ma." I felt so horrible! She wanted some more, used the appropriate sign and everything, and there wasn't any more to be had! Fortunately for me, Mellie quickly forgave me.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Mellie Wreaks Havoc at HEB
So, this past Saturday we had a really nice family day. We got up, leisurely got ready, and then went and had breakfast at Larry's (what has become a Saturday morning tradition, at least when we have money). Afterward, we went shopping for some needed stuff. We wanted to go grocery shopping afterward, but it was well past Mellie's nap time, and she had an appointment to get her hair cut at 2:00 pm, so we went home and put her down for her nap.
As usual, we were running late to get her haircut (I despise waking Mellie up, and she was still napping), but it wasn't a big deal when we arrived at Cool Cuts 4 Kids about ten minutes late. Once I figured out we were supposed to sign in, we sat down and waited. I was pretty sure that the hair cut was not going to go over very well with her highness, so I took Mellie over to the area where they were cutting hair so she could see all the kids getting their hair cut.
We didn't have to wait very long before it was our turn. The hairdresser asked if we could put her in a chair by herself - it was all decked out like a fire engine, very child- friendly. I didn't think Mellie was going to go for it, but we tried anyhow. Here come the waterworks! The hairdresser suggested she sit in my lap, and I heartily agreed. She put a protector on me and another on Mellie. She was not thrilled with this and immediately yanked it off. I told the hair dresser that it was fine. She was great, I didn't even have to ask her to not spray the water directly on Mellie. She sprayed her comb a couple of times and went to work. She asked me what I wanted, and I told her I just wanted her to even it out and make it look less like a mullet. We discussed how much to cut off, and she went to work.
As I suspected, Mellie was not happy with this turn of events. She screamed bloody murder even before the cutting started. The other kids turned to see what was upsetting her so much. Fortunately, the hairdresser was able to do a really nice job really quickly. She put a little bow in Mellie's hair and offered to take a picture of us, which I took her up on. She gave us a little certificate, and put a lock of her hair in a little baggie for us to take with us. I went and paid, and gave her a really nice tip.
Afterwards, we went a couple of doors down to the gelato place and everyone got some ice cream. Mellie really enjoyed this, plus she enjoyed the little kids size table and chairs that they had.
Once we were finished, we went a couple of more doors down to Half Price Books were we picked out three books for Mellie. Ronnie looked for one of his textbooks, which he couldn't find. By now, Mellie was getting fussy. I convinced her to calm down so Ronnie would agree to go to the grocery store. We stopped at the new HEB at Highway 6 and Highway 90.
Mellie agreed to sit in the cart like a normal child from the parking lot into the store. Once we were in the store, she decided she'd prefer to be in the actual cart, which was fine. I stopped at several sample locations and got some coupons and information about some products which I placed in the cart. Mellie kept reaching for them to wreak havoc, so I moved them to my pocket. We got to the yogurt area, and I picked up some low fat greek yogurt for me to have as breakfast. Mellie immediately tried to pitch one out of the cart, so I moved them to the seat she refused to sit in. She then decided it would be a good idea to try to slam the seat down while the yogurt was there. I decided Mellie needed to be carried.
Mellie, however, was not interested in being carried. She wanted to get down and wreak havoc. Finally, I put her down and Ronnie was watching while I picked out some chocoloate chips. While reviewing the prices, I heard a screaming child a couple of aisles down. I thought with relief, I'm so glad that is not my child this time. I finally made my selection and turned around to tell Ronnie something. No sign of him, or my child. Now, I hear the screaming child, and she sounds remarkably like Mellie, and I am praying that is my child. Trying to keep from freaking out, I pull my phone out to call Ronnie. I was way too shooken up to dial, however, and I started nearly sprinted down the aisle towards where I last heard the screams. I envisioned Mellie screaming because a stranger was trying to carry her off. Suddenly, Ronnie, carrying the pterodactyl, walks into the aisle I am sprinting down. I grab her and hug her tight, and then give Ronnie a word or two. He told me she ran off so he ran after her. I put her back in the cart and hid the yogurts and the eggs beneath the bread in the little shelf at the end.
In the cart, out of the cart. This continued for the entire trip. Other sample ladies told me I had a beautiful child. I told them how horribly behaved she is, and they told her to be good. We realized we forgot butter for the cookies and had to go back to the far end of the store. Mellie said hello to another child, younger than her, and I pointed out how the little one was sitting so nicely in the seat. Her parents told me not to jinx it.
