Natalie
Elle, Natalie's two year old daughter, tries to say my name. It comes out "elly" or "gelly" or "keddy". The trouble is it sounds very much like the word she uses for "daddy". I hope that if she does call me daddy someday, she isn't getting the words confused. Natalie and I have been going out for about two weeks or so. We have known each other for many years. I feel like I've just always known her. We seem to be able to stand each other over a short period of time. I really hope this relationship lasts. This one feels right. It isn't just that high you get from the beginning of a new relationship. I've been down that road. Don't get me wrong. There is some of that going on. She hasn't really seen moany pissy Kelly much.
Elle got into everything. She is two. I couldn't help but laugh at some of her antics. Nat told me to stop it because it encourages Elle to do it again. Of course she is right. Having Elle in my apartment over night proves to me that I know nothing about children. It also proves that I can learn. Elle ended up sleeping from about seven pm on. We hit the sack at about 9:15. I have t oget up early and we end up talking for a couple of hours before we go to bed. Well, sure enough about 11:30 Elle wakes up and a couple of things happen.
* Elle cries.
* We comfort Elle.
* We put Elle back in the living room on her little fold up bed mat thing and say good night.
* Elle cries.
* We do not comfort Elle.
* Elle cries.
* Elle says 'ma..ma aa aa aa." like little two year olds do and Natalie nearly caves. I would never have stopped her even if she had asked me to.
* Elle cries.
* Elle walks up to the door of the room, stops, turns around and goes back to the bed. We can only tell this by the sounds of her crying getting closer and the pitter-patter of tiny feet in between the sobs. Natalie informs me Elle was looking for whether the door was open or not. "If the door is closed, I'm going to stand right out side it and cry so they can hear me." Wow, that is one of the motherly powers of which I was not aware. God, that's sexy.
* Elle cries.
* We start talking about old times and new friends.
* Elle cries, but not as enthusiastically as before.
* We revel for one moment then realize that she gets a second wind and is at it more than ever.
* Elle stops crying.
* Nat sneaks up to the door and looks around the corner. She turns back to me (with the child's night light back-lighting Nat's hair and figure "wow" runs through my head, ya, head.) and says "She is sitting on the couch."
* After giving some "gilk" to Elle, and shuffling her back off to bed, we retire ... again.
* I get up and go to work. Nat gets not one more moment of sleep because Elle is up for the count.
What an evening. I have to say it was all new to me. It was in a strange way fun. I have been waiting all my life to play the domesticate.