Office Entertainment

Today at work, a three year old girl came in named "Ellie." (all names have been changed)

A few facts about Ellie:
- She is adorable
- She is not shy at all
- She has two voice levels: loud and louder
- I wouldn't be surprised if she had ADD
- She is at that lovely stage of a million and one trillion questions a day.

These are the conversations I witnessed between her and her mom as they waited for Ellie's brother and sister to finish their appointments.

Ellie is playing in the play area talking to herself and she suddenly says to herself, "I think I'm going poop...." She then continues to play.

I am, understandably, concerned about the situation because I seem to be the only one who heard this and I don't want to clean up a child's poop!

I'm saved from my anxious contemplation of what to do when Ellie suddenly runs out and announces, "Mom, I have to go potty!"

The following conversation occurs in the bathroom.

E: "Is this a girl bathroom or a boy bathroom?"
M: "It's both"
E: "But is it a girl bathroom?"
M: "Yes"
E: "But is it a boy bathroom?"
M: "It can be, but right now it's a girl bathroom"
E: "But can I use this bathroom?"
M (worried about the ticking time bomb of her daughters bladder): "Yes, stop playing 20 questions and go to the bathroom."

(Questions continue to be shouted - her only voice level - but I gather that she is now going potty)

M (for the tenth time): "Shh, we have to be quiet."
E (yelling even louder): "I'm being quiet!"
M: "Shh"
E: "Why do we have to be quiet?"
M: "Because we're in here"
E: "When we go out, are we loud?"

I thought it was a pretty reasonable question.

After the bathroom incident, "Blanch" came in for her appointment. She is an older lady with a spunky spirit. Her white hair is spiked straight up, her cain is sparkly purple and today her fingernails are french-tipped sparkly purple with a white swirl (she gets them done regularly). She came in yesterday and brought us two dozen doughnuts, and a gallon of orange juice, complete with napkins and red solo cups. She is an office favorite.... if we had favorites  :)

Anyway, Blanch starts talking to Ellie about her prize that she got and being a little monkey, etc. Ellie is very friendly. Blanch is called back for her appointment and she goes back.

Ellie turns to her mom: "Mom, she has a big butt!"
M (Imbarrased): "I'm not claiming this child."
E: "But, mom, she has a big butt!"

M: "Ellie, don't say that! That's not nice."

E: "Why?"
M: "Because I have a big butt too."

Later, I'm checking out "Lindsay" who is preparing to go on a mission, but the office has decided she will stay and marry Ben, our hygiene assistant, who got off his mission about a month ago. Ellie comes up and starts showing Lindsay the toothbrush that she got. Lindsay, of course, thinks that she is adorable. Ellie returns to the couch (after some coaxing from her mom)

Mom to Ellie: "I think she wants to keep you!"
Lindsay: "I would, she is so cute!"
M (joking after an hour at the dentist office with an active three year old): "You want her? I've been meaning to clean some kids out." Then to Ellie, "What do you think?"
E: "But.... then you wouldn't have an Ellie!"
M: "You're right, I can't be without my Ellie! Maybe we should get rid of 'Matthew' (brother)?"

Ellie refused to get rid of any of her siblings. You don't get much cuter than that!

By the time they left my cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing.

She kept the whole office quite entertained  :)