Yesterday evening Ella repeatedly approached Melanie and I, firmly got our attention, then said "I am afraid of the ocean" and then typically rushed off to safety.
After a few repetitions we started to ask her questions. Where was the ocean? "Over dere! [pointing]". What didn't she like about the ocean? "The Ocean!". We finally got her to take us to the ocean.
She brought us into the front room and pointed out the window into the darkness.
Now for those of you keeping score you know we live in Kansas. For the sake of our relatives on both coasts, we have no interest in ocean front property here.
Ella pointed, bounced up and down and generally showed signs of being disturbed and kept telling us "The Ocean! The Ocean!" approaching the window as if putting her finger closer to it would tell us more.
In just a few minutes one of the many strong gusts of wind that shook our house that day hit, and the wind whistled through the windows.
Ella screamed "The Ocean The Ocean The Ocean The Ocean!" and ducked into the safety of Melanie's arms.
Then it clicked. About two years ago Claire received a seashell from her Aunt Penny. The girls had recently taken to playing with it again, putting it to their ears and listening to the sounds of the ocean within the shell.
We'll show her the real ocean again in a few months here. The last time she saw it she was six months old.
5 years 13 weeks ago