Playing Catch-Up After a Busy Year

Haven’t been here for a while. There is a WHOLE lot that has been going on. Victoria, Annabelle and Michael are growing like weeds. It astounds me how big they have gotten. Victoria and Annabelle are now potty-trained. It hasn’t even been a year yet and both of

the ladies are doing a great job! Victoria has been in school since August. She has tackled her ABCs and can count to 19. The number 20 is kind of hard for her but she will get it. Since she was a baby, I have been singing Nursery Rhymes to her so she has a head start in that. But her favorite song to date, the song she sings to her brother is Baa Baa Black Sheep. She also knows all her colors…well…the REQUIRED colors for Kindergarten. But that is a ways away.

Halloween was quiet this year. Both the girls acquired a new baby brother and their parents worked so it was hard for me to get out to bring Victoria to different events. But Victoria and Annabelle got to see each other.Thanksgiving was at my sister’s house and they got to see their cousins. There is nothing like being with family to get you in the mood for the holiday season. Christmas was a very good time in this house. The three kids went to Michael Sr.’s aunts house for their family christmas party. You wouldn’t believe the gifts and toys those babies got!! Then the next day, Victoria and Michael had to contend with our house, soon, Victoria would have to open presents at her Daddy’s house, then her Papaw’s house. These kids got so much!

Through the months they all have grown to be wonderful little people. In March, Victoria had her 4^th birthday. It happened to be on my OWN birthday. That is the kind of birthday I like. She had her brother and sister there, her father and his girlfriend there and many of her friends. Plus her mom and her step-dad was there. Her aunt, cousin and my mother was there as well. It was a good day, my birthday. Later in the month, my daughter decided to go visit her ailing grandfather down in South Florida. That was good for me because I am so homesick. We have been living here in Tennessee for a decade. This was the first time I had driven down to South Florida by myself…and I did it. But being down there was so good for my soul. I got to stay with my best friend. It didn’t even seem like time was against us. It was like I just saw her the day before. It was great hanging out on her patio watching the palm trees gently sway, drinking coffee and talking the day away. After we went to the beach to walk on the Lake Worth pier. I appreciate her letting me close my eyes and silently smell the fresh salty air. The wind whipped through my long hair as we sat in silence. When I opened my eyes, all I could see was far away ocean liners sailing in the distance. That is my home and I will always long for it until the day I die. Finally we went to my daughter’s big sister’s moms house. We met up with her children (which I absolutely adore). I am so glad the kids finally got to meet their cousins. We went to Moi’s house, their grandmother’s house. It just seemed like old times. All the neighbors got along, they would sit outside after the sun went down and talked. We had ribs and yellow rice for dinner. I had so much fun, I didn’t want to leave. But I had to. My mother and sister were up north. My black cat Shaddow was up north. So even though it was hard, I had to go back.

After a busy week, we head into another busy week. My daughter and her fiance decide to get married! They have been talking and planning about it for years. But they finally did it. Now Victoria, Annabelle and Michael are a blended family. March has been a really good month for us this year. Now it is April and its back to normal. Victoria finishes her first year of headstart next month. Lets just hope the coming months will be calm.

A Week of Halloween Celebration

This weekend marks the beginning of my most favorite holiday, Halloween! I love the whole season but I just view this as a ‘kick-off’ to a wonderful time of the year. Victoria is two and she is starting to enjoy this season just like every deserving child. I am so thankful that her parents allow me to be a part of the festivities!

My daughter and her fiance took Victoria and Annabelle to ‘Boo at the Zoo’, a yearly Halloween event that she makes sure she attends. We think of it as a ‘kick-off’ to the Halloween celebration week. Sadly, we didn’t get any pictures because there were so many families with their children and my daughter wanted to make sure they could keep their eyes on the girls. It was a fun time, though. Victoria, Annabelle and Liliana (My daughter’s best friend’s daughter) went together.

