Just a quick update… because there’s too much to really finesse here (and I’m not ashamed to admit that the only reason I know how to spell the word “finesse” is because of a 1990s shampoo commercial).
E did great on our trip home. I thought that 6 hours in the back seat with a toddler may be a challenge to say the least, but she really surprised me and made it rather lovely. She asked lots of cute questions that I loved answering, watched a movie, played with her toys, and was all-around a fantastic kid.
We stopped in to see my grandmother in the hospital on the way to NY then again on our way back to VT, and both times E was a doll. She even sang to Grandma after sitting quietly, picking her song, and saying, “Ok! Ready?” It was a short but lovely rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus,” or as E calls it, “Up and Down!”
Our visit home was nice and uneventful except for one tumble off the side of the couch, after one half-dollar-sized cookie, triggered a sugar-high chaos unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a child. My dad caught her mid-air, upside down, by the ankle, before she hit the floor. My hero!
E got up, said, “Ow! That hurt!” then ran to the couch to do it again. Dad then brought her out to the porch to roll a soccer ball up and down the crooked, old floors of their back porch. It was a good reminder that the simplest activities can keep kids busy for hours. She was all about her Papa that day.
Certain memories of this vacation will stick with me forever – her playing in the bathtub with Grammie, for the first time not minding where I was or what I was doing, as long as she had Grammie and Papa to entertain her. When Papa was out of the room, she loved yelling, “Hey Papa!” to get his attention. As soon as he yelled back, “Yeah, Ellie?” she’d just giggle, happy for a reaction.
She loved exploring their apartment, finding little things that (in her mind) were, without a doubt, some amazing new toys to play with – an air freshener, a new remote control, a deck of cards, a pretty dish.
The little cabin nightlight in the bedroom caught her eye, yellow glowing windows and door. I found myself sad that, as an adult, I knew that the only things inside were a light bulb and some wires. But, how fun to spark her imagination!
“Who do you think is inside that house?” I asked.
“Um…” she thought, “Papa!”
“And what’s Papa doing?”
“He hears a ‘knock, knock!’” she said excitedly.
My heart melts, and the light bulb and wires disappear. In that cabin, my father stands, working at a counter. He’s building something, hammering away. He wears a tool belt and apron, working into the midnight hours, focused on his project. Outside, a strong, cool wind blows. It’s late September, and a fog has settled around his workshop. Suddenly, there’s a KNOCK KNOCK. His eyes quickly shift to the door, a look of confusion on his face. And I know that, someday, long after he's gone, I'll for some reason remember him this way.
“Who is at the door!?” I ask E, turning my attention back to her.
“It’s Ellie!!” she laughs.
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