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.