Matthew Monday: Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream

The family was sitting at dinner and mommy announced she was going to go visit her aunt right after dinner. I have no idea why but Matthew got one of his separation responses and started to cry that he didn’t want mommy to go.  He wanted her to put him to bed.  Mommy said no; she had promised her aunt.  Matthew was inconsolable.  Finally I said we’ll go play upstairs.  Finally he said OK. 

 
We played with his Hot Wheels cars upstairs for a bit.  I whispered we’ll have desert when mommy left.  "Shh," I said.  "It’ll be our secret."  Matthew put his index finger over his lips and said “shh.”  “What are we going to have,” he whispered.  “How about ice cream,” I whispered back.  “Shh,” I said putting my index finger over my lips.  He put his finger over his lips.

 
Mommy called from downstairs to say she was leaving.  “OK,” we said.  “Have fun.”  We heard the door close.  “Let’s make sure she left,” I whispered.  “What we gonna do?” he asked.  “Let’s look out the window.”  I pulled the blind up.  Matthew has his little table chair by the window so he can look out.  He climbed up and I stood beside him and we watched mommy walk down the front stairs and turn left and walk on.  “She’s gone,” I said.  “Let’s go get ice cream.”  “Yay,” Matthew said.  “We gonna be Indians.”  “We gonna be Indians,” I repeated. 
 

And then we started marching downstairs and singing.

 
One little, two little, three little Indians.
Four little, five little, six little Indians.
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians.
Ten little Indian boys!
 

Then we looked in the freezer.  I said we had a choice.  Chocolate or Cherry Vanilla?  I thought for sure he would pick chocolate.  But he wanted Cherry Vanilla.

 
I started to scoop some out to put into a cup.  “Wait,” he said.  He wanted to watch.  He ran and brought over his little one step stool.  With it he’s able to look on the counter.  I put a few scoops into the cup and let him taste it.  “Here’s a spoonful with a cherry piece.  Do you like it?”  “Uh-ha,” he nodded.

 
We went over to the couch and watched one of his shows on the Nick Jr. channel.  It was Dora the Explorer.  We watch as we alternated a spoonful of ice cream for him and a spoonful for me.  He loved it.  Then we let Brandi (our Yellow Lab) lick the cup after we finished it. 

 
We did it.  And then when it was time for bed, we went back up marching and singing, “One little, two little, three little Indians…”

 
He was a happy camper going to bed.