 

On the 28^th while my daughter was working, I took Victoria to a celebration in the historical district of the little town we live in. As I drove up in the car, I noticed the streets were blocked off and various people were setting up their tables with Halloween-themed signs. Having just dropped her mother off to work, Victoria dressed in her pink surgeon costume had fallen asleep in her car seat. We followed the long line of cars down the twists and turns finally reaching our destination. We were directed to park in a garage that, honestly, I never really noticed before when I drove by. It wasn’t a very big garage; the town isn’t very big either. I walked around the SUV to retrieve sleeping Victoria from her car seat and noticed other children in their costumes running about. I was starting to get excited for Victoria to be able to partake in the upcoming events. Ok..ok. I was excited for myself, hee hee.

As we walk up to the event Victoria, fully awake by now, notices the games and play area. I notice the dreadfully-long line. We stand in line watching the different children in costumes running back and forth. There were many, many people. Some with babies in costumes, some with a big family all decked out in costumes and there were some people with their dogs on leashes. There was a pet contest in a few hours so many families dressed up their canines and submitted them in the contest. Victoria loved seeing all the puppies run around and bark and play. She loves animals.

Finally we start the long walk to retrieve candy. Victoria got a kick out of seeing all the other kids run up to the different vendors in their creative costumes. Victoria participated in a lot of festivities, she even won a raffle at a karate school that was giving out candy: 6 weeks of free lessons. Unfortunately she wouldn’t be able to use it, being a toddler and all. Walking further down the street, Victoria and I notice many police officers with their cars parked and lights flashing. They, too were giving out candy in their patrol cars for the children. Everyone was screaming with excitement and running around their moms and dads. Carrying her purple plastic pumpkin, Victoria looked up at me with joy in her face, pointing at the many different costumes and seeing other children. Soon we scaled the whole street, walking up to the doors of many businesses with their decorative tables out on display. She really had a great time but it was time to go home.

 

Mommy’s friend sent her a Facebook message about a costume gathering at the local grocery store. Actually this isn’t just a grocery store, its a mega-grocery store. Not only do they have foods of many different kinds; they have a section when they sell clothes from infants to adults, a pharmacy equip with a walk-in clinic and a doctor and nurse always on staff. Plus they have a bar. This bar allows people to actually drink alcohol while their S.O.s shop. I think that is a lovely idea. As they walk into the store, they noticed different displays of Halloween décor. Knowing that we always take Victoria to the bakery for a free cookie first, that was the place she wanted to start. Her mother walked her up to a table with an assortment of flavors to choose from. After the two had finished decorating their individual cookies, they followed the signs that lead them to the pumpkin decorating table. She did get a bit of green paint on her costume but just a little. After she finished decorating her pumpkin, she was able to bring it home. Finally she participated in a costume contest. She was delighted to see the other children in their colorful costumes standing for a pose. I found myself lost in a crowd of parents taking pictures of their babies on their cell phones and laughing with delight. Unfortunately mommy had to return to work so Victoria and I got back in the car for a fun drive home. That night, we went to a Trunk or Treat at a church on the other side of town. There were many games to play but mostly Cake Walks and other things that Victoria didn’t feel like participating in. She was tired and so were we.

 

Finally it was October 31^st, the day of actual trick or treating! During the day, we went to the county library. Different departments were giving out candy and we thought it would be fun for Victoria to go. She walked through the double doors, inquisitive of the long line of elderly people casting their votes early. Walking up to the main desk, she was allowed to have two pieces of candy and received a board book. She loves to read! This was a great idea, I thought to myself. As she is skipping away towards the other departments, I am fumbling in my purse trying to get my camera phone ready. We scurry to the library cafe and she is greeted by a woman dressed as a witch who offers her a handful of lollypops. Not really knowing how to use her words correctly yet, she has a name for lollypops in her own little language. ‘Fwah’ is what she calls them. “Titi! Fwah’s! Fwah’s!” screamed Victoria in excitement. Soon she went to the children’s section of the library to play with various puzzles and board games. She met a few friends there and questioned about a ‘dinosaur’ computer wondering what a keyboard and mouse detached from the tower itself. She learned a new word, a word we have been waiting for but knew she would overuse: ‘Why?” “Why, Titi, why?” she would ask me. I explained that is how the computers looked when mommy was little. I suppose she accepted the answer and walked off with her father. It was his day off so he came to see her get candy and play with the other kids. After we were done with the library, we drove to my daughter’s friend’s house and went to a few houses there. After THAT, we went to a few apartments where we live and she had gotten more candy.

