In Character

Eleni is always in character.

It changes many times a day, but she always knows who she is and the rest of us are just supporting cast. Just this morning she was Pooh, Dad was Tigger, and she informed me upon opening my bleary eyes that I was the owl. And Nash got to be Piglet. An hour later she was Diego, I co-starred as Dora, and Nash was boots. Then she was Snow White, I was Sneezy, and our care provider got the coveted position of Dopey assigned to her. I just finished putting her down for a nap as a fox.

We were putting on a dress to go to the theatre the other day, and she crossed her arms, and with pouty lips insisted, "Superman don't wear dresses!" Of course, we saw a mosque that looked like Princess Jasmine's palace, so she had a role change and was wearing dresses the rest of the day. I can coax Eleni into just about anything by just playing my part. After the theater, she didn't want to get out the car. I didn't want to fight about it, so I just put out my hand and said, "Do you trust me?" Her face immediately lit up, and her soft voice said, "Oh, yes, Aladdin" and she hopped out.

Gene went in to her room around midnight, long after she was fast asleep. She woke up from a dead sleep and reminded him in a sweet voice, "Daddy, go back to bed until 7!" He agreed, and whispered, "Good night, Leni." She very matter-of-factly responded, "I'm not Leni. I'm a baby wolf. Can you say 'good night, baby wolf?' (he obliged) Good night, Daddy fox." She is constantly coaching us on what to call her. I love it.

There is never a dull moment with our actress in the room.