A couple of minutes later, Mellie had convinced me to put her down. I was looking at something, and when I turned around Ronnie told me she was by the display of powdered donuts. Sure enough, she was putting a second bag of donuts into a perfect stranger's cart. I ran over, apologized profusely, and put the donuts back. I remember thinking "what great fodder for my blog - my child putting powdered donuts into the cart of an unsuspecting bystander."
She's lucky I love her soo very much.
As usual, we were running late to get her haircut (I despise waking Mellie up, and she was still napping), but it wasn't a big deal when we arrived at Cool Cuts 4 Kids about ten minutes late. Once I figured out we were supposed to sign in, we sat down and waited. I was pretty sure that the hair cut was not going to go over very well with her highness, so I took Mellie over to the area where they were cutting hair so she could see all the kids getting their hair cut.
We didn't have to wait very long before it was our turn. The hairdresser asked if we could put her in a chair by herself - it was all decked out like a fire engine, very child- friendly. I didn't think Mellie was going to go for it, but we tried anyhow. Here come the waterworks! The hairdresser suggested she sit in my lap, and I heartily agreed. She put a protector on me and another on Mellie. She was not thrilled with this and immediately yanked it off. I told the hair dresser that it was fine. She was great, I didn't even have to ask her to not spray the water directly on Mellie. She sprayed her comb a couple of times and went to work. She asked me what I wanted, and I told her I just wanted her to even it out and make it look less like a mullet. We discussed how much to cut off, and she went to work.
As I suspected, Mellie was not happy with this turn of events. She screamed bloody murder even before the cutting started. The other kids turned to see what was upsetting her so much. Fortunately, the hairdresser was able to do a really nice job really quickly. She put a little bow in Mellie's hair and offered to take a picture of us, which I took her up on. She gave us a little certificate, and put a lock of her hair in a little baggie for us to take with us. I went and paid, and gave her a really nice tip.
Afterwards, we went a couple of doors down to the gelato place and everyone got some ice cream. Mellie really enjoyed this, plus she enjoyed the little kids size table and chairs that they had.
Once we were finished, we went a couple of more doors down to Half Price Books were we picked out three books for Mellie. Ronnie looked for one of his textbooks, which he couldn't find. By now, Mellie was getting fussy. I convinced her to calm down so Ronnie would agree to go to the grocery store. We stopped at the new HEB at Highway 6 and Highway 90.
Mellie agreed to sit in the cart like a normal child from the parking lot into the store. Once we were in the store, she decided she'd prefer to be in the actual cart, which was fine. I stopped at several sample locations and got some coupons and information about some products which I placed in the cart. Mellie kept reaching for them to wreak havoc, so I moved them to my pocket. We got to the yogurt area, and I picked up some low fat greek yogurt for me to have as breakfast. Mellie immediately tried to pitch one out of the cart, so I moved them to the seat she refused to sit in. She then decided it would be a good idea to try to slam the seat down while the yogurt was there. I decided Mellie needed to be carried.
Mellie, however, was not interested in being carried. She wanted to get down and wreak havoc. Finally, I put her down and Ronnie was watching while I picked out some chocoloate chips. While reviewing the prices, I heard a screaming child a couple of aisles down. I thought with relief, I'm so glad that is not my child this time. I finally made my selection and turned around to tell Ronnie something. No sign of him, or my child. Now, I hear the screaming child, and she sounds remarkably like Mellie, and I am praying that is my child. Trying to keep from freaking out, I pull my phone out to call Ronnie. I was way too shooken up to dial, however, and I started nearly sprinted down the aisle towards where I last heard the screams. I envisioned Mellie screaming because a stranger was trying to carry her off. Suddenly, Ronnie, carrying the pterodactyl, walks into the aisle I am sprinting down. I grab her and hug her tight, and then give Ronnie a word or two. He told me she ran off so he ran after her. I put her back in the cart and hid the yogurts and the eggs beneath the bread in the little shelf at the end.
In the cart, out of the cart. This continued for the entire trip. Other sample ladies told me I had a beautiful child. I told them how horribly behaved she is, and they told her to be good. We realized we forgot butter for the cookies and had to go back to the far end of the store. Mellie said hello to another child, younger than her, and I pointed out how the little one was sitting so nicely in the seat. Her parents told me not to jinx it.
