Mellie and the Peters Family Reunion

Last Saturday (7-6-13) was the Peters Family Reunion.  This is a reunion on Ronnie's paternal grandfather's side that they put on every other year.  Lately they've been having it at Brackenridge State Park on Lake Texana.  They cater dinner, people bring desserts and items for the silent auction and white elephant game.

 

We met Paw Paw (Grandpa Simicek) and Grandma (Great Grandma Simicek) there.  We were late and they had already started serving dinner.  While in line, Mellie noticed a carton of donuts and kept asking me for one.  I said no.  Ronnie has created a little donut monster.  I made us both plates and went and sat down.

 

Mellie began cutting her bread with the plastic knife and LJ was screaming, so I made him a bottle while Ronnie ate.  We switched off about halfway through so I could eat.  Mellie was eating her pickles and buttered potatoes and playing with her steak.  Next thing I know, SPLASH!  Mellie had knocked over my iced tea.  My first thought was relief that it wasn't me that knocked over, which is usually the case.  We cleaned up the mess and finished eating.  I was surprised Mellie wasn't interested in dessert, just the watermelon.

 

After dinner, everyone is catching up, bidding on items, taking pictures, etc.  Mellie discovers an auction item that is a bunch of toys - kid sized chair, ball, bubble gun, slip n slide, etc.  Mellie immediately starts referring to it as "my toys."  That was the beginning of the end.  Entirely too soon, the bidding is up to $45, with $40 being my top bid.  I really didn't want to spend anymore, and Mellie was still calling them "My toys!"  Grandma Simicek leans over and whispers to me that she will pitch in another $10, so I bid up to $50 and start stalking the auction. 

 

While I am stalking the silent auction (and I have a LOT of experience doing that -- just ask Ronnie!) they start doing the prizes for youngest/oldest, longest married, farthest traveled, etc.  I had JUST managed to get Paw Paw to take LJ (let's face it, being able to pass the baby between more family members than just me and Ronnie is the most exciting part about being around family) when he wins "youngest boy."  Paw Paw immediately gives LJ back to me and I take him up to the front, introduce him, and accept the gift - a Thomas the Train folding chair which I KNOW will immediately become Mellie's.  We are all familiar with the toddler rules of possession. 

 

Finally, it was time for the white elephant game.  For those of you who are not familiar, this is when everyone brings a gift, usually it is wrapped or otherwise disguised, and everyone draws numbers for the order that they get to select a gift.  If you see something you like, you can "steal" it and there is usually a max amount of steals.  In this case, it was only two.  We brought three gifts, so me, Ronnie, and Mellie all drew numbers.  They had more numbers than people who wanted to play, so LJ almost played as well.  Mellie takes a seat next to Ronnie and LJ in her new folding chair.

 

Of course, Mellie drew the lowest number of the three of us -- 12.  Around 8 or 10, someone picked the birdhouse I had put in a bag with tissue paper earlier that morning - while Mellie watched.  She saw the lady pick the gift and open it, and kept telling me "Mommy, my present!"  So, when it was her turn, I thought she would pick it back (much to my dismay - I was trying to get rid of it).  Fortunately, I was able to convince her to select a giant tootsie pop that an older lady had selected and was very glad to give up.  Unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble keeping Mellie from opening it up in case someone wanted to steal from her (even though I doubted this would happen).  I also didn't want to deal with her and a giant lollipop  (later I learned that it actually contains 10 regular tootsie pops, but I didn't know that at the time).  No one actually steals it from her, but I didn't want to take the chance.

 

The next thing I notice, Mellie is running to me at full speed from the other side of the circle, gift bag with the birdhouse in tow.  Everyone there starts laughing.  I quickly chastise her and we walk back to the woman and give her the gift bag.  Mellie gets very upset, so I ask the woman if we can just have the bag and tissue paper.  She agrees, and Mellie happily brings her bag back to our seats. 

 

Mellie disappears for a while, I know she is over by Paw Paw and Grandma Simicek who are not playing.  I don't really think anything about it.  After a while, she comes back with a prize - a fresh pull up from the diaper bag, one with Sulley from Monsters Inc on it (the most coveted of the pull ups).  Ronnie whispers to me that I better go change her.  I blow him off, but sure enough, moments later she pulls her dress up and goes to pull her diaper off.  I leapt out of my chair, grab her, and RUN to the restroom.  Everyone is laughing good naturedly, but I was MORTIFIED. 

 

So, in the bathroom, I have her stand on the sink and go to change her diaper.  ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE DAMN THING IS COMPLETELY DRY!!!  She just wanted to change her Ariel diaper (the LEAST coveted diaper) for a Sulley one she found in the diaper bag!  Rather than risk another incident, I change her, but let her know that I am very upset and that stripping in front of a large group is not appropriate. 

 

We return to the game, and the game continues without any more issues.  I wind up with a twirly outdoor thingie I plan to put in her bedroom and Ronnie gets a hand painted wine glass that says "60 is sexy" and Mellie gets to keep her tootsie pop. 

 

A couple of minutes later, I am fussing over the silent auction (which I am still the high bidder on) and suddenly I notice Mellie carrying around a topsy turvy box.  I think back to who won it, and I realize it was the same woman from which Mellie attempted to steal the birdhouse.  What the frick, my child stole something ELSE from the same woman?  I take it from her and frantically look around to identify the woman, and I don't see her.  I try to remember what she looked like, and NOTHING is coming to mind.  I walk around and finally find her and attempt to return the item, only to be told that she gave it to Mellie.   So, much to my relief, Mellie is NOT a thief.  Whew.

 

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful.  We won the items and Mellie helped me carry them to the car.  A little later, I couldn't find her and was about to freak out when I send Paw Paw into the men's bathroom to see if she had followed Ronnie in there -- she had. 

 

She slept like a champ the whole way home.

Update

So, it has been a while since I have posted here.  Life happens, things get put to the back burner, most days I just try to make it through the day.

Most significantly, Mellie is now a proud big sister.  Luke Joseph "LJ" Simicek was born 01/23/2013.  Mellie LOVES her little brother, although she is often jealous of the attention he receives and can often be heard telling him "LJ down" like he's a naughty dog that got up on the furniture without permission.

