My parents had Ella for our date night last night and my mom wrote me this email the next day about their night so I thought I'd share...
AUGUST 22, 2007.
We had the absolutely most wonderful trip to the Mall. In the car she kept asking for her ‘purse’ and then said it was at ‘mama house’. She stopped crying about 1 minute after you left. The things that excited her at the mall were: the waterfall in front of LLBean; then the Carousel…she wanted to stay and watch so we did so.
Then she held my hand very nicely and walked along with me laughing and pointing and saying hello to groups of people and every child she saw. At one point we saw a smaller 1 year old coming toward us. She let go and walked fast toward her and waved hello as she got to her. The one year old was with a group of about 7 young black and white men…one looked like the Dad, they crowded around them and watched with fascination as the two kids identified with and communicated without words. It was touching.
People in the mall stare at her and then at me. Many walk up and say how cute she was. Some inquiring eyes wondered if we were related. This reminded me of the time someone in the Mall assumed I was the maid of Corinne’s parents. My mother experienced the same when I was little, red haired, and very light skinned…People assumed she was the maid of my parents.
When we got to the Disney store she let go and ran up to Mickey and laughed loudly, ran into the store and laughed and tried to reach all the large characters…and call some names…. Then in the middle of the store, she started picking up toys and danced –attracting everyone’s attention. She danced as long as there was music. She went to a box where there where several hundred dolls. She picked up the little brown doll…would not give it back…pointed to the face and pointed to my face, then back to his face…as though she were saying, ‘he is like you’. I had to buy it. $2.50…no big deal. She picked up some purses…I got her the smallest one….a patterned denim bag. We paid for them as she watched carefully….I think she wants a credit card….she has associated a credit card with getting things….and then she started dancing again and put the bag on her arm, kissed Mickey at the entrance of the store then said goodbye.
We walked happily until we came to the escalators. I needed to go past them, she kept calling out stairs, stairs…and then went into her “let’s go limp” routine. I laughed and let her lay on the ground and made a step away as if I were going to leave her. She ignored me. I made the second step…she got up and walked up to me with her arm out. We walked to a store outside Macy’s and then she wanted to do the escalator….I was not comfortable with carrying her down the escalator with arms full. I asked a black lady to help hold her hand, but Ella refused to let her. We then agreed that I should go to the elevator. I convinced Ella that the elevator was better. We walked through Macy’s saying out loud “ELEVATOR”. It was a long walk. Then there was another long corridor, I let her hand go…She ran down a long empty isle as fast as she could as I prayed for the stability and surefootedness of her two little feet…she was shouting ‘come mama come’ come. Then she did calisthenics….up and down, up and down, saying the words.
Once inside the elevator she insisted on pushing the buttons. I lifter her and let her push the numbers …The fun of being inside the elevator led to smiles and shouts…then the water fountain…I drank some then I lifted her to get some. She squealed, signing and saying “mo, mo, mo, mo”
The next stop was Talbots. It was 7:00 pm. It was now one hour since we had arrived at the mall. She was getting tired, I showed her the bag in which were the clothes I planned exchange…she pulled her hand away, put her new hand bag on the ground, put her head on it and went in to the “bottom up” sleep position. I let her stay there for a couple minutes while she talked to her new doll. She then got up and held my hand. We went into Talbots, got some summer tops, a skirt and a pair of shorts….and kept the clothes that were too big. In the store she was fascinated with taking the tiny “sticker” on one piece of clothing. It had a “2” on it, she tried to peel the sticker off as she counted, 1, 5, 8, 9, 18…. As we left, the store attendant gave a 3-inch “Talbots” sticker which I put on the back of her right hand. As we left the store she was walking with that hand stretched out and with the new purse and the sticker. She then pointed out to me that her other hand needed a sticker. I went into another Talbots store and get a sticker…this one was bright red….
Watching Ella walking through the mall with two outstretched arms showing her stickers and the pocket book dangling from one arm….was a sight unlike any other…..She was proud and happy… I was in 7th heaven. I had to guide her walking because she could not take her eyes off her stickered arms and hands.
She was behaving like a 5 year old. I was soo pleased and sooooo surprised after Corinne’s warnings.
Food court—Mexican- Kiddie platter. She would eat nothing but a little bowl of guacamole and some sprite. No rice, beans, taco, chicken…So a kiddy meal fed both of us…for $4.00….we can go out to dinner any day.
Now it was time for the “stairs”. She became animated and tried to run to the escalators. She tried to “walk up” the escalator, fascinated with the ride. She turned around and applauded when we got off at the top.
The big event of the night was yet to come….Passing by the Carousel to go to the car.
She held on to the protective railings watching the kids and “hosies”. The more I talked about going to the car, the tighter she held on to the rails saying her favorite word ‘No”. This went on for 10 minutes. I said lets go on…she immediately ran around looking for the entrance…she was not about to give me time to change my mind. So for $1.50, we got on. I give myself credit for choosing a horse that was close to a flat bench. I was not sure about my vertigo while going around and holding her. I was not sure about her understanding of what she was in for.
As I attempted to put her up on a horse, my hands around her chest, her heart rate increased tremendously and she let out a yell. We retreated and sat in the “bench” and put on our seat belts. Watching the simultaneous interplay a little fear and a smiles of anticipation just brought tears to my eyes…when it started to go around….her grip on me tightened, then relaxed and the smiles came. The horse behind us would come very close to her as it came down, she gripped again. I rubbed his nose a couple times, then she rubbed his nose saying “hossie, hossie, hossie while laughing out loud…Fear and Do It Anyway!!!
Now she did not want to get off. As we got on the ground she experienced some dizziness, I presume, as she was walking like a little drunk. This lasted about 2 minutes. Then we walked buy L.L. Bean and the waterfall…Squeals and laughter…As we approached the car…Popeye? Popeye! Popeye, Popeye….she invented a song of Popeye until we got into the house.
While trying to get her to drink, if not eat, Ron could not get her attention. She just wanted to hold my hand and follow me.
We sat in my lounger and looked at video of animals with out the sound. She quietly fell asleep, until Chris came…she was animated all over again.
This is a memoir I wrote for myself. My cup runneth over. Oh, Ella, if you only knew.