Now we are home and I am so tired. We have done a lot this past week but like I mentioned before, I am so thankful Victoria’s’ parents allow me to be a part of the festivities. Happy Halloween, Victoria Renee.

Today I found out I am Native American

September 9^th 2016 will go down in history for not only the Sioux tribe, but for all Native Americans. This is the day that our voices, Native or not, were finally heard for the Earth. This was the day that the government finally came to our aid, to see things from our perspective. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been labeled a ‘white girl’. Not that I mind. It did hurt my feelings when we were referred to having ‘white privilege’. The shunning from different cultures weighed heavy. I always had a sense of envy when different cultures shared their roots. The way they prepared and presented food, the different styles of their hair and clothes, and they had their own language. I knew that I was Native but there were some relatives and ancestors that were European. But I couldn’t get it through my mind that part of me is European (although there is nothing wrong with that.) I just knew that I didn’t belong. That it was not in my heart to accept it. Then again maybe I just thought there was more to my story. Most people ‘connect’ to their past. Funny thing about it was I never could. Now I feel connected more than ever.

Sure, my mother always told me I was Native from her side of the family. Believe me, I look just like her. And she could walk onto a reservation and no one would stop her. She looked like she belonged there. Then there was my father who also had quite a bit of Native blood running in his veins. He told me an indian princess was one of my ancestors. I was so excited to think that we have that honor in having pure blood. But then he would say, “You’re the whitest American indian anyone has ever met!” That confused me for years. I couldn’t understand that if we weren’t directly related to her, how could we have her blood running through our veins? Then I learned the reason after he had passed. It was her husband we were related to all along. I’ve always been told how Native I look. How I can keep a tan throughout the winter. Too bad my daughter could never hold a tan at all. She has beautiful blue eyes with blonde hair when she was young. Most people look at her, then look at me, then look back at her and can’t understand how a brown-eyed, dark-haired person could give birth to a blonde, blue-eyed baby. Unfortunately my granddaughter is the opposite of me as well.

I guess there are pros and cons to connecting to a certain group of people. A con being that I am in a minority. Or maybe that is a pro. I’m not for certain. But I do know this: I know I am predominantly Native American and I am SO PROUD of being a part of a culture that is finally opening up and being heard. So what if the government finally came to our aid and stopped the construction of the pipeline through sacred grounds and under the Missouri river. I am very proud of the tribes (yes! More than one tribe!!!) consistency and WITHOUT violence! We knew this could happen! With all the shootings happening in recent years and months, we did this without hostility. This should tell you that peace can reign. Good combats evil. You can get what you want and need without fighting. THIS is what the Native Americans are all about. What if this is the first day of the Environmental Revolution? That we clean up our acts with Mother Earth? We have a long road to go but if we, as the human race, are united, today has proven that we can win this fight for our children, grandchildren and their children.

I’m so very proud of all Natives today.

Saying ‘goodbye’ to her pacifier.

It is so easy to put Victoria to sleep at night. She has always been a great sleeper since she was born. This leads me to not want to wean her from her pacifier. My inner child can throw as many tantrums as she wants….but mommy calls the shots. When mommy was little, she never wanted a pacifier, even when she came home from the hospital. So I figured it wasn’t a big deal to let her have one; we can take it away from her at our leisure, right?

Wrong. Very wrong.

Yes, she is two years old and still sucks on a pacifier. Whats the big deal? The big deal is that it seems to bar her from talking. Yes Victoria is starting to use actual words to communicate instead of the grunts. But getting her to go to sleep each night is a task in itself without a pacifier. I couldn’t go to sleep knowing she was in bed crying because she wanted a pacifier. I REFUSE to relax when she was basically suffering being without her….* ahem *….addiction.

