Week Four: Hope Springs Eternal
Now that I'm a "responsible" adult, I figured I should have a wardrobe that reflects my new place in life. I decided to exchange my comfy clothing for something a bit more respectable. As a master of two skills and a well-known artist around Riverview, I had to look the part of a professional! Besides, it has gotten much too warm for sweaters and scarves! I think I did a pretty good job for someone who hates fashion, don't you?
The first day of the week, I finally mastered painting. I have been toying with the idea of creating my own gallery on the property to showcase my work. But that will be a long way off because right after I finished mastering the painting skill, I instantly realized how I was going to cure my loneliness!
I whipped out my cell phone and made one simple call... to the adoption agency! I had always felt drawn toward children, and the prospect of having my own little artistic protege appealed to me greatly. I didn't need a man or spouse of any kind to be happy: a child would give me a purpose and help leave a legacy when I am dead and gone. I had a bit of money saved up, so I added a nursery onto the house. I decorated it all in blue because when I was a baby my room was decorated in blue. After wading through oceans and oceans of paperwork, a social worker finally dropped off my little girl!
Everyone, please say hello to Coco Angel! She is a Genius and a Virtuoso, but since she's just a toddler, I have plenty of time to instill a love of art into her! We totally hit it off the first day, especially after I showed her the new little outfits I'd bought her. Maybe she is just excited by new things after living in the orphanage, but I really think I might have a little fashionista on my hands! Hopefully when she's older she'll give her old mom a glamorous makeover!
I knew that caring for a child would be difficult, but I never knew exactly how hard it would be! I didn't want to deal with diapers, so I set straight to teaching Coco to use the little potty chair in her bedroom. She took to it like paint to a canvas! Unfortunately, this was almost as revolting as changing a diaper! UGH the smell was unbearable! But I didn't want to be responsible for having a child sent to school in a diaper still, so I sucked it up and cleaned the little potty after each use.
Since potty training was so successful, I next tackled the task of teaching Coco to talk. After all, I needed someone to talk to around the house! It was a rocky start, but finally Coco said her first word: BAKE! Hmm... cooking isn't really one of my interests, but I guess Coco can't be a carbon copy of me. Besides, she probably just wanted a cookie. All kids love cookies!
Finally, I took on the most daunting task of all: teaching Coco to walk. Considering that she might one day be walking the runways of France, it was a little intimidating to know that I was the one who would lay that foundation. Sucking up my insecurities, I set to work. Thankfully, Coco took to walking the fastest of all her skills! I was so proud I thought I would burst! My little girl was growing up just right!
To celebrate all of Coco's achievements, I decided to take her out and show her some of my favorite places in Riverview. After all, this would be her home, too! We walked down to the bookstore and browsed a bit. Coco was grabbing at the fashion magazines even though I tried to interest her in some children's books. She knows what she likes! I just don't know how great a future in fashion will be for my daughter. Though that's probably just my mother voice coming through; after all, my mother didn't want me to move so far away to focus on art!
Now that Coco is a bit more independent, I could try my hand at my newest skill: inventing. I settled Coco in the living room with plenty of toys where I could hear her if she started crying and headed to my little inventing room. It was small and dark, but I didn't mind. I liked the solitude. I had a bit of scrap metal saved up, so I got to inventing. I was still feeling inspired by my little girl, so I decided to invent a toy for her! I think she really liked it when I gave it to her to play with.
Skilling and raising a toddler is incredibly stressful! Although I didn't have to wake up for any late night diaper changes anymore, Coco required a lot of attention. When I wasn't playing peek-a-boo and handing out bottles, I was in my inventing room hammering away. By the end of the week, I had been working so hard that I really needed a bath... my reflection in the mirror definitely seemed stressed! So I put Coco to bed and sunk down into the warm, soapy water. A simple reward for a hard week!
Oh, and just in case anyone was wondering, here is what the house layout looks like now with the two new additions of the nursery and my inventing room. It's just the right size, I think!