The picture to the right is after Holly has been awake for 15 hours, gone shopping, ridden her bike three times, played with her brother, ice skated for 2 hours, been to the playground and participated in 900 other six year old activities. She was tired and didn't want her picture taken.Jane had to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a conference. Given that fact, it was just Holly and me this weekend. Normally, this is not a problem at all and we plan all sorts of activities. Well, this time was different. Since I am still recovering from surgery, my normal energy and movement wasn't quite there.
On Friday afternoon, I picked Holly up from her summer camp and we went to the library. She checked out eight books and got a summer reading club form. She set her goal at 40 books. She gets a free paperback if she meets her goal and is entered in a drawing for some other prizes. By Sunday morning, she read all eight of the books and two others she picked up at a garage sale for 50 cents. She's 25% done on the 3rd day of summer!
After we got done at the library, we went to McDonald's for dinner and witnessed two kids getting caught refilling non-McDonald's cups. One of them disassembled a cardboard drink tray and filled one of the indentations with about a cup of catsup. The manager was not pleased and questioned them and ran them out of there. Hooligans.
Our next stop was the shoe store to purchase shoes for her summer camp. She badly wanted Skechers, but most of them had low heels that irritated her because they felt like they were slipping off. She finally settled on a pair, we paid and left.With Holly festooned in the latest of shoe fashions, we headed to Target to get ice cream and Magic Shell. Upon returning home, we settled into the couch with bowls of ice cream and watched TVs funniest moments. She crashed at about 8:45 and I had to really try to wake her up. A few weeks ago, I would have thrown her over my shoulder and carried her to bed. With that option gone, shouting "HOLLY, WAKE UP!!" and shaking her shoulder was the only way. She finally woke enough to make it up the stairs and into a nightgown.
Holly slept late Saturday morning (7:30 is late for her) and stumbled into the office where I was reading the news on the internet. We played around for a while, ate breakfast and then got ready for the day. We had to go to Target again to pick up a prescription and then went to Lucas Liquor to get birthday gifts. My sister and her husband both had birthdays within the last couple of weeks, but they were out of the country. Wine and beer served as their gift. That's my preferred policy lately - gifts that can be consumed. Be it batteries, light bulbs, food, wine or trash bags, at least I know that I'll use it and won't have another item cluttering a shelf. That being said, if anyone wanted to get me a plasma TV, I wouldn't complain. After the liquor store, we ran home to wrap the gifts and then went to my sister's house for lunch. We enjoyed homemade pizza and then went for a walk.
My sister had seen a new shop open a few blocks away called Miami Ice. She hadn't tried it yet, so we decided to go there. My brother in law and I chose a strawberry smoothie made with vanilla and raspberry custard, strawberries and some sort of fruit juice. It was damn fine. My sister got a lime Miami Ice and Holly got a chocolate/vanilla soft serve cone. We sat back and admired the odd people in the area and eventually strolled back to my sister's house.
It was late in the afternoon when Holly and I got back home. I threw down a blanket in the shade for Holly. She plopped down on a pillow and read library books. I settled into a lawn chair with a Dean Koontz paperback and a Mendocino Summer Ale. It was a good beer even though I am often iffy on the summer brews. I also tried a new release from Boulevard called Lunar Ale. I'd probably by this one again for my own consumption, but I don't know if my relatives would drink it. For most of them, heading out of the light beer category is unheard of.
When Jane got home, we went to Olive Garden for the fettucine alfredo I had been craving since the day of my surgery. It hit the spot and we had leftovers for home. I think Jane was happy to have non-conference food after plenty of boxed lunches and sterno heated pans.
Sunday went pretty quickly. Holly and I went to the store to buy lunch fixings for her summer camp. Seems as though her plan is to have tuna with mayo every single day until the lunch program starts. She probably gets that from me. I could eat the same thing every day for lunch and wouldn't complain. The only reason I don't is because I am too lazy to make it before work.
