Today (Monday) Paul returned to work and the girls had one more day of vacation. What on earth were we to do? I wanted the girls' whole winter vacation to be special and fun, but due to circumstances only partially beyond my control I was up until 3:30 a.m. and exhausted this morning. Plus, it's really really cold here and outside activities (e.g. the zoo) are unappealing. So: what to do?
Pajama Day! We've never stayed in our pajamas all day long, but we did today! The girls played fabulously well together without whining, fighting, or urinating on the carpets. No injuries, no accidents, no extreme Mommy-neediness, just a fun day at home together.
We played games, read books, watched a little TV, rested, cooked, and tidied (a tiny bit right before Daddy came home, but it makes me sound a little less lazy to add something productive to the list). Mostly, we just relaxed. A perfect end to vacation, and easily the least stressful day I've ever had with my girls. Heaven.
To top it all off, Ellie lost her first tooth this afternoon! Ada was napping as Ellie and I sat on the couch reading stories. I noticed that one of her bottom teeth seemed slightly crooked. "Ellie, may I wiggle your tooth?"
She let me have the briefest moment of contact with it.
"Ellie, your tooth is loose!" And bleeding. I had a moment of concern. I'm not ready for this! Also, was this for real? Or had she knocked her tooth against something hard - like her sister's head - so that this was the result of an injury rather than a natural process?
"Like Caillou!" she replied, immediately excited. Bless that fictional little Canadian kid.
She jumped up and ran into the bathroom. When I heard the faucet, I peeked through the doorway. Ellie was brushing her teeth (voluntarily!) until the loose one fell out with a clink. I rescued it, showed it to her, and provided several tissues to help with the bleeding. Once her mouth was cleaned up, the new tooth was clearly visible. It obviously pushed the baby tooth out of the way, just as it should have done. And Ellie was so excited. All her baby dolls lost their teeth this afternoon, and she proudly told everyone who called the house all about it. "Grandpa! My tooth was loose!" At bedtime, she was thrilled to drop the baby tooth into a tooth fairy pocket and place it directly under her pillow.
Paul says she checked on it several times as they read stories together before bed. The tooth fairy was generous here tonight. Paul decided that $2 bills are the way to go. (He's a little excited and proud of our big girl, too.)
When we slipped into her room, I turned off her reading light and pressed play to start her lullabies CD. At some point today, Ellie must have changed out her music selection because instead of soothing night music, her Christmas present from my sister began singing out with great enthusiasm. "Wake up, Ellie! It's time to go play. Wake up, Ellie! It's time to start the day! Wake up, Ellie!"
Our baby really is growing up!
3 comments:
Heh. In our household, we end up with Pajama Day probably three or four times a month.
I love the PJ day!
And congrats (again) to Ellie!
Orange, that's a fabulous idea. Only this (school) year have I begun to appreciate the value of a quiet day at home. I've been much more of a go-and-doer.
Thanks, Rob. :-)
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