Madness.... in a good way.
May 9, 2006 Time to dish on the room mate situation. I was really worried, initially about having her move in, because she's such a dear close friend to us. Generally, in room mate situations, especially with dear friends, they start to annoy you. And you don't necessarily want to say anything to them about it (did I mention the dear friend part?) so you overlook it. Until one day, you wake up in a cold-blooded rage and want to strangle them around their scrawny neck and scream profanities in their face about buying their own damn LAUNDRY SOAP!
No? Is that just me? Okay then.
Well, it's been, what 2 weeks? 3? I can't remember, but our roomie is just heavenly. HEAVENLY! She fits in like she's a part of the family, and is not at all squeamish when Phoebe walks up to her with a huge ass booger on her finger and tells her to, "Eat it!". She'll pick Charlie up, she's helped Marissa learn to ride her bike, and she comes with me to the store. She does dishes, she cleans up, and she lets the girls hang out in her t.v. room upstairs watching Annie. We make jokes that she's my wife, and that Bryan better watch out, or I'll leave him for her.
She does NONE of the annoying things that room mates usually do, and she doesn't hole herself up in her rooms upstairs. She's really a part of our family. So far she doesn't care about our slovenly ways, and she'll argue with me like a sister. I can't stop saying enough good things about her. In a nutshell, she rocks our damn socks off, and I think we're going to keep her. FOREVER.
To switch topics in a completely unrelated way, a few weeks ago Marissa begged us for a fish. She'd had a really bad experience with fish in the past (remember the aquarium she got for her birthday last year? with the fish that subsequently bit the big one?) so I was hesitant, until she told me that she wanted a fish. Singular. Fine.
We got her a little female Beta that she named Shirley (as in Temple), and Shirley is doing quite well. Having a fish is a novelty that I thought would've worn off by now, but it hasn't. I think that it has a lot to do with Phoebe, and Phoebe's obsession with Shirley.
The first thing that Phoebe wants to do in the morning is "See the fish," and she insists that Bryan or I pick her up so she can ooh and aaaah over Shirley, and touch the bowl, and squeal. She asks to hold Shirley in her hand, and wants to pet her. With two cats (that she tries to ride like horses) and a dog (that she shares her food with) I would've thought she'd reached her pet limit. Not so.
Last night, Phoebe fell asleep on the couch after eating dinner, and the adults stayed up to watch a movie in the living room. Phoebe was having a nightmare, evidently, and woke up crying..... and screaming..... to SEE THE FISH. I shit you not, that kid woke up with big fat tears running down her face, and *insisted* on seeing that fish.
I picked her up, took her into the kitchen, and let her see Shirley. She did the whole ritual of touching the bowl, and smiling, and telling Shirley hello, and asking to hold her. After about 5 minutes of this I told Phoebe that Shirley was tired and wanted to go to sleep, so we blew Shirley kisses and turned off the kitchen light, and Phoebe started crying. I don't mean in that holy-terror kind of fit throwing way, I mean in that chin-quivering you-just-ran-over-my-dog kind of way. It was the saddest thing EVAR.
I did what any self-respecting parent would do, and I moved Shirley into the living room with us, so that she could sit on the table, right in Phoebe's line of sight (and I swear Shirley was looking right at Phoebe, and even waved her little fin to say, "Thanks for the new digs, homie." I swear she did.)
I asked Phoebe if she wanted a fish of her own for her birthday, and she nodded her head yes. Then she got up off of the couch, walked over to Marissa, and said, "Have it, fish, sissy. Have it for Phoebe," while nodding yes to herself as if this were an acceptable compromise.
Bryan and I stared at each other in amazement. Could a not even 2 year old (yet) really want a fish for her birthday? Really? I mean, I know our kids are weird, but a fish? I mean, it's not like you can hold it, or pet it, or carry it around with you, or ride it like a pony, or feed your popsicle to it. Somehow, though, I think she's serious, and I have a feeling that the little weirdo is going to get her birthday wish.
Reader Comments (8)
On all counts.
Do you think she'd like this fish?><}}}@>
Phoebe...precious. I used to have a little beta that I adored. She's obviously a pet lover!