Mommy and Victoria’s best friends mommy had an idea: Victoria and Paco, (her best friend) will send the pacifiers to babies in Heaven via balloons. I mean, its not the most environmentally-conscious thing to do but the point has finally been understood that she has to let it go.

Here are some Facebook entries:

July 13 at 11:50pm

Night 1 @11:48  I can finally sleep….

Her mom felt so bad as she stayed in the living room with the lights out letting Victoria think that everyone went to bed so she should too. The neighbors must have had a new love for us. But this will help her speech.

July 14 at 11:32pm

Night 2: V is in her bed with toys all around her. She hasn’t ask for a Ree but won’t sleep. God help me.

Yes..so I forgot to mention that she calls her pacifier ‘Ree’. Ree is very important to her. She cries day in and day out for it. She’s constantly asking and I’m not sure what to tell her. I want to give her what she asks for but her mother refuses. She warns me that she had better not find one hidden. I know it will help her but all that crying to stop will help me. Oh well. I’ll get through it.

July 15 at 11:15pm · 

Night 3: Victoria isn’t having a very good night. She hasn’t cried for Ree but can’t seem to settle down. Is complaining about her teeth. Damn 2 year molars…..poor baby. Still won’t sleep.

Its been 3 days without a passy. I think she is starting to understand.

Days are passing as Victoria is learning how to live without what she holds dear. I can tell you that she has been saying more words than I would imagine. With her little blonde curls and her sassy little smile, she hops off to bed without any crying. Ahh “all” is right with the world.

July 16 at 11:21pm · 

Night 4: Victoria went to bed relatively well. She has stopped crying for herRee….she hasn’t even mentioned it! I think we are done now.

Update – It has been almost a week and she only asks for it in the morning. We remind her of the ‘heroic’ gesture she did and she says “Awww” and smiles because she feels she did a nice thing.

The things we saw at the mall…

It was a very, very muggy day when we dropped Victoria’s mother off to work. The pavement was blistering hot and there was not a cloud in sight. I didn’t feel like going home and I wanted Victoria to play, but I wanted it in a cool atmosphere. So I decided to take her to the mall. I know being there will make her tired after and she will sleep better tonight. Plus she always sees some things that are new to her every time we go. have a special recipe in mind that I want to make the girls for tomorrow night. So I had to get the item at the local grocery store. Then I thought, ‘While I’m there, I can get a 6” sub and two bottles of water..that would be fun to eat in the Food Court just her and her hip grandmother.

We drove up to the mall and parked in our favorite parking spot. Well…it’s my favorite because it’s close to the kid park and I don’t have to walk too far. I decided that this time I was going to get her stroller from the trunk. It’s easier so I don’t have to carry everything or if she gets tired there is a place for her to rest. She was so excited to get out! I think this is the first time I had seen her put her shoes on by herself in anticipation to get out to see other kids. The stroller was packed to the brim (with her in it) and we marched into the mall.

As we were walking down the way, Victoria looked up and pointed to the floor, indicating to me she wants to
get out and walk. She loves to lead the way into different stores and look at the different displays. They are always changing every time we go there. Besides the clerks like to see her and watch her cautiously as she walks around with her hands behind her back. A couple of months ago, one clerk gave her one of her favorite animals. There were ducks on display during easter and because she ABSOLUTELY loves ducks. She ran up to the display with such delight and the lady behind the desk asked her if she wanted a life-sized cardboard duck. She welcomed it with open arms and wouldn’t let go (even through lunch). She even slept with it that night. Victoria can be a weird child.