A couple of minutes later, Mellie had convinced me to put her down. I was looking at something, and when I turned around Ronnie told me she was by the display of powdered donuts. Sure enough, she was putting a second bag of donuts into a perfect stranger's cart. I ran over, apologized profusely, and put the donuts back. I remember thinking "what great fodder for my blog - my child putting powdered donuts into the cart of an unsuspecting bystander."
She's lucky I love her soo very much.
Mellie's Mouse Adventure or Mellie's Christmas Holiday part two
Today I will be describing the events of the day after Christmas, which turned into a very hectic and panic filled day for the Simicek household.
The day started off nice enough. Me and Mellie got up early to do some Christmas shopping. It was Pippin's birthday, so I needed to get cake mix and frosting to make his birthday cupcakes, and I was meeting up with some old friends for a late lunch. This came up late on Saturday, so I needed to get them all gifts as I hadn't planned on seeing them (although I was delighted about the lunch).
As I was putting Mellie in her car seat, I noticed some of the fluff coming out. I thought that she had been picking at it on the long drive home from Lolita on Saturday, she hadn't slept too much during it. However, when I hopped into the driver's seat, I saw tangerine peel debris all over the place, where I had left a WHOLE tangerine Saturday. Sighing, I realized our mouse had found it's way into the car for a little treat. I didn't think too much of it, I just called Ronnie and told him about it and we were on our way.
First stop was Kroger for the cake mix. I also wanted to get her a Jingles Hallmark dog with the book where when you read certain phrases the dog responds. I had seen it Friday and Ronnie wouldn't let me get it. He said I could get it after Christmas when it was discounted. So, Monday morning, I ran to Kroger hoping they still had one. They did not. I was terribly disappointed. So, I got two boxes of cake mix and frosting (Maggie's birthday was the following Saturday) and we drove on to Target in Rosenberg.
We got there early enough that there wasn't much of a crowd. As usual, Mellie refused to sit in the cart seat, and I put her in the cart with the usual stipulation that she sit. We went around the store picking out gifts for my friends and for Mellie, and some items that we needed. About halfway through the trip, Mellie decided to cause chaos and started throwing items out of the cart and screaming bloody murder. I was terribly embarrassed. Of course, I still had people come and tell me how cute my baby was. I was like, are you serious? Can you not hear her screams? Do you not see her throwing items OUT OF THE CART??? Instead, I thanked them and smiled. On our way out, I called Ronnie and asked if he wanted Starbucks. He wanted an eggnog latte. I tried to order one, but of course they were out of eggnog. So, I got him a gingerbread one instead, which he wasn't terribly thrilled about when we got home. Oh, and I spilled one of the drinks on the way out as I didn't have enough hands to hold a screaming Mellie, push a cart, and hold BOTH drinks....
So, we safely got home and gave Ronnie his coffee. I put Mellie down for a nap while I gift wrapped the gifts. Meanwhile, Ronnie went out to take a look at the car seat. He noticed that the mouse had chewed on the strap with the seat buckle. He took the car seat completely out to examine it closer, only to discover that the mouse had also chewed the same strap further down in the seat and it was barely attached. Thank God we weren't in a wreck while running errands. Mellie could have been seriously hurt.
So, we added up our Christmas gift money and decided to use it to buy a new seat. Now comes the discussion about which one to buy. I didn't really like the one we had and didn't want to get the same one. We discussed whether to get a cheap one or a nice one, and whether we should get a convertible one or just put her in a forward facing one. Mellie was still napping, and obviously we couldn't take her anywhere, so I sent Ronnie to buy the seat, while I waited at home. And waited. And waited some more. Tick tock, tick tock. I started stressing out that I was going to be late for lunch with my friends. Tick tock, tick tock. I worried some more when I realized one of my friends was coming on her lunch break and wouldn't have too much time. Tick tock, tick tock. Finally, Ronnie was home.
He had bought a forward facing seat that we had admired when we bought her convertible one. We got it out of the box and attempted to get it prepared to put in the car. Of course, it took two adults with masters degrees an enormous amount of time to get it installed, but we finally got it set up, and Mellie buckled in.
This is when I discovered that Ronnie didn't know he was "invited." As if he has ever NOT been invited. He "wasn't ready" to go, so I decided to take Mellie and leave and he could meet us at Dimasi's when he was ready.
