Dear Ellie Bean,
Well, your mommy has given me a couple of weeks reprieve
before diving into our next story.
(Good thing too El as ‘life’ as we knew it no longer exists!) And that is a good thing! Because your Daddy and Mommy made a
long thought out decision this past summer to return to their roots here in
State College, the hustle and bustle of the three of you settling in to your
new surrounds has been quite busy these past few weeks. Your Poppy and I love, love, love
seeing you on a more daily basis. (Skyping was a Godsend when you were in
Denver, but nothing beats the real deal… having you here to watch, to enjoy and
to love each and everyday.
We are
in heaven my darling grand daughter to say the least. So I think it is befitting to follow suite with your mom. In her last blog entry she wrote her
hopes and dreams for you and your future Ellie. I had the chance to read them before they went public and I
couldn’t agree with her more. So
this week I would like to do the same thing… write my hopes and dreams for you
as you grow up from a grandmother’s perspective.
I know all babies are born with ‘personalities’, but Ellie yours
was truly unique from the ‘git-go!’
The day you showed your Walter
side- and that was at 2 days old- was the day your Mommy and I realized that
your character traits were going to be quite broad.
Your determination to do things on your own has shown many
your strong will…(some may call it stubbornness, I call it destiny to great
things.) Your sense of timing when
someone needs a kiss, a hug or just a silly laugh is uncanny and shows your
compassionate and gentle side for someone so tiny. But it is your ability to listen, to understand and repeat
that really has me in awe. Ellie,
I am talking about how (again) starting from a baby you were able to sing the
words to the songs your Mommy and/or I sang to you. One of the songs in particular that I sang to you from Day 1
was your Uncle Ryan’s favorite- I Love My Teddy bear. You would watch my mouth and my eyes so intently that after
only a few times singing it, you were able to join in on many of the words with
me. Your Mommy would sing
another one to you called You Are My Sunshine.
You knew those words by heart, or let me be clearer and say
that you knew the words to the only verse your mom repeatedly sang to you by
heart. The day I sang it and
proceeded into the second verse… you looked at me as though I had two
heads! Ellie, it was the funniest
look I ever got! And the funniest
look you have gotten from me is your ‘2 minute rule.’ You have mastered or should I say
manipulated that saying to perfection… “It is time for bed”, “2 minutes”… “Please put your toys away”, “2
minutes”… “Say Goodbye”, “2 minutes”… “It’s bath time”, “2 minutes” and this
can go on and on! Another “Ellie”
original is your version of playing Hide-N-Go-Seek.
You let me count to 10 while you hide. Even though I know exactly where you
are I prolong finding you by looking in other places. While doing so I always make statements out loud and to
myself as to where you are not.
Example: I’ll say “Hmmm… is Ellie in the closet?” of which I will hear a
far off response from you saying, “No I not. I in here!”
Then I will go to the next place and say “Hmmm… is Ellie in the
bathtub?” of which you will again answer from some far away place saying, “No I
not. I in here!” I continue with these random ‘room’
visits and you always respond the same way. When I do finally go in search of you, you are usually
standing in direct eyesight screaming with excitement! We then play the game another dozen
times with you usually hiding in the same exact place! And the best part of all Ellie is that
the game never gets old with you.
Each time you hide and whether it is in the same spot or not, you still
scream with delight and excitement upon being found! But as usual, you can see that I have slipped off task. When writing Ellie and the Magic Teapot
stories I have to stay focused on the adventure at hand, but with you there is
already so much to write about.
Each day you bring us a different ‘Ellie’ adventure and so many
‘Ellie-isms’! And it’s only been 2
½ years so far.
So if I were to share my hopes and dreams with you Ellie,
besides all the wonderful things your mom has written and yes I agree to all of
it, I would have to add ‘For You To Be Happy.’ I pray that each morning you wake you are happy that God has
given you a beautiful day to explore.
I pray that the people who come and go in your life bring you happiness
and insight on how to be sincere and compassionate with others. I pray that you are happy in your
school environment and absorb like a sponge all the knowledge (and then some)
that is taught to you. I pray that
opportunities and experiences (especially the rare ones) bring you happiness
and a drive to make a difference that leads to a better future for those less
fortunate. I pray that your faith
brings you happiness when guiding you down your path. I guess what I am saying Ellie is that I pray Happiness not
only follows you but is actually a part of you, for when you smile nothing
radiates more as it is truly genuine.
On a more personal ‘Hope and Dream’…
I would love for you to someday join your mom and I in writing our blogs and
possibly even our Ellie and the Magic Teapot stories, although I am not sure how
much weight the whole “Left-Brain/Right-Brain Thinkers” will play a part in
this hopeful ideal of mine. You see even though you are only 2 ½ at
this writing, I am leaning (but not 100%) towards your way of thinking to be
left-brain: logical, analytical and objective because your ability to already
reason is uncanny. The right brain
thinkers are said to be intuitive (which you do seem to have a connection with
Kyle), thoughtful (when it is on your terms) and creative (your coloring would
put Picasso and Jackson Pollock to shame!), so we will have to see as the years
go by where your strengths lay. With
the amazing genes you have acquired from both sides of your family and a bit of
luck to boot, may you find yourself evenly balanced between the two El!
But right now there is a whole world waiting for you to
explore. You my darling
Grand-daughter have brought so much happiness to so many others that the time
has already begun for you to enjoy each day to its fullest and hopefully discover
your passion as well as your purpose for being. May each step you take bring a smile to your face and
happiness to your heart! Oh, and
by the way… I also have a ‘hope and dream’
for myself too. It is that I never
get too old to play with you!)
Love you Ellie-bean!
Mimi
No comments:
Post a Comment