Not Hollywood Bound

You might have heard me say that I think Melina will end up in Hollywood or on Broadway. She tends to drift toward the dramatic side of things, and often acts out movies she has seen or books we have read.  Her expressions and gestures sometimes seem over the top, but in her head, she is being downright serious.

Well Melina had her first taste of the stage this past weekend, and let us just say, it did not go so well. 

I should mention that at 1 pm on Friday, Melina started exhibiting signs of a cold.  Her eyes watered, she was sniffling, and she just wanted to lie on the couch.  I am not kidding when I say that the virus hit quickly; if I had had any warning, I'd have called my parents to let them know, and would have given them the opportunity to bail on coming down for the weekend.

Melina didn't sleep that well on Friday night, but she said she still wanted to go to her ballet recital.  Since she had no fever, and Grandma and Grandpa were here to watch, we went ahead with the original game plan; we made the trek, in the rain, to the arts center.  Due to the virus, I did not make Melina sit outside in the blustery, cold, rainy air to watch Aaron play soccer before her recital.

Melina had seen the stage before and her teacher, Miss Nancy, had them go up on stage to become familiar with it.  But I could tell she was nervous when we passed by it on the way backstage.  Her nervousness was confirmed when she wanted me to stay backstage with her.  I stayed, and hoped that the coloring pages Miss Nancy had so kindly provided for the 3 and 4 year old girls would distract her from her nervousness.

My hopes were dashed.  Melina lined up quietly with her class, proceeded to walk up the stairs and onto the stage, and then, she just stood there, tugging at her tights.  You could see the discomfort in her face and body.  She did not participate in any of the routine, until the tumbling started.  And then, she did a couple of somersaults.

A helper carried her down the back stairs and into my arms, because Melina was a little slow to head down the stairs.  I looked at her face and realized that she just wasn't feeling well.  I didn't know if the finale would even happen.

It didn't.  To her credit, Melina went back out onto the stage.  She didn't even have the energy to move at all and she stood there looking pained the entire time. Several times, Miss Nancy and the kids tried to get her to shake her little body, but nothing happened.  Melina walked the length of the stage when the whole thing was over, and climbed into the arms of the same helper that had brought her down the stairs.  She stayed there awhile, and then came to me. 

We ended up getting home and I put her to bed right away. Without lunch, as she was not even interested in having it (that says something right there, you know?).  Within minutes, she was asleep, and I woke her up two and a half hours later, in the interest of preserving bedtime.  She slept pretty well Saturday night and by Sunday, she was doing better.

I would be curious to know how things would have gone if Melina had been feeling well.  I think they might have gone the same way.  For as outgoing and exuberant as she can be, there is the hesitant side of Melina that peeks out, especially in large social settings.

I think we'll try soccer next year.