In less than a month, my Mellie will be three years old.  Attempts to potty train have gone very poorly and all parties have pretty much decided to let her decide when she is ready.  She is talking up a storm, but is difficult to understand.  When the twins at her day care had their second birthday party last April, I realized that her language development was about par with theirs, and she is about eight months older.  So, I had her assessed by a Speech Therapist and she has been diagnosed with Expressive Language Disorder with Articulation Deficits.  I will write more about this in a blog all it's own.

Mellie is currently obsessed with "Sulley" from Monsters Inc.  I took her last week to see Monsters University with our friend Kathryn.  This was her first movie that she actually watched at the movie theatre, and although she loves Monsters Inc, Monsters University was probably mostly over her head.  Not really designed for preschoolers.  But she enjoyed herself, anyhow.  Popcorn IS among her favorite foods.

Along with Sulley, she loves Mickey Mouse, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, and Puss in Boots.  She also likes Merida from Brave.  I try to keep her away from the traditional Disney movies -- I don't feel like they are very empowering nor do they have good messages.  My Mellie doesn't need to wait for a man to rescue her.  She can rescue herself.  Which is why I really like that she has taken to Merida.

She is a little monster and gets into EVERYTHING.  This weekend she got into trouble for getting the dish soap and pouring it on the floor, pouring sugar into clean dishes, and using chalk to decorate the guest bathroom mirror.  Last night she got in trouble for scratching me in the face.  On purpose.  Three times.

Despite the times she makes me want to pull out my hair or hide under the bed in the fetal position, she is a very smart and affectionate little girl.  She is already ready for a hug and a kiss, and will spontaneously give kisses to LJ.  Last night, he was crying in his swing so she brought him a bunch of toys to cheer him up.  I find myself thinking wistfully of getting home to hug her tight and cover her with kisses and hear her sweet little laugh.

My worst fear, however, has been realized.  She is a very girly girl.  She loves outfits, especially dresses, shoes, purses, jewelry, hair bows, painting her nails, etc.  I recently bought her a magnetic princess that she can put dresses and shoes and other accessories on.  She loves it.  She loves to Go Go Go, and play with water.

I am working hard to instill my love of all animals in her, and she is taking to it like a champ.  We talk about the cat, the dogs, the squirrels, or any other animals that we see with glee.

I have many ideas in my head for more blog posts.  Mellie has such a big personality, it's not hard to think of topics.  Where I struggle is finding the time to write them.  Wish me luck, send me reminders, give us lots of love and support.  My wish is for Mellie to someday read these posts and see herself through my eyes.

Mommy and Mellie

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

Mellie's Christmas Holiday

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. 

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:

• mama
• dada
• Dee Dee (the cat)
• yeah
• huh?
• hi
• bye
• tree

The first three, she rarely ever uses.  I don't know why.  I have heard her say all three in a manner that was an appropriate use of the word, but for the most part, she doesn't say names.  She has never said anything I recognize or suspect is one of the dog's names.  One time, around Halloween, we were in the backyard at our patio table.  I was working on carving a pumpkin, and Mellie was wondering around in the area we consider safe, well away from our pool.  Dee Dee was wondering around in the back of the yard, well away from us, when we suddenly heard an encounter between two other cats.  Dee Dee was immediately interested and acted like she was going to go investigate.  I didn't want her getting involved, so I was calling her to come over to us instead.  A little background, Dee Dee is the only cat I have ever had who acts more like a dog than a cat.  She almost always comes when I call her, and she fetches better than either of the dogs.  Anyhow, I kept calling her, and I could tell she was torn between whether to come over to us, or go investigate.  Finally, Mellie goes right up to the edge of her acceptable area, and yells as loud as she can "DEE DEE!!!!"  Mellie absolutely adores Dee Dee, although I am not sure the feeling is mutual.  In fact, I am reasonably certain it is not.  I frequently play with Mellie and I sing the call Dee Dee song (it's just Dee Dee over and over again to the tune that of a clock ring), and despite that, that's been about the only time I have ever heard her say Dee Dee's name.

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. 

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.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

With Love from the Simicek Family - Ronnie Joe, Mary Anne, and Mellie the Pterodactyl

Things that make Mellie Giggle

Just a quick post while I am on a computer.  A list of things that make Mellie giggle, which is the best sound in the world.

• Tickle Monster!
• Shark attack (I grab her and pretend I am a shark taking a bite out of her side)
• For some reason, if you rub her shoulders, she giggles like a maniac
• Sometimes the dogs will make her giggle.  She will chase Maggie or Pippin around and then laugh when they run away
• Sneezes generally make her giggle
• Sneezing while you have something on top of your head that falls off when you sneeze (thank you Sears Photographer for that pointer)
• Tickling her toes
• Tossing her up in the air (remember, this child is a DAREDEVIL!)
• Anytime you say ouch, especially if it is after a hair pull, a head butt, or a hit by another toy.

That's all I can think of right now.  I'm sure I will add as things occur to me. 

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." - J.M. Barrie

Mellie and the Bad Hair Day

So, last Thursday (October 6th), I went to Ms. Betty's to pick up Mellie.  The "split" door was engaged as there are several "runners" (children who will run out the door when they can) and of course Ms. Betty wants to keep everyone safe.  When I arrived, Mellie was, as usual, in time-out (in a pack-and-play) and started screaming bloody murder when she saw me.  Ms. Betty picked her up and handed her to me through the split door.  Another parent was arriving, and I told Ms. Betty is was Alaina's dad.  She told me she wanted to talk to me AFTER he left with Alaina.  So, I held Mellie and chatted with Alaina's dad while we discussed which one our children was meaner to the other babies.  Once he had Mellie and talked to Ms. Betty about her day, he took Alaina and left.  Ms. Betty opened the door for me and let me in.  I happened to have brought Mellie's most recent photo book for Ms. Betty and her assistant, Ms. CeCe to check out, so I handed it to Ms. Betty.  She took it and directed me to Ms. CeCe, who speaks better English and was in the kitchen.