Soon we came to the end of the mall and Victoria decides to run ahead of me (which makes me so nervous that she is starting to run.) She found a display of assorted bubblegum machines. Unfortunately I had to explain to her that she is way too young for bubblegum so a tantrum ensued. That lasted for about 2 minutes until she looked up, stood back up, picked up her blanket (that she carries like Linus from the Peanuts gang) and looked at the bubblegum machines again. Part II of the tantrum began. An elderly couple came by and told her to be a good girl or she isn’t going to get any bubblegum out of the machines. I told them, yes, because she is only two years old. And no, her grandmother isn’t going to let her have any bubblegum. They both just smiled and continued walking.

Thunder crashed and we felt the vibrations beneath our feet. Not a second after that, we heard rain falling hard on the roof. The lights began to flicker on and off throughout the mall. Suddenly the movie ‘Dawn of the Dead’ came to my mind. Thats ok. I absolutely love walking with her through the mall anyway. She waves to as many people as she sees. In the mall, there are many things to do. Theres an area that lets you jump on trampolines so high (almost to the ceiling of the mall itself) with harnesses attached to the sides of your body. Now…I’m ok with letting Victoria grow up a little before she sets her sights on riding this ride but she wants to do it NOW. A couple of months ago she did try to go on the Mall Jump but was afraid once she got on the trampoline. Now I think she has toughened up a bit and wants to ‘give it a go’ again. Oy vey!

Finally we walked to the inside park where many children and parents gather to watch their babies play. VICTORIA LOVES THIS PART! I did, however, notice that Victoria is still into the ‘parallel playing’, which means she likes to be around other kids but play by herself. She is still too young for total social contact but that’s ok. The more she is around other children the more she will be able to conduct herself in the appropriate manner with a large group of kids. There were older girls that thought she was the cutest thing and played with her copying and following her around the playground. Victoria would scream as if she was so excited when she would see other children chasing each other around the slide and along the benches where the parents sat. We must have stayed in that area for about 2-3 hours. When we were ready to go home, she was happy. Tired but happy. I was happy to be with her too.

Victoria Renee: A look back at her life

Its been a busy month since Christmas for my family so far. Positive things have happened and negative things have happened. I would like to focus on the positive. A lot has changed yet a lot has stayed the same. Victoria has pulled herself up and is trying to walk. She’s also eating table food now. Can you believe it? Table food! She has always been the apple of my eye, my photon, my ray of sunshine in a dark room..but she has come to be in the age of fun. Tomorrow is my 44th birthday. Throughout the year I did entertain the idea that she and I would share a cake, one side decorations of Disney and the other side a simple ‘happy birthday’. But I know it is actually her special day and I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to take some of her ‘first birthday’ thunder away.

Victoria went with her mother to the park in the mall. It’s an indoor park so we like to go there while it is rainy or snowing outside. She made a few friends, even met up with kids that aren’t taught to share (although they should have learned this already) but all-in-all she had fun. She has a new best friend who also happens to be our neighbor. I just adore this little boy. He is my ‘handsome’ little man. 

That night, my daughter and Victoria decided to make a cake. It was a cute little cake. Victoria has never had experience when it comes to baking and her mom wanted to be the first to try this out.

Today May 24, 2016

Today Victoria is bright and happy and full of joy. Always with a smile and a giggle, she loves watching other kids play and loves Minnie Mouse. I firmly believe the reason she continues to be happy is that her parents can get along and isn’t exposed to arguments. This is very important in a child’s life and I am so thankful she has the parents that she has.

 

New Adventures of Victoria the Toddler!

Sitting here with my granddaughter is such a wonderful thing to me. We had just dropped her mother off to work and now we can relax watching a little television and play on YouTube. Well…she is. She is fully capable to navigate throughout YouTube and it keeps her busy for an hour or two if I let her. (Which I never do, half an hour at the most).

Most of you know that we have moved into a new apartment. Moving from a 2 bedroom to a 3 bedroom apartment makes for a lot of space. Victoria finally has her own room to do as she pleases. Her toys fit in 3 toy boxes lined up on the wall, her bookshelf stuffed with reading literature, Disney Princess table and chairs and her toddler bed on the other side. My friend brought her a foam mat so it would drowned out some of the noise for the people downstairs. (We have hardwood floors throughout the house).