By now, I was very stressed out. It was the time we were supposed to meet, and I was barely leaving my house, which was 20-30 minutes away. Needless to say, that nice newly paved stretch of Harlem, I was speeding. Only to get caught in a speed trap DPS had put up. And, I didn't know where the insurance was. I thought it was probably in Ronnie's wallet. Turns out it was in the sunglasses place. Fortunately, he only gave me one ticket and sent me on my way. To make matters worse, when I texted Ronnie to tell him, he said he "meant to tell me about that."
Anyhow, I eventually got to lunch. We had a very nice time visiting with Alexine and Christine, and Ronnie eventually made it. Mellie was reasonably behaved, and got several nice gifts. Christine got her a baby doll, which has become Mellie's favorite (last night she was standing on it's arm). Both Christine and Alexine seemed to think it was "creepy" because when you put the bottle to its lips to acts like it is drinking. I didn't think it was terribly creepy, and Mellie just loves it.
The day started off nice enough. Me and Mellie got up early to do some Christmas shopping. It was Pippin's birthday, so I needed to get cake mix and frosting to make his birthday cupcakes, and I was meeting up with some old friends for a late lunch. This came up late on Saturday, so I needed to get them all gifts as I hadn't planned on seeing them (although I was delighted about the lunch).
As I was putting Mellie in her car seat, I noticed some of the fluff coming out. I thought that she had been picking at it on the long drive home from Lolita on Saturday, she hadn't slept too much during it. However, when I hopped into the driver's seat, I saw tangerine peel debris all over the place, where I had left a WHOLE tangerine Saturday. Sighing, I realized our mouse had found it's way into the car for a little treat. I didn't think too much of it, I just called Ronnie and told him about it and we were on our way.
First stop was Kroger for the cake mix. I also wanted to get her a Jingles Hallmark dog with the book where when you read certain phrases the dog responds. I had seen it Friday and Ronnie wouldn't let me get it. He said I could get it after Christmas when it was discounted. So, Monday morning, I ran to Kroger hoping they still had one. They did not. I was terribly disappointed. So, I got two boxes of cake mix and frosting (Maggie's birthday was the following Saturday) and we drove on to Target in Rosenberg.
We got there early enough that there wasn't much of a crowd. As usual, Mellie refused to sit in the cart seat, and I put her in the cart with the usual stipulation that she sit. We went around the store picking out gifts for my friends and for Mellie, and some items that we needed. About halfway through the trip, Mellie decided to cause chaos and started throwing items out of the cart and screaming bloody murder. I was terribly embarrassed. Of course, I still had people come and tell me how cute my baby was. I was like, are you serious? Can you not hear her screams? Do you not see her throwing items OUT OF THE CART??? Instead, I thanked them and smiled. On our way out, I called Ronnie and asked if he wanted Starbucks. He wanted an eggnog latte. I tried to order one, but of course they were out of eggnog. So, I got him a gingerbread one instead, which he wasn't terribly thrilled about when we got home. Oh, and I spilled one of the drinks on the way out as I didn't have enough hands to hold a screaming Mellie, push a cart, and hold BOTH drinks....
So, we safely got home and gave Ronnie his coffee. I put Mellie down for a nap while I gift wrapped the gifts. Meanwhile, Ronnie went out to take a look at the car seat. He noticed that the mouse had chewed on the strap with the seat buckle. He took the car seat completely out to examine it closer, only to discover that the mouse had also chewed the same strap further down in the seat and it was barely attached. Thank God we weren't in a wreck while running errands. Mellie could have been seriously hurt.
So, we added up our Christmas gift money and decided to use it to buy a new seat. Now comes the discussion about which one to buy. I didn't really like the one we had and didn't want to get the same one. We discussed whether to get a cheap one or a nice one, and whether we should get a convertible one or just put her in a forward facing one. Mellie was still napping, and obviously we couldn't take her anywhere, so I sent Ronnie to buy the seat, while I waited at home. And waited. And waited some more. Tick tock, tick tock. I started stressing out that I was going to be late for lunch with my friends. Tick tock, tick tock. I worried some more when I realized one of my friends was coming on her lunch break and wouldn't have too much time. Tick tock, tick tock. Finally, Ronnie was home.