Before I continue, let me give you some back information.  Mellie likes to pull hair.  Ronnie used to "let" her pull his hair because he liked how it felt.  I have asked him to stop as this behavior has become a huge problem.  I don't like how it feels and I generally keep my hair pulled back at all times to decrease her access to my hair.  Honestly, I'd like to cut it short again, but I'm afraid if I do I won't be able to pull it back and Mellie will have full access to my hair.  Ouch!  In fact, when I say "ouch!" when she pulls my hair, her usual response is to laugh.  I've been told on multiple occasions that Mellie likes to pull other children's hair and that is usually the reason why she is in time-out.  She has also grabbed children's hair with both hands and bounced their heads up and down.  I have been very concerned about this behavior, and have spent a lot of time researching how to address negative behaviors in young toddlers.  I hadn't really found anything useful. 

Anyhow, Ms. CeCe tells me that Mellie pulled Alaina's hair today, and then proceeds to show me not one, but TWO locks of hair that Mellie pulled out of Alaina's head by the roots.  I gasped.  Mellie has so little hair (I have always suspected she likes to pull hair because she doesn't have much herself) and I couldn't imagine how upset I would be if someone did that to Mellie.  Ms. CeCe told me that they decided to not tell Alaina's parents.  I had mixed feelings about that.  I was glad that they weren't advertising my child's bad behavior, but I also understood how upset I would be if that had happened to Mellie and I wasn't told.  It's Ms. Betty's business and livelihood, so I figure it is her decision to make and I will respect that.  Ms. CeCe also told me she has pulled Paisley's hair out, but not as much.  This did not surprise me.  The reports I hear on her hair pulling are frequently centered around Paisley.  (See my blog post -- BFF or Nemesis for more on Mellie's relationship with Paisley.

Mellie was getting fussy, so I put her down to play.  She had her little lunch bag that she likes to carry around, and Paisley had come over to check it out.  She liked the little flower pull on the zipper, and tried to touch it, but Mellie got mad and snatched it from her.  In an attempt to show Mellie how to share, I took the bag away from her and handed it to Paisley.  Bad move.  This made Mellie mad, and she proceeded to grab Paisley by the - you guessed it - hair.  Paisley started crying (with good reason).  Mellie started crying because I made her look at me while I told her that was not acceptable behavior.  We left shortly after that, and I have since decided that she should not be allowed to have her beloved lunch bag at day care any longer. 

I was very disturbed by this incident.  So disturbed, I called her pediatrician, Dr. Scott, the following day and talked to the nurse.  The nurse talked to Dr. Scott and called me back.  Dr. Scott had told the nurse that it was probably "self-stimulatory" and she should be told "no" and then distracted with a toy or another activity.  I shouldn't make too big a deal about it because she learns she can get attention from it, even if it is negative.  I expressed puzzlement to the nurse regarding the "self-stimulatory" nature of the behavior.  The nurse realized that Dr. Scott had probably misunderstood and thought Mellie was pulling her own hair.  She told me she would talk to Dr. Scott again and call me back.  Which she did, and Dr. Scott had, indeed misunderstood.  She told me the response should be the same.  However, she added that Mellie can be separated from the child for brief periods as well.  I related all this information to Ms. CeCe as this behavior manifests mostly at day care. 

Since Thursday, I have gotten mostly positive reports regarding Mellie's behavior.  But, I don't think this is the end of the story.  If anyone has any brilliant ideas or experience with this, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know.  For the sake of Alaina and Paisley's hair.....

Mellie goes to the ER

So last night (Wednesday, October 5), Mellie had her first trip to the Emergency Room.  Fortunately, she was not the patient, her Daddy was.  Ronnie is slightly accident prone, and trips to the ER for him are not uncommon.

Here's what Ronnie tells me happened (note that I did not witness anything, I heard it, but by the time I turned around, it was over).  Ronnie says that he stepped on one of Mellie's toys (one of the little shapes that fits into a large hollow ball with slots for each shape - she likes to carry the little shapes around rather than fit them into the ball).  His other foot was in a puddle of water (see previous posts about Mellie and the Water Bowl part 1 and part 2).  So, he grabbed a chair to catch himself.  Unfortunately, the chair had wheels so down to the ground he went.  This was on the hard tile floor.  By the time I got to him, he was on the ground, in the corner of our breakfast room, body tangled around a large office chair. 

He was alive, there was no blood, and he appeared to be able to move.  Honestly, I didn't know what to do.  Mellie had witnessed the whole thing and was screaming bloody murder.  Ronnie wasn't sure if he could get up.  I asked him if he needed me to call an ambulance.  He insisted that he did not and expressed concern that he might have broken his arm.  Again.  In Ronnie's defense, he has a strange bone issue in his arm.  You know how a normal person's forearm has two thin bones that connect from the wrist to the elbow?  Well, on his right arm, one of those two bones gets wide and hollow.  As a result, he cannot turn his arm all the way over like most people can.  And, since it is hollow, it breaks pretty easily.  He wasn't sure if he would be able to get up as he required two arms to do so.  And, he reported he was experiencing back pain.  He has a long history of back problems.  His back was the first thing I worried about when I realized he had fallen.  I finally picked Mellie up as I didn't know what I could do to help Ronnie.  It took me quite a while to calm her down.  Seeing Daddy fall had clearly upset her.

Somehow, he managed to get up off the ground.  We put an ice pack on his arm, which was clearly swollen, and gave him one of my extended release Aleves.  I asked him if he wanted me to take him to the ER.  He reported he didn't need to go, he wanted to wait and see what happened.  I told him if this was like the last time, if he woke me up at 3 am to go to the ER I would not be taking him to the ER.  About ten minutes later, he admitted that we needed to go.  Fortunately, Mellie had already had her last serving of milk and dinner for the night.  I grabbed some socks and shoes for her along with a blanket (hospitals are always cold).  I got the baby, her supplies, and Ronnie with an ice pack into the car.  He wanted to go to the local Memorial Hermann, so off we went.  We have always had a good experience there. 