As a family, we do a lot of things together. Since Victoria’s mom works a lot, it gives us more time to spend together. We do go out to friends houses. We also go to the park. I am planning to put together a picnic basket and spend a few hours at the Beltway Park that my small but quaint town has to offer.

Taking selfies while we shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some pictures I was able to capture on our adventures. Enjoy 🙂

Victoria went to the circus with the family…..

Played outside in the grass with her wagon

Dressed up to see the easter bunny……

….But fell asleep in his arms….

Played with Mommy’s make-up

Stole a bite of Mommy’s ice cream cone

Ended up waiting in the room for the dentist

First-time examination! She did GREAT!!!

Went to visit her best friend Paco.

Victoria’s 2015 experiences

Last years chair, this year is a booster seat

Gosh things have changed since I’ve last talked to everyone. It has been a year since I posted my last blog and I hope it doesn’t happen again. Not that it is an excuse, but I have been very, very  busy with…well…life. We now have a toddler and she brings so much joy to our lives every day.  She’s always into new things and we are trying to show her the happiest and healthiest little person that she can be.

Although I can tell you she has been an absolute joy, we are starting to deal with that inevitable word, “No”. Even when the answer is “Yes”, she means no. There’s no in-between with this kid. Although she does say, “Thank you”, it does sound like “Dew-Dew” but we get the point. She even eats at the table on a booster seat rather than a high chair. Now we all have dinner together on the same table without the bulkiness of a high chair.

Victoria as Cinderella at ‘Boo at the Zoo”

Everyday has been an experience, yes. The places we have been….and she has been there right along with us. Out of all the places she has been, I would have to say that the Halloween season was the best time. At first I thought she would be too young to participate in all the festivities with the bigger kids, but her mother always tries to

First experience going down a big-kid slide

include her into the mix. And with that, Victoria has given us many wonderful memories. One of the best parts about this whole scenario is that both Victoria’s mother and father were all included. This is how things should be.

We have had great experiences. And SHE has had many great experiences thus far. I love that they all join a group of friends to seek out all these fun things for the kids to do. Everyone is together and no one has any mixed feelings. It’s definitely for the kids to experience this. The adults know that any hard feelings can be saved for at a later date; this is only for the children to see both of their parents getting along.

Last year has been a real fun time learning about her like/dislikes and I am really enjoying the person that Victoria is becoming. As I always say,”Being a grandmother is a wild ride!”

“Childhood never lasts, but everyone deserves one.” 

~ Wendy Dale

2015 Visit with Santa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating a technological bond between great-grandmother and grandchild

On one of my other postings, I have talked about how I am so thankful and blessed for being a part of the generation that I am in. We are after the Baby Boomers and before Generation Y. I heard that they are called ‘Generation Y’ for a reason. “Y move out of my parents house? Y pay my own bills?” But I joke….kind of.

My mother is a part of the baby-boomer generation. She is also very close to Victoria. But she is really close to my daughter. So close that my daughter named my grandchild after her. What an honor that must be! We want to make sure that she is a part of this baby’s life as we are. Unfortunately she lives about 25 miles away so she cannot see her precious great-granddaughter as much as she would like. But we have found a way that we can connect on a daily basis: Facetime.

Having the special incentive to use this technology means she can be there to view the milestones at the tips of her fingers at any time. This is a great way to keep in touch with what is going on in the family, not only with Victoria but us too. There is a survey that shows 20% of the grandparents that were interviewed use such technology to ‘touch base’ with their grandchildren at least once or twice a week.

Grandparents of a generation or two ago would probably not accept anything other than the telephone for communication with their children and/or grandchildren (if the internet were available back then). But the grandparents of this day and age frequent social networks anyway; so using programs such as Skype, Facetime or Google Hangouts on any device they own in the form of a laptop, desktop, tablet or cell phone is easier to keep in touch with their babies’ babies.