He had bought a forward facing seat that we had admired when we bought her convertible one. We got it out of the box and attempted to get it prepared to put in the car. Of course, it took two adults with masters degrees an enormous amount of time to get it installed, but we finally got it set up, and Mellie buckled in.
This is when I discovered that Ronnie didn't know he was "invited." As if he has ever NOT been invited. He "wasn't ready" to go, so I decided to take Mellie and leave and he could meet us at Dimasi's when he was ready.
By now, I was very stressed out. It was the time we were supposed to meet, and I was barely leaving my house, which was 20-30 minutes away. Needless to say, that nice newly paved stretch of Harlem, I was speeding. Only to get caught in a speed trap DPS had put up. And, I didn't know where the insurance was. I thought it was probably in Ronnie's wallet. Turns out it was in the sunglasses place. Fortunately, he only gave me one ticket and sent me on my way. To make matters worse, when I texted Ronnie to tell him, he said he "meant to tell me about that."
Anyhow, I eventually got to lunch. We had a very nice time visiting with Alexine and Christine, and Ronnie eventually made it. Mellie was reasonably behaved, and got several nice gifts. Christine got her a baby doll, which has become Mellie's favorite (last night she was standing on it's arm). Both Christine and Alexine seemed to think it was "creepy" because when you put the bottle to its lips to acts like it is drinking. I didn't think it was terribly creepy, and Mellie just loves it.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Where's Mellie?
Mellie has always enjoyed playing a game we call "Where's Mellie?" It's basically peek-a-boo. When she was real little, I would throw a blanket over her head and say "Where's Mellie?" and she would pull the blanket off her head, and we would cheer her. When she got a little older, we would take turns. The blanket on her head, the blanket on mommy or daddy's head and Mellie would pull it off. One day, we were playing it and she put the blanket on her own head to play! It was quite an accomplishment. To this day, I can't think of a time she's ever put the blanket on my head or Ronnie's head. Sometimes, we will put the blanket on Pippin or Dee Dee and say "Where's Pippin?" or "Where's Dee Dee?" and she will pull the blanket off. Lately, she's developed it even further. She will put her hands on her eyes, and me or Ronnie will say "Where's Mellie?" and act like we are looking for her and say things like "Oh, Daddy is going to be very upset that I lost Mellie!" and then she will remove her hands and we say "There's Mellie! I'm so glad to have found you!" She laughs and starts all over.
Well, the other night we were playing this version, where she puts her hands over her eyes. After a couple of rounds, she reaches up and puts her tiny little hands on MY eyes to play. It is so amazing to see her make these tiny little jumps in cognition and understanding of the world around her.
Even if her little hands aren't nearly large enough to completely block my vision. One day they will be, though, and I will look back on these days with fondness and think about how little she "used" to be. I see it happening already. Just yesterday, I got a $20 credit for shutterfly, and thought it would be nice to make another little desk calendar like the one I had for last year. So, I started pulling out pictures from albums (electronically) to put this calendar together, and it made me realize just how much she has accomplished in the past year. Not only did she learn to walk (although it feels like she's walked forever), she learned to crawl, she learned to climb up on furniture. I came across a picture of her crying because I had put shoes on her feet for the first time! Now, she loves wearing shoes!
It's so easy to get sucked into the day to day routine and things that "need to get done" that you miss the here and now. I try to spend time every day with her, sitting on the floor with her, focusing on her. It's the little things like that that we will both remember and cherish.
Well, the other night we were playing this version, where she puts her hands over her eyes. After a couple of rounds, she reaches up and puts her tiny little hands on MY eyes to play. It is so amazing to see her make these tiny little jumps in cognition and understanding of the world around her.
Even if her little hands aren't nearly large enough to completely block my vision. One day they will be, though, and I will look back on these days with fondness and think about how little she "used" to be. I see it happening already. Just yesterday, I got a $20 credit for shutterfly, and thought it would be nice to make another little desk calendar like the one I had for last year. So, I started pulling out pictures from albums (electronically) to put this calendar together, and it made me realize just how much she has accomplished in the past year. Not only did she learn to walk (although it feels like she's walked forever), she learned to crawl, she learned to climb up on furniture. I came across a picture of her crying because I had put shoes on her feet for the first time! Now, she loves wearing shoes!
It's so easy to get sucked into the day to day routine and things that "need to get done" that you miss the here and now. I try to spend time every day with her, sitting on the floor with her, focusing on her. It's the little things like that that we will both remember and cherish.
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