During the drive there, we discussed our options regarding Mellie.  Ronnie wanted to find someone to watch her, but I was like who could we call that could just take her right now?  I was concerned they wouldn't even let her into the hospital, and if we stayed in the waiting room, I expressed my concern that we might be asked to leave.  We discussed the option of going across the street to HEB or even taking her home and then coming back to pick Ronnie up, but I wanted to be more supportive than that, plus I would hate to have him have to wait for me to get there.

When we got there, the waiting room was PACKED.  I put Mellie's shoes on and tentatively put her down.  She immediately attempted to climb up on the chair next to me.  I helped her up, put her blanket on her lap, gave her a sippy cup with Gatorade and a little wooden block puzzle.  I was amazed at how long she actually sat there calmly, playing with her puzzle and then her blanket.  While she was sitting there, a little boy who had hit his head was crying.  His parents kept taking him outside when he was upset.  The mom would have to come inside to wash his paci.  I finally offered a pack of pacifier wipes that I don't use as Mellie doesn't use a paci.  His mother declined politely.  I also offered to have Mellie "play" with him, but she thanked me for my thoughtfulness and told me she thought it was probably his head hurting. 

Eventually, Mellie climbed down.  She tentatively started exploring this new environment.  Initially, she kept on going up to the check-in desk with Ms. Carolyn (who had checked Ronnie in).  Mellie had already charmed her, and Ms. Carolyn always made a point to talk to Mellie when she came over, even when Ms. Carolyn was busy.  Then, Mellie decided to walk ALL the way down a long hall.  I stayed some distance behind her as I didn't think she would turn down the hall where she couldn't see me anymore.  I was mistaken.  I ran down the hall so I could see her again and let her explore the new area.  We came to some doors that she couldn't open, and I convinced her to go back to the waiting room where all the action was going on.  Around this time, she charmed the security guy who admitted he had two little girls at home, and she was at such a "fun" age. 

Next, she wandered over to the vending machines.  To do this, she passed the automatic doors, which registered her presence and opened, which startled her.  She stopped, stood still, and watched.  Then, the doors closed.  This freaked her out and she hurried past the doors to the vending machines.  There was a coke machine on the outside, and a snack machine in the corner.  She wasn't terribly interested in the snack machine, but the big red coke machine fascinated her.  She quickly discovered the change dispenser, and stuck her hand in.  Then, pulled it out.  The stuck her hand in.  And pulled it out.  It was at about this time, we attracted the attention of a boy around 10-12 years old.  He watched Mellie over the back of his chair, and giggled as she kept sticking her hand in and out of the vending machine.  After a couple of times of this, she would head back, but wind up passing the automatic doors, which would cause her to hurry back to the vending machine.  Where she would again repeatedly stick her hand in and out of the machine.  Clearly, she was looking for spare change.  Maybe to buy Mommy a present?  Or Daddy a get well card?

I had been keeping an eye on this boy and his older sister since our arrival.  When we arrived, it was him (you know, I never got his name), his sister, his mother, and his brother, and his baby sister.  His mother and brother eventually went back into the ER, leaving he and his sister to care for the baby sister (nine months old).  I was impressed with how well they took care of her, and how well behaved they all were, even without the mother present. 

So, we all banded together.  The boy was fascinated with Mellie, and I felt the need to help them with their little sister as well as keep an eye on them in their mother's absence.  After they took Ronnie back for X-Rays, I moved all of our stuff over by them.  They had not brought any toys for their baby, so I fished out a couple that would be age appropriate that Mellie wouldn't play with and gave them to the kids to give to the baby.  She LOVED the toys.  Unfortunately, shortly after she started playing with them, Hurricane Mellie arrived and, recognizing her own toys, unceremoniously snatched them from the poor unsuspecting baby and left them somewhere else.  Once Mellie was occupied, I picked the toys up and returned them to the grateful baby.  Fortunately, Mellie never seemed to notice that the baby had her toys again. 

It was about at this time that Ronnie came back from X-Ray.  He sat down next to me, and I forgot to warn him about the cup of water sitting by the diaper bag.  So, it was quickly knocked over.  Worried about wet floor in the vicinity of my accident prone husband, I dug in our diaper bag for something to clean it up, preferably a cloth diaper or burp cloth.  No matter how often I put both of those items IN the diaper bag, they never seem to be around when I need one.  Too lazy to go all the way to the bathroom to get some paper towels, I used Mellie's blanket.  However, I failed to take into account the fact that Mellie had been carrying her blanket around, and the fact that it was now sopping wet would not deter her desire to carry it around.  I hung it off the back of the vinyl chair I was sitting in, but Mellie quickly spotted it and insisted on carrying it around.  Once she had lost interest in it, I hid it behind me, only for her to rediscover it when I got up to do something.  Note to self: do not use blankets to clean up spilled water in the future.  Get the darn paper towels out of the bathroom.

Several times throughout the night, Mellie approached the automatic doors.  On her last encounter, she decided to try to go through the doors, only to freeze and reconsider once in between the door.  After a period of no movement, the doors attempted to close.  Yes, on my daughter.  Fortunately, they sensed her at the last moment because I simply couldn't get to her fast enough.  She wasn't interested in the doors much after that, and besides, it wasn't much longer before we left.

Nearing the end of our adventure, a little boy in a football uniform and equipment came in with his mother, holding his arm at the elbow.  Ronnie gave the little boy one of his ice packs.  Shortly after his arrival, the boy's father and two younger brothers arrived (in their matching pajamas!).  As soon as those boys arrived, Mellie made a b-line over to where they were.  I went after her.  I caught up to her just as she arrived to the boys, and just before I snatched her up, the father attempted to herd her along with his boys!  As I grabbed her, he laughed, telling me he thought she was one of his children (despite the lack of any girls).  She maintained her curiosity about the boys for the remainder of our visit.  They left at about the same time we did.  Mellie is chasing boys already!

All in all, I was surprised at how well Mellie did.  I thought for sure she would be a maniac and the hospital would ask us to leave, but they didn't.  She charmed everyone, and made several friends.  Ronnie reported that the x-rays all looked good, and he didn't have any broken bones.  The leads to his stimulator for his back were still in place.  They sent him home with pain medication, and didn't even recommend a follow-up visit with his doctor.  I'm sure this will be the first of many ER adventures for Hurricane Mellie.

Kolache Festival 2011

So, this past weekend we took Mellie to Hallettsville's 2011 Kolache Festival.  What is a Kolache Festival, you ask?  Well, obviously, it's a festival.  There were kolaches to be bought, along with "pigs" (as in Pigs in a Blanket because true Czech kolaches are never filled with meat, but rather fruit, cheese, or poppyseed).  Many local organization were raising funds by having booths where they sold food, drinks, and/or dessert.  The local band boosters had a cake wheel, and there were a bunch of booths with vendors selling all kinds of items.  Additionally, there were raffle tickets for sale, moonwalks, and even a petting zoo for the kids.  There was a kolache eating contest, a strudel making demonstration (which we sadly missed) along with a kolache making demonstration (which I did NOT miss).  On top of all of that, there was plenty of music, both country and polka for listening and dancing pleasure. 

Ronnie has no shortage of family in the area, and while there we were able to spend time with his cousin, Jennifer, who has a four month old that we finally got to meet, along with a toddler.  Ronnie's dad and his girlfriend were also there.  Ronnie's Aunt Sandra had to work, so we didn't get a chance to see her.  Uncle Dave wasn't there, but we stopped by to see him on our way home. 

Anyhow, Mellie had the best time.  For the most part, we sat on some picnic tables towards the back near the band, and let Mellie wonder around freely (with supervision).  I had such a great time watching her wander about, approaching some people, while steering clear of others.  She's so charming, anyone who saw her couldn't help but smile.  I was surprised by how far she felt comfortable wandering, but when she got too far, I approached her without getting too close to allow her some independence.  On several occasions, she approached the edge of the concrete and then looked up for someone to hold her hand.  If I was there, she would take my hand and tentatively step off the concrete.  If no one was there, she would just wonder off in another direction.  This is something I have noticed when taking her on walks in the neighborhood.  She will reach for my hand anytime there is a "break" in the concrete, whether it is a crack or just the end of one square and the beginning of another.  I think it's because there are frequently elevation changes involved (as there were at the Kolache Festival) and she is less confident with elevation changes.

I wish we could have let her get up on the moonwalks.  There were several of them, and I think she would have enjoyed it, although I don't think she has the skills to stand and jump in them.  Unfortunately, there were too many big kids playing, and I was worried she would get hurt. 

I did take the opportunity to take her into the petting zoo.  This petting zoo had rabbits, a chicken, geese, goats, two fawns, a llama, a pig, a donkey/mule and a wallaby.  For the most part, Mellie was not interested in the animals.  Every once in a while, she would reach out and give a goat a pat.  Soon after we entered, the donkey/mule came over to see us.  He was particularly interested in Mellie.  I was cautious, but allowed him to approach her.  Initially, I thought that he was investigating the new girl and whether she had any feed (you could buy feed for the animals for $2 - we didn't).  I figured as soon as he realized we didn't have any, he would leave.  But, he didn't seem to care at all that Mellie didn't have any feed.  He was so interested in her and he got so close to her I was worried he would knock her over, but he didn't.  I picked her up so she could give the llama a pat (which also didn't interest her).  When I put her down, the donkey had wondered over again to the point that I was again worried he was planning on knocking her over.  He didn't.  I rewarded him with a head scratch after noticing earlier he was scratching his cheek on a chair. 

At least one (if not both) of the fawns were pretty skittish.  It was difficult to tell them apart, so I couldn't really tell if it was one or both.  I never saw both acting skittish at once.  By this point, we were near the entrance/exit, and I was planning on leaving the petting zoo soon.  Several of the goats had gathered nearby and I was watching Mellie closely as I could tell there were some social issues going on among them.  Meanwhile, I wasn't paying attention to the fawn who was freaking out about something.  He got himself between me and the fence, and Mellie was right in front of him.  I didn't move for fear of freaking the fawn out any more, but I was worried for Mellie because I could tell the fawn was weighing options for getting past her.  Keep in mind, this all happened in an instant.  The next thing I knew, the fawn made it's decision and went sailing over Mellie's shoulder.  Amazing.  I immediately scooped Mellie up (I'm not sure she even noticed that he jumped over her because she had her back to him). 

I made my way to the exit and was trying to figure out how to get past the goat that were sitting/standing at the exit gate.  Remember earlier when I was concerned about the posturing of the goats?  Well, I had reason to be concerned, and as I was trying to figure out my exit strategy, two of them started locking horns and ramming each other.  Remember, these are petting zoo goats.  They aren't very big, and they aren't really into it (or maybe they're too fat to do much more), but I still don't want to interfere.  Then, a third goat gets involved and one of the first two wonders off.  There are another two or three watching this all go down.  Meanwhile, I noticed a wallaby in a fenced off section, so I take Mellie over to give it a pat through the fence while the goats handle their "issues."  When we were done, the goats had wondered away from the gate and we managed to make our exit. 

After the petting zoo, I was worried Mellie was a little flushed, so I took her into the KC (Knights of Columbus) Hall so she could cool down in the A/C.  I also gave her a pouch of food she could eat.  Tangentially, we have made the mistake of encouraging Mellie to eat finger foods and dependently use utensils at home, and she has gotten to where she will not let me and/or Ronnie spoon feed her.  She doesn't have a problem with it at Ms. Betty's, but god forbid one of us try it.  Anyhow, they have these little pouches with like straw openings, and she can suck the food out herself, thus allowing her to be independent as she prefers.  They are a godsend....  However, they are a little pricey at around a buck a pouch....  Anyhow, back to he KC Hall and the A/C.  Unfortunately, they had already put up all of the chairs that had been out earlier when I went to the Kolache Making Demonstration.  Mellie is in a stage where she likes climbing up on chairs, so that would have kept her occupied.  But instead, it was a big, open, empty hall.  With a door that swings open when pushed.  Mellie, being the most brilliant toddler that has ever walked the earth, quickly realized it had a door she could open.  So, she kept opening the door and going outside, back in the heat.  Thus undermining my efforts to cool her off.  After about six attempts, I gave up and we went walking back to Daddy.