That brings me to my own mother. She wants to make sure she stays in my daughter’s life as much as possible (as she should). When my daughter was in high school, they would spend hours (literally hours) on the phone like teenagers chatting away to each other. They are so close, they share the same likeness of music thus going to concerts of that genre together. They are that close. So you can see how much my daughter wants to share special moments of Victoria with my mother. It is almost a daily occurrence that there is communication on Facetime. Be it lunchtime or bath time, my mother gets to see my grand daughter and my daughter, Victoria gets to actually see and get to know her great grandmother and I get to see my mother daily. As her adult-child, it brings me comfort knowing that my mother is okay.

A Wonderful Day at Shriner’s Circus

The alarm blared next to my bed as I struggled to find my glasses on my nightstand. The sun had already broke through the clouds and the sky became clear. As I lay in bed, I hear commotion in the kitchen with Victoria sitting in her high chair and her mother feeding her oatmeal with fruit. She has been ‘finding her voice’ for days now and shrieks (screaming out loud) to hear her own voice.

Two wonderful faces to wake up to. (And my black cat Shaddow as well!)

Today was the day we are going to the Shriner’s Circus with Victoria. I kinda had the feeling that she would do well with crowds but with the loud noise I wasn’t sure about. Today was also the day that she was promoted from her carrier to a ‘big girl’ car seat. Not the ‘big, big girl’ kind of car seat but the kind that toddlers are in. She is a husky 21 lbs. But she is also over 27 inches long. Big girl! But I bet when she starts crawling (which she is showing signs) that weight will melt off her. Fat babies are cute babies!

As we were walking into the Thomson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN there were people with children everywhere. I was kind of nervous, myself being in large crowds. And I had my grand daughter in my arms so I had to make sure I kept a straight face and took care of the task at hand. We searched for our seats in the dark in the nose-bleed section. Yes it was packed with children screaming from excitement everywhere! My daughter found seats for us and I handed Victoria to her so I could take pictures of her first experience with the circus. There were tigers balancing on beams jumping through fiery hoops and elephants dancing. There were trained dogs balancing on the backs of their trainer wowing the crowds. Victoria did enjoy it but the loud acoustics and flashing lights bothered her. After a few attempts to get her to look, we decided to retreat to the corridor of the arena so Victoria will feel a bit easier with all the hoopla that was before her.

Finally we were standing in the corridor looking at the action that was happening inside the arena. I noticed a stand that sold wands that light-up. I decided to buy Victoria a big pink light-up wand. She was mesmerized by the flashing lights. It was great! She seemed so excited to see her new present come to life with just a push of a button. Fortunately that diverted her attention from the flashing lights and the loud noises coming from inside the arena. Then an announcement came on the speakers saying that there will be an intermission and a display of pony rides and elephant rides were presented to the little children. My daughter was so excited that she grabbed Victoria and announced that she will go down to see if she is old enough to ride a pony. I told her that she was probably too young and the clowns will probably scare the crap out of her.

                                                                                                         Like always, she paid no attention to me and walked down to the bottom of the arena where the pony rides were. I stayed up in the corridor searching for them to just get a glimpse of my baby and her baby within the crowds of other parents. I noticed that my daughter was next to a crowd of people strapping on harnesses for Victoria to ride a pony. I honestly couldn’t believe it! She is only 7 months old and she is enjoying what other kids way-older than her- are enjoying. My daughter and a helper walked in a circular-motion following a circle of ponies attached to one another. Victoria enjoyed every minute! Soon the ride was over and she had to leave her pony. I was hoping that she would come back up to where I was standing but they were surrounded by a bunch of clowns that took pictures with my grand daughter. If she was scared she never let it show. Then my daughter took her to get her face painted in the form of a cat. Yes she was young but I am so glad that my daughter introduced her to that type of social action. She didn’t cry or become irritated. She just smiled and was very attentive. Basically she people-watched.

As I sit here trying to find the words to put into this blog, I smile to the fact that my daughter had shown me what a true parent does. Its never too early to make memories with your babies. I am proud of the mummy that she is becoming.

Victoria Renee had a great first-time experience with the Shriner’s Circus at 7 months old