Ella

P has longed for an "older" playmate. He'd prefer a second mother or a consistently present Aunt or Uncle, but he'd take another kid - if they were old enough. I've been working on setting something up and it has finally fallen together - the skies have parted and sent us: Ella. Yes, P's other favorite nine year old, the image of sweetness that started his older kid addiction, is also named Ella, but her present life in Kansas prevents weekly playdates :) This Ella lives but two blocks away and visits us after school each Tuesday. She is sweet, attentive and Very mellow. Most of P's play revolves around running, jumping and wrestling, so she's a nice yin to that particular yang.

She takes her work as a mother's helper quite seriously and shadows P for an hour and a half, sharing, helping and giggling at his antics. Her mother (Malek's Waldorf teacher and just about the Sweetest woman alive - seriously, she's the type of adult that seems to honestly enjoy all things child. As P energetically relayed a story to her last Tuesday, his "S" accidentally got caught on his lips producing a nice spray. Even this elicited a look of delight. We Love this woman.) has obviously coached her on proper "mother's helper duties" and she looks questioningly my way each time P bounces towards me for help. Despite his reticence to rely on her for most things, she is still there as a primary pair of ears to his endless chatter, giving my head a lovely bit of quiet space as I prepare dinner. P is learning more and more about friendship, interacting (I can hear him attempting clearer pronunciation while she is here) and relying on others. And Ella's mom reports that the little girl loves her important position. Its a big mess of happiness here :)