At some point after this, Mellie went wondering off, and Ronnie went to go get her when she wandered too far.  Somehow, they wound up on the dance floor, and my husband (who has only danced with me on our wedding day and at our wedding reception two weeks later) took Mellie for a swing around the dancefloor.  Note how Mellie looks like she is going slide down at any moment.

Notice Ronnie's wardrobe -- khaki shorts, white polo, baseball hat and tennis shoes.  During her wanderings, it was always amusing to watch her when she realized she had wandered back to us, her face would light up and she was laugh and run over to us, throwing her arms up to be picked up.  During one wandering, I saw a man wearing khaki shorts, white polo, baseball hat and tennis shoes who was NOT Ronnie, standing with a bunch of people we didn't know.  As I saw what was coming, I jumped up and rushed over to catch her before it happened, but I didn't make it.  She walked right up to him, threw her little arms up to him and grabbed his shorts, tugging them and letting "Daddy" know she wanted him to pick her up.  I managed to get to her just after, picking Mellie up and showing her that he was not her Daddy.  I then explained to the gentleman that she had thought he was her Daddy, gesturing to Ronnie and they realized they were dressed similarly.  Laughs were had all around.

These are the moments I treasure.

I'm Ready For My Close Up Now, Mr. Demille

So, not this past Saturday, but the Saturday before, we trekked down to the Sears Portrait Studio over at West Oaks Mall for a little photo shoot.  Not that we could afford it, but because I had a coupon for a free shoot, free 10x13 print and a free wallet/5x7 print.  Sounded good to me, so I signed us up.

Of course, we were running late.  I had woken Ronnie up and asked him if he wanted to go to the store to get milk or give Mellie a bath (we had made the trek to Ronnie's home town of Ganado the night before for a high school football game and had not gotten home until late, so Mellie didn't get a bath.  Amusingly, though, we made the drive to see Ganado, a little 1A school, play George Ranch, a local 4A high school that was new enough to not even have a senior class yet.  When we arrived, we discovered it was Homecoming, which was nice.  I was puzzled when I saw the away stands full of blue instead of Maroon for George Ranch.  I happen to know their colors because they are the Longhorns, and it amuses me to no end that they are also Aggie Maroon.  Ha ha!  So, long story short, they were playing TIDEHAVEN instead of George Ranch.  George Ranch wasn't until the following week.).  Anyhow, Ronnie chose to go to the store.  So, I took the baby upstairs, started her bath running, got her undressed and undiapered, and proceeded to give her a bath.  I let her play for a while before draining the water and wrapping her up in a fuzzy ducky towel.  When I came out of the upstairs bathroom, what did I see?  My naked as a jaybird husband running across the house.  HE HADN'T EVEN LEFT FOR THE STORE YET!  I sighed quietly, thinking about how I look forward to the day when Mellie is old enough that he can't run around naked anymore and took her into her bedroom to lotion her up, brush her (scant) hair, diaper her, and get her dressed into the cute little denim dress I wanted her to wear for the photo shoot. 

The little denim dress came with multi-colored leopard print bloomers which had a matching sash.  There are also several peace signs embroidered onto the dress.  It was a gift from Aunt Dina (one of my friends) for her birthday, and I just loved it.  Unfortunately, I had a heck of a time getting the darn thing over her head.  It was denim, like I mentioned, and only had three snaps in front to make it loose enough to get it on.  Except, that wasn't enough.  So, I struggled to get the dress on while Mellie tried just as hard to get it off as I was hampering her attempts to play in her toy box.  Finally, I got the dress on along with a pair of socks, and some shoes.  I gather her along with the outfit I want her to change into and some props and we head downstairs.  By now, Ronnie has finally left, but he certainly isn't back yet.  I take the time to get dressed myself, using the extra time to take special care on my makeup and hair. 

So, now I am done getting ready, with no sign of the husband.  I get some snacks together, and make sure we have everything we need for our excursion.  Check, check, and check.  I find some appropriate cover-up for the little bruise/scratch she has under her eye and work some magic.  Do I have her "I am one" onesie?  Check.  What about the purple tutu and matching suede shoes?  Check.  Husband?  Ummm...  No.  So, I take Mellie to sit in the backyard so we will hear Ronnie pull up.  Plus, Mellie loves to be outside, and the weather is actually pleasant for once.  My phone rings.  It's dear husband.  "What kind of coffee do you want?"  Instant fury on my part!  We have twelve minutes to get there, he isn't home yet, and he's buying coffee?  I quickly weight the option of yelling and throwing myself on a sword for the cause, but I know he's still going to get coffee for himself, and I would like a cup myself.  "A vanilla latte, please."  "Are you sure you don't want this salted caramel mocha?" (or whatever it was called)  "WHATEVER JUST GET ME SOMETHING!!!"  Click. 

Did I mention that I get anxious when I am running late?  Maybe not to y'all, but I have told him a hundred times.  Finally, he is home, we are all packed up and heading to the mall.  I'm FURIOUS, and I haven't taken a sip of my coffee for fear of messing up my lipstick that I so artfully applied.  "I don't understand why you are so upset.  It's not like they aren't going to see us because we're late" he tells me.  "BECAUSE BEING LATE MAKES ME ANXIOUS!"  "Really?" is his response, like I haven't ever bothered to mention this.  You would think that someone who also struggles with anxiety would bother to recall something like that.  So, I pick up the phone and call the portrait studio, worried that they will cancel our appointment, or worse, that they are just sitting there waiting for us, and attempt to explain that we are running late.  They are slightly rude to me, and I get the feeling that they didn't actually have us on the books, despite the fact I scheduled on the internet like two days ago.  After hanging up, I start getting more anxious.  Afterall, the e-mailed promotion said it was only good for the first fifty customers.  And, they hadn't called to discuss the sitting.  They've always called in the past.  Oh no, what if they don't honor the promotion?  Finally, I reach down and succumb to the delicious coffee.  I try to be careful so I will not mar my lipstick - which results in a giant splatter of coffee all over my blouse!  No time to turn back, no money to buy a new top when we arrive. 

