Fly Me to the Moon, Balloon

It all started the other day when I took Bella to Kmart for a quick run to buy a new car seat. Bella will be starting daycare soon and we needed another carseat for Ms. Betty's (our nanny) car. Apparently they were having their blue-light special; the entire store was decorated with 40%-50% off sale signs. Flashing lights guided shoppers to the best deals, and of course, festive balloons were adorned on every possible clothes rack or shelf. Those of you with young toddlers probably can predict what happened next. Bella screamed in excitement as we entered the store. "Whoa! Bloon, bloon!" Her arms flew up and her mouth hung gaping open. For reasons beyond my understanding, balloons seem to be a favorite for every small child, like cotton candy, or macaroni and cheese. The very sight of them can make a toddler go insane. Bella fussed and whined the entire time, pointing and repeating, "bloon, bloon, bloon...." Her whining turned into sad muffled cries as I detoured the cart to avoid the temptation of balloons. We finally finished rounding up our stuff and at the checkout counter, I caved and I sheepishly asked the clerk if she could give Bella a balloon. The lady was nice and agreed. I could sense Bella's rising excitement as the lady tied the balloon string to her arm. "Bloon! Bloon!" Bella was grinning ear to ear as we walked out of the store. Pure joy emanated from her every pore… But the joy was short-lived. The second we stepped outdoors a gusty wind snapped the balloon string from Bella’s arm and the balloon slowly floated away into the sky. I quickly tried to grab it, but the wind whisked it higher than I could jump. Bella stood in the middle of the road in sheer shock, staring at her beloved balloon as it floated to the moon. She didn’t cry, but she was obviously disturbed. For the next 24 hours, all Bella would speak about was her balloon. She kept thinking we would return to the parking lot to retrieve it. I explained that it was gone, but she insisted that it would come back as she pointed into the sky, mumbling, “bloon…bloon…” It was a sad sight to see. Her first lesson of loss was a hard one to bear. The next day, Ms. Betty arrived with a gift – a big red balloon! Bella screamed with excitement! “BLOON!” She was so excited about the return of her balloon that she insisted to take it everywhere the entire day: in the car, to the park, in the bath, and even in the crib while she napped. It was obvious she wasn’t letting this one out of her sight. That was two days ago. Now the red balloon lies deflated on the floor, thrown in the corner like a dirty pair of socks. So much for true love. Speaking of love, Bella loves to use mommy and daddy to reach items hidden high up on the countertops. Check out this clip of her trying her best whining technique to get what she wants: