Ballet and hot lava

For some reason I've been finding it hard to write about Melina lately. I think it's because she's constantly changing - it's like trying to describe the flight of a dragonfly around a lake. Up, down, around, stop, go backward. Like trying to nail Jello to a wall, although that sounds a little too violent.

Melina has a few new friends that she's been hanging out with. Currently she seems totally in love with the neighbor boy Quinn, and wants to be with him constantly. She has been demanding to see her old friend Amanda as well, and yesterday she spent a few hours playing with her friend Josie. This sort of play is always full of ups and downs. At one point the friends will be hugging and giggling, or concentrating on their little made-up dramas, and the next moment one will declare that she (or he) will never, ever, play with the other again. It's kind of exhausting to watch.

Melina is also going through a "scared" phase. As in, scared to go to the bathroom alone; scared to get dressed alone in her bedroom; and scared for *me* to go to the bathroom alone. From what I've observed, this is a normal phase, but it is exasperating because it means that I can never get more than 15 feet away from her at any time. On the other hand, she is also in a very affectionate phase, full of hugs and kisses. She assures me that she loves me (and her dada) all the way up to Jupiter, around Jupiter eleventy times, all the way back down to the earth, through the hot lava, out through China, and back through the earth to our house. (Speaking of hot lava, I've noticed that four-year-olds all seem to be obsessed with hot lava for some reason. It comes up regularly in conversation).

Ballet class started a few weeks ago, and remains very popular. Melina was so upset that ballet class was over (after half an hour) that I signed her up for the ballet-and-tumbling class right afterward. (I was running out of ideas for things to do anyway). So now on Fridays we have about 2 hours of nonstop ballet, dancing, tumbling and random chaos. The ballet teacher teaches - get this - more than 30 classes a week. I think she said 39. I can't imagine. Each ballet class is like herding cats - gently chiding, guiding, encouraging, rebuking, drawing out, and generally leading a small crowd of mostly pink-tutu'd preschoolers who all have their own agenda. It's something to see. Melina loves it, except when she gets tired. She is also still taking swim classes, which she also loves, although I am getting tired of the routine. So hard to make everyone happy!