After a few crazy trips to the grocery store, Ellie had been banned from grocery shopping and then from buggies in general. But after a few weeks she was allowed to go during a probationary period. She was gone from the stores for about three weeks. Even our regular cashier noticed. “I haven’t seen you two in awhile.” Yeah, she was banned for awhile. “Banned?” As I’m telling her why she was banned for bad behavior, Ellie was making smiley faces and playing peek-a-boo with her. Making me look like a liar. But I’m here to say, that after three successful trips during her probation, the ban is officially lifted. Grocery shopping is back on Monday mornings and is back in full force.
SOGGY MEMORIES
I decided to sign Ellie and me up for a baby swim class. I had this idea when we were in the dead middle of winter. I was anxious to get out of the house and this seemed like something new to try. The only problem was that I was completely insecure of the idea. I made a million excuses to not sign-up. It was too much money, it was too far away, it was at the wrong time. None of these things were true, they were just covering up the fact that I hate being barefoot in public and the thought of wearing a swimsuit makes me really uncomfortable. I haven’t worn a swimsuit since we went to Hawaii on vacation seven years ago. I didn’t complain about it then because we were in Hawaii. But I really think this class would be good for Ellie, and it would push me out of my comfort zone, so I reluctantly and nervously signed up and have been worried ever since.
WHERE’S MY SUNSHINE?
Last week’s nap battles completely drained me. And even though I technically won and accomplished what I set out to do, I still don’t feel victorious. After those battles I was expected to be greeted by nice sunny warm spring weather, but instead, it’s just been cold and rainy. I really thought we were done with winter. I really thought I was done whining about winter. We’vehad too many spring fake outs this year, I’m not sure I can handle another. Wasn’t it just 80 degrees a week or two ago? What happened? This was supposed to be my fresh start I was waiting for. I guess I was wrong… Sigh…
CAN’T KNOCK HER DOWN
What a week. Ellie wasn’t the same kid this week. She was crazy. She wasn’t eating right or sleeping right. She was a handful at the grocery store, and she even cried at story time. She never cries at story time! She definitely had molars coming in, and I think she had a small cold this week, too. It was a lot to handle. It was a lot for her to handle. I often forget that.
It’s really easy for me to whine and complain when Ellie is whining and complaining. It’s so easy to get frustrated and irritable when she’s pawing at my pant leg while I’m trying to fix her food. Or when she cries while sitting down and when I pick her up. Or when nothing can help her. When neither of us can figure out what she wants. It just makes me nuts. But something happened this week that made me look at it differently.
FRIENDS, LOVE, MUSIC, AND GOODBYES
When Aya and I first moved into our house seven years ago, my next door neighbor Joe and I would exchange polite pleasantries over the fence. We wouldn’t say much other than “hello” or “how are you” here and there. I rarely saw him outside but based on our brief encounters, I developed an image of what I thought he and his wife, Bev, were like. Just a nice quiet older retired couple that lived next door. Boy, can first impressions be deceiving.