This has been on my calendar for a while.
Emma, as you no doubt are aware, is the hugest Pixar fan ever.She’s been counting down to the Wall-E DVD release for quite a while. Probably since we saw it at the movie theatre. So she has been looking forward to the day she could go to the store and get Mom or Dad to buy it for her as soon as humanly possible.
And, just between you and me and the entire internet, I pre-ordered it from Amazon. Not the single-disk version, not even a 2 disc set, but the THREE DISC SPECIAL EDITION.
Yeah, I plan on videotaping her reaction when she opens it for her birthday. Shhh, don’t tell her.
Did I just say birthday? Why yes, I am a cruel mother making her wait that long. Except the hard part has been keeping it a surprise. At first, I used avoidance.
“Mom! Wall-E comes put on DVD next week!”
“That’s nice honey, what do you want for lunch?”
But as the date drew closer, we had to step up our tactics.
“I’m SO EXCITED!!! WALL-E COMES OUT TOMORROW! Can we get it?”
“We’ll have to wait and see. Did you brush your teeth yet?”
And finally I had to pull out The Big Guns. We coincidentally had to go get groceries on Tuesday, and as we were discussing our driving plans, Emma comes out with this:
“Since we’re getting groceries, and since today Wall-E comes out on DVD, could we buy it? I’m sure the grocery store will have a stand right by the checkout.”
“….. go ask your father… Ron? Can you explain this to her?”
So. Ron spent a good five minutes explaining very carefully that no, we will not be buying Wall-E today at the store. Someone may have purchased it for her as a present already, what with her birthday being a month away and Christmas a week later. So in case she did not receive it on either of those occasions, Daddy then promised to take her shopping for it. *After* Christmas. She had to wait.
I thought she took the news rather well. She was calm, did not appear upset, and said, “Okay, Daddy,” quite plainly.
At the grocery store, we got most of the way through without a mention. But then we had to go by the electronic section and there was the display. It was huge. It *talked*. As we were standing there looking, the voice box in the cardboard wall-E fell out. I had to replace it.
Now we’ve been there a good five minutes and of course they are right at Emma’s eye level. Our conversation was the sort of “yes, that is cool,” and I tried to veer it towards the, “Oh, these are just Blue Ray..” or “Eh, it’s only a one disc movie.. pfft..” to try and downplay it, even while being entranced by the whole thing myself.
But as I was replacing wall-E’s voice box, Emma was holding a movie case.
“I’m gonna put this in the cart now.”
Uh…
“It’s okay, right Mommy?”
Uh…
“Hey, remember what Daddy said?”
More thoughtful looks and some lip-chewing. And then I had to pull out my whole bag of mommy tricks, saying I know how much she loves the movie – remember that part when the ship was tipped and the lady said “Hey Frank? Wanna have kids?” and the kids rolled across the floor to them? – but, you know, her birthday is just around the corner, as well as Christmas, and I’m sure she’ll get some presents she really likes and it’s hard, I know, but she just has to wait.
I held my breath.
“Okay mommy. I can wait.”
Phew. Dodged a bullet there.
I only hope Ron hid the package somewhere *I* can’t find it, before I cave.