Jane finished her conference and joined us around lunch time. Since I'm not allowed to lift much weight for some unspecified amount of time, I decided I needed assistance getting my work laptop setup before I return to the office from my surgery. Since I return tomorrow, I asked Jane if she'd help me today. I packed up the laptop bag, Holly got her skating stuff and we headed out for a dual-purpose trip. Jane lovingly dragged the laptop bag through the parking garage and across 100 miles of sidewalks into my office. After everything was setup, we headed to the skating rink for Holly's lesson.
The one thing that made the biggest impression on me this weekend was Holly's attitude. Before the weekend started, I talked to her about needing help because of my back and the fact that mommy would be working. She brushed it off like it was no big deal but really delivered when it counted. She never once complained when I asked her to pick something up off the floor because I couldn't bend down. She helped load and unload the dishwasher with the enthusiasm of the most fun game in the world. She picked up all of her Littlest Pet Shop toys and packed them in a little case. All of her books were stacked, her shoes put away and her dolls arranged accordingly. She pushed the cart at the store and carried the bags to the kitchen. She even took out the trash which must have weighed half as much as she. She saw me struggle to put my socks on and ran to assist every time.
How do you thank a six year old that couldn't possibly grasp how much help she really was?
15 comments:
I think you read her your post about how thankful you are! She will understand...she's a smart cookie.
When you are back to "normal" (hee), I think a special "HollyDay" is warranted. She gets to choose the activities...mutually agreed upon and within reason, of course! :)
Actually, I think kids love to be helpful and usually step up to the plate if they know that mom/dad are in need. When we try to protect them from that we take away their ability to recognize that while we may be upset or ill, we still are the parents they know and it's less scary for them.
Good for you guys to give her the opportunity to be Daddy's helper for a few days. And, yay to Holly for being such a thoughtful and understanding young lady!
Not to kill the moment, but every day is "HollyDay". I'm just sayin.
Jane: Understood! :)
Just thank her. She will understand, and she'll never forget, either. (This entry made me miss my dad horribly. He died when I was 15.) - Sara A.
What do you mean you're too lazy to pack your lunch. Get Jane to do it!!! I pack lunch for my husband. (Now don't hit me, Jane!!)
Great, feel good, post. Sounds like Holly has a tee-riffic Dad. Kids surprise us all the time. I think is the only thing that keeps us from KEEELING them (sorry -bad JANE post reference).
Glad to read you are mending well.
I think kids really enjoy it when they overhear you telling someone else about something great that they did, and you're not saying it directly in front of them. You know what I mean?
Also, maybe you already explained this, but where did the dagadoo blog name come from? Is it one of Holly's little rhyming things? Or is there some other reference that I'm just not getting?
Dagadoo is explained in this entry.
Look at the eys on that kid. She is so beautiful.
When Jane was about 3, my beloved cat died and I cried and cried. Jane brought me her "blankie". I was so touched by her thoughtfulness. Indeed, kids have more empathy than we give them credit for.
Holly will be a director of activities, workshops, corporate planning and development, whatever, sometime in her life. One night when I baby sat Holly for the evening, she had a written list of activities for me to do. There were at least ten things on the list and we went systematically through the list. Man, she was organized. It was perfectly timed and ended just as her Mom and Dad walked in. I didn't have to figure out how to entertain her.
She'll grasp it if you tell her you're proud of her and appreciate what she did. I'm 30 and I still remember what it was like to have my father tell me he was proud of me when I was a very little girl. It means the world to us when Dad is proud, and it reinforces the kind of behaviors that make us good people later on.
you and her momma could give her a cute little baby goose that seems to be lost and in need of some TLC! (JUST kidding!)
Glad your girl pulled through when you needed it most! Praise her and watch her grin from ear to ear!
Keep healing!
Oh, my God, *sob*. Just love her, like you already do, and maybe print this entry and give it to her on her graduation day or when she has a baby. Good grief, it's sweet.
Post a Comment