We finally arrive, and they assure us that they are offering the promotion to everyone, not just the first fifty customers.  I am relieved.  Mellie is in a good mood, and I am cautiously optimistic.  There are some kids around, and they take an interest in her.  I try to warn them that she can be mean, but they don't listen to me.  Fortunately, Mellie decides to be nice.  She watches them play with some toys.  The older boy even goes so far to tell me later that he likes my daughter.  Clearly, there is something wrong with him.  I thank him as my polite southern upbringing dictates, but I am more suspicious of him and his well-behaved siblings.

The photographer sets us up in the room, suggesting a brown backdrop which I readily agree to.  She is nice, she took our Christmas photos, and I am pleased that she is taking our pictures again.  As she is setting up some stools for our family photos, Ronnie's phone rings and he wonders off to answer.  I inform the photographer about the coffee spill, and she tells me that it's ok, we will put the baby in front of the stain.  I thank her profusely.  She's ready for the photos, but where is my husband?  Still on the phone.  Damn!  Mellie is busy climbing all over a little wicker like chair that she has found that is just her size.  The photographer decides to start with pics of Mellie instead, and removes the stools, bringing the little wicker chair for Mellie.  This is about the time that Ronnie shows back up. 

Mellie had been happily climbing all over this chair.  Sitting in it, climbing out, climbing back in, etc.  I get her stuffed lion and sock monkey that I brought as props, and sit on the ground next to her in the chair.  She promptly has a meltdown.  The photographer jumps up and down and does cartwheels and about everything else that can be expected to get her to a). look at her and b). smile without much luck.  I'm terribly puzzled as anytime I am taking pictures, Mellie becomes the biggest ham.  I have a bazillion pictures of her looking at the camera and smiling so big her eyes close.  Here, like this: 

The photographer decides to take a break from that and we get some family pictures, with Mellie artfully arranged so she covers the spilled coffee.  She does much better in these pictures, which I expected.  The photographer then directs me to change her into her second outfit. 

While I am changing Mellie, the photographer changes the background to a solid white one and puts a little pseudo staircase up for a prop.  Mellie is now dressed in her white "I am one" onesie with a purple tutu and purple suede shoes.  We put her on the prop and again, I am seated nearby.  She has a meltdown, even worse than the first one. 

I don't know if you can tell, but there is a giant tear slowly running down her face, and I think the look on her face about communicates it all.  We are done.  The photographer sets us up at a computer, shows us the shots, and talks to us about packages (we all know that the promotion just gets you in the door).  We decide on a package, but we are having trouble choosing shots and prints.  When she comes back to check on us, we explain our trouble as there are not many good shots.  She suggests we schedule another shoot and add more shots.  We readily agree and schedule for the following Monday afternoon.

Yada yada yada, more adventures on the way home.  When we actually GET home, we discover this.  God forbid she allow the photographer to take a picture like this!

So, Monday rolls around.  I take off work at 3:00 in order to make it there by 4:00.  Nothing is ready, including my husband, and by the time we take off to pick Mellie up, it's nearly 4.  Of course, much to my dismay, we are late.  Again.  It's a different photographer, but I have also worked with her in the past and she's nice (although I suspect she was the one who was rude on the phone on Saturday).  She does a splendid job of handling the studio all by herself, dealing with a controlling mommy (ahem) and a little girl whose greatest ambition is to not cooperate.  The photographer thinks the pop the flash makes scares her, but I know Mellie better.  That child is a daredevil, she's not scared of anything. 

Eventually, we manage to finish taking shots (I forgot to put on my lipstick this time) and get to selecting photos.  Mellie has decided to continue her uncooperative behavior, and we frequently have to stop and chase her through Sears.  Once, she found underwear in the little boys department and took great pleasure in ripping packages of Transformers underwear off the rack.  That's my girl.  Finally, we make our decisions, only to discover the poor photographer is having trouble checking us out. 

Sigh.  Anyhow, here is the result....

Sorry this post is so rambling.  I'm having trouble focusing.  Crises abound all around me....

Mellie and the Water Bowl (Part Two)

Here is part two, back by popular request!!!

Quick recap of part one -- I learned to be more suspicious when Mellie is quiet when she created a huge mess by giving Sock Monkey a thorough bath in the water bowl for the free-ranging animals (generally referred to as the dogs' water bowl as the dogs out number the cat AND the cat does not generally drink out of it if she has a choice).

This took place the week before last, when Ronnie was home alone with Mellie.  Due to our finances, we could not afford to take Mellie to day care that week, and Ronnie had to turn down several subbing jobs in order to watch her at home.  Good news, though, is that this created several good stories for us to share with our friends and family (and eventually Mellie's first boyfriend.  And her second one.  And her future husband, along with future children, and generally anyone else who would enjoy hearing embarrassing stories about her.)

Clearly, Ronnie had not learned the lesson of being suspicious when Mellie is quiet.  Or maybe he was distracted while browsing for potential jobs online....  Despite our continued efforts to keep Mellie away from the dogs' water bowl (including time outs - both in her activity center and her pack and play, yelling, and more yelling, along with keeping it nearly empty - poor dogs), it continues to have a nearly supernatural draw for her.  Yeah, that must be it.  It's supernatural, not bad parenting on our parts.  :)

So, Ronnie discovers Mellie has gotten into the dogs' water bowl.  Nothing terribly interesting here.  What he discovered however, was NOT a wet puddle around the bowl, or a wet Mellie, or anything as mundane as that.  What he discovered was an EMPTY water bowl.  Here is the picture of the water bowl again.

I don't know if you can tell, but the water bowl is pretty large.  It may not be heavy, but it is large.  Mellie has never tried to lift it or flip it or knock it over, and when Ronnie discovered the empty water bowl, the water bowl was not in any unusual place or knocked over. 

SHE HAD PLAYED WITH THE WATER SO FRANTICALLY THAT SHE EMPTIED THE WATER OUT OF THE D@MN THING!!!!!  

