"Our baby is the cutest thing in the world," Percy says to me as often as possible. "Impossibly cute. I'm so glad you talked me into shocking the community."
For my part, I tend to respond silently, with a gesture of affection. Percy loves trying to guess what I'm thinking. I suppose I've never completely stopped keeping him on his toes. He loves it really.
And he's right. Champagne is crippling in her cuteness.
She's going to be a beauty. She learned all of her toddler skills freaky fast. She's walking, talking, pottying, singing, dancing, playing, and watching with such advanced fervor that it's hard to keep up with her.
I've missed a lot of these formative moments due to being chained to my desk at the police station. Guess the job isn't called Desk Jockey for nothing. Anyway, as often as I have to be out, Bubbly knows who Mommy is.
And probably at least suspects who Daddy is.
"He likes da kitty," she says. "and me."
"And you," he agrees, tapping her nose and making her giggle. Percy is indeed a cat person.
Mom also wants to make sure Champagne knows her, despite constant work. She tries to time leaving for the teatro with bed time so she can kiss her goodnight.
And if not, stays up a few extra hours in the mornings to spend some time playing with her.
She grumbles about that costume. I can't help but agree. What kind of pop icon wears the pregnancy nightgown and a pair of aviators? Ah well.
The other grannies try to spend as much time with her as possible too, though it's easier without requirements on your shoulders. A household joke has formed that if you want to play with Bubbly, you have to catch her first.
Or risk waking her up.
The day she did her potty all by herself the first time, Granny gave her a special gift. A creepy little doll named OJ.
I've got no beef with OJ. Anything that keeps Bubbly occupied is fine by me, even if it would've given me nightmares as a kid. Plus, when she does that horrifically off-tune singing to him, it's pretty much the cutest thing on earth.
What I do take a bit of issue with is Granny and Mona Lisa telling my child that the doll is somehow sentient. Which is crazy talk. And scary.
"Mata Hari,
you are descended directly from one of those dolls," Mona Lisa chides.
Sure, Grandma. Time for your nap. I mean, after all, surely we're violating a serious humanitarian code of conduct, in this case, every time Champagne (or Eden, for that matter) plays with the dollhouse.
And think of the life we've kept the purple dragon in the toy box from! Surely he'd be the CEO of a major company by now if not for the constant toddler abuse over the last several generations!
Anyway, you get the picture. I would never take OJ away from my daughter now that she's so attached, but come on.
We set up her museum room recently. I'm very happy with it. Granny is all misty eyed over it being the last one.
And of the three sets of life requirements left, one is finally done. On a cool evening in the fall, my mother became a rock star.
We sat with her for ambrosia. She was clearly nervous about it. "What if they demote me?!" she worried. As you can see, I was the beacon of support there, with pizza in my mouth.
She was just stalling anyway. And when it happened, it was as though the sparkles had been made for her. Just a bit of every color.
They also seemed to remove any doubts she had. After the ambrosia settled, she gazed off through the window and sighed, contentedly.
I patted her on the shoulder as I passed her, heading for where Champagne was playing in the nursery. It was bed time. I held her tight, quietly for a minute, thinking about our futures. About the day we'd eat that stuff too.
"We're going to make it," I whispered to her, changing her into her pajamas and settling her in. She reached up for my hand and squeezed, giving me one of her heart-melting looks.
"Night night, Mama. Don't worry, k?"
"Okay sweetness," I said, holding her little hand in mine. "Night night."
Immortal 6 - Allegra Classic
Traits: excitable, virtuoso, party animal, bookworm, social butterfly, workaholic
Spouse: Orlando (Romano) Classic
Career: Music (maxed)
Skill: Alchemy (supermaxed)
Other Maxed Skills: Guitar, Piano
Lifetime Wish: Super Popular (completed)
6 Unique Black Ops: Stinky bugs, I got your back ... up, Sort the Selection, The Set Up, Local Musician Showdown, Keeping the Rhythm
6 Unique Best Friends: Eureka Classic,
Orlando Classic, Chanel England, Donte Miles, Chadd Barrow, Thaddeus Self, Octavia Thorpe
3 Unique Lifetime Rewards: Immune to Cold, Office Hero, Professional Slacker
Property: Alistair's Elixirs and Sundries
Building: Teatro Classico
Portraits: toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, elder
Sculptures: toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, elder
Photographs: infant, toddler, teen
Immortal at: 79 Days