So, Ronnie used the towels that we use to clean up to sop it all up.  Unfortunately, he missed a smidgen.  Which I found later that evening with, you guessed it, the heel of my bare foot.  Causing my foot/leg to go straight up in the air, and I nearly fell.  Fortunately, my forearm hit the doorway to the kitchen (causing a bruise that I still have today, nearly two weeks later) and I managed to grab the wood paneling there and prevent a disastrous, not to mention painful, fall on my part.  Whew. 

Honestly, I wish I could come up with a solution to this problem.  I cannot pick the water bowl up, because the animals need to have access to water, especially with the current heatwave/drought (the cat was desperate enough to drink out of the water bowl last night) we are currently experiencing (not that the dogs ever place a PAW outside if they can help it).  If I put the water bowl out of Mellie's domain, it is also out of THEIR domain (note that Mellie is a similar size compared to the dogs) and they do not have access to it.  If YOU have a bright idea, feel free to share it. 

I'm sure this is not the end, and I will not be terribly surprised if I have to write a part 3 in the near future.  Hopefully, it will not entail me (or Ronnie or god forbid MELLIE) making a trip to the emergency room.

BFF or Nemesis?

Today's Blog is introducing a new character in Mellie's life.  Her name is Paisley, and she is about two weeks younger than Mellie.  Paisley is another one of the children that Ms. Betty cares for at her home day care.  Being that they are both girls, similar in age, and have been going to Ms. Betty's since they were each about six weeks old, they spend a lot of time together.  Here is a picture of Paisley taken back in March.  Honestly, she was in the background, but it's all I have got.  She is actually a lot cuter than this picture indicates.

Now let me tell you about Paisley's personality.  Unlike Mellie, she is a very content baby.  As such, Mellie was crawling for I want to say two months before Paisley started crawling.  Mellie took her first step near the end of her tenth month (she is now thirteen months) and now walks EVERYWHERE.  Ms. Betty told me today that Paisley is still rather unsteady on her feet (remember this for later).

From the time that Mellie started crawling, she has a love/hate relationship with Paisley.  The first stories I would hear were that Mellie woud take all the baby toys to the other side of the room and leave them there so Paisley couldn't play with them (when Mellie was crawling and Paisley was not).  Then, Paisley started crawling.  One day, shortly after Mellie started crawling, I personally witnessed Mellie crawl up to Paisley (who is chubbier and weighs more than Mellie) and she either tried to shove Paisley, or take a toy from her (I forget.  Clearly, my near photographic memory is not any use when I actually need it!).  Paisley responded by pushing Mellie back.  Mellie than proceeded to crawl as fast as her hands and knees could take her to me and "tell" on Paisley by crying and otherwise having a hissy fit.  I told her that it was about time Paisley started standing up for herself.

Most recently, the stories from Ms. Betty are generally related to Mellie pulling Paisley's hair (Paisley was born with a flop of dark hair on the crown of her hair, which has lightened significantly, but she still has TONS more hair than Mellie has).  She then laughs when Paisley starts crying (understandable - I have also been the victim of Mellie's hair-pulling, and it HURTS!  I have had to start tying my hair back at all times as a result.  And yes, she laughs when I indicate that her pulling my hair is painful).  There has been at least one incident of her grabbing Paisley's hair and then "bouncing" Paisley's head up and down (I'm sure this was in a friendly manner) while in time out for doing the exact same thing to another, younger, baby.  Paisley was just dumb I mean unlucky enough to get too close to Mellie in her time out.

So, it sounds like they hate other, doesn't it?  Or at least that Mellie gives Paisley plenty of REASONS to hate her, right?  Honestly, they don't.  One day, I was getting out of the car in Ms. Betty's driveway to go in and pick Mellie up.  Paisley's mom, Jill, was already in the driveway with Paisley and her older brother Hudson and putting Paisley in the car while Hudson was busy telling me that Mellie looks like a robot when she walks (he, of course, is right...).  Jill informed me that when Mellie saw Jill was there to pick up Mellie, she threw a HISSY FIT.  And trust me, Mellie has HISSY FITS down to a FINE science....  Anyhow, I'm not sure I believed her.  Afterall, most of the stories I hear about Mellie and Paisley are not so nice.  But, sure enough, as soon as I got inside, Ms. Betty told me the exact same story.  So, clearly they are friends, and probably spend quite a bit of time playing together well, it's just that these stories do not make it to me because they are less interesting and/or noteworthy (I'm very worried that Mellie is becoming a bully, though, so really, stories about her playing well with others would be very welcome, although probably not very interesting for blogs....).

So, this morning, I was dropping Mellie off at Ms. Betty (honestly, Ronnie has been doing this recently as it's already hard enough for me to get to work by 8:20 I mean 8:00 am.  Sharp.  Every day.  Rain or Shine (mostly Shine lately, due to the fact that we are having the worst drought in the history of the PLANET EARTH.  Honestly, I don't really remember what rain even looks like....)).  I came in and gave Mellie to Ms. Betty who gave her some love before setting her down (which resulted in a hissy fit).  Ms. Betty was very excited to see me (I don't know that Ronnie talks to her, or whether they just don't understand each other, but I imagine Ronnie just grunts at her).  Ms. Betty told me an interesting story about Mellie and Paisley.  Apparently, Paisley has a sippy cup that is her favorite.  It is purple with a straw top.  Yesterday, Mellie apparently got ahold of it.  What ensued was a full blown tug-of-war over the sippy cup.  Finally, Mellie got hold of it, hugged it to her chest, and walked away.  Remember earlier when I said Ms. Betty had told me Paisley was not too steady on her feet?  Well, her next sentence was that Mellie "won."  I told her "Mellie always wins" followed by a heavy sigh on my part.

Anyhow, I'm not sure where, exactly, Paisley lives.  There are about four different elementary schools in two different districts in the vicinity of our neighborhood.  I guess, I am assuming she lives nearby, but I know her mother works at Foster High School, the local high school in LCISD, which is the same district that we are zoned to, so I am hoping that they will be going to the same elementary school.  Will they be best friends forever?  Will they be arch-enemies?  Will their love-hate relationship continue?  Only time will tell....