The Ouchy Box and Christmas

Woke up in the hard cage. Alone. Again.

Like it better when I'm in between them. Warmer. I can touch one with my feet and the other with my head or hands. Even in my sleep I'm always touching them.

Started to move and found I was wet and squishy below. Really squishy, I could feel it up my back.

Rolled over and clumsily climbed the bars until I was standing up. Tried talking to them in my language, but nothing happened. So I started with theirs "Mama!"

Saw Dada coming around the bed putting on his robe. He came over and said "Shh quite. Mama is trying to sleep. Sheesh you smell Pumpkin." I gave him a toothy grin.

He picked me up and said. "Pumpkin, it's you and I for a while". He walked into the bathroom and put me on the changing table. He cleaned, powdered, and replaced everything from inside out.

We went to the kitchen where he put me in my chair, with the belt tied like Mama wanted.

Made me a bottle and brought it to me. Not as warm Mama's, but it was okay. I was hungry.

While I drank my bottle Dada made that stinky stuff he and Mama drank they called coffee.

Then Dada sat by me and we started to drink together when Mama came in. She hugged me and gave me kiss. She said "You smell good this morning, short stuff."

Then she went and set on Dada's lap and gave him a kiss, a long one. They snuggled and quietly talked to each other.

I got mad! "Wait a minute I do all the sitting on laps! I get all the kisses! NO! NO! NO!" I rattled at them in my language. With my chatter Dada said "Something tells me Pumpkin is jealous".

Mama went and got a cup coffee and made my cereal. She told Dada the grandparents would be here soon, so we needed to get ready. He left. About halfway through eating he came out dressed and Mama went to get changed.

As Dada was wiping off my face from breakfast a bell started ringing. Dada said "That will be one set of your grandparents."

He picked me up and carried me to the front of the house and when he opened the door there was both sets of my Mema's and Papa's.

I was handed to the first person who hugged and kissed me. I was passed on thru the circle. Dada went to the other end and hugged his way around the other way. Somebody started me backwards till I had been hugged and kissed by everyone twice.

We all went in to the big room that had the tree, but nobody would let me get near the tree. They started towards my soft sided cage, but they set me down in the center of the floor.

Every time I tried to walk, crawl, or slithered toward the tree someone would pick me up and put me back by them. When I crawled close to Mama's rocking chair Dada's Mema said "Stay away from that or you'll get an Ouchy from those rockers.

After playing for a while with the toy they gave me. I saw the outside of something on the table. I went over to the table at the other end, stood up shakily, worked my way around the table until I grabbed the Ouchy box.

I fell backwards onto my butt, but not without my Ouchy box in my hand. I crawled over by the corner and started playing with it.

After a moment I did something and it went pop and opened. When I shook the box a bandage came out. As I turned it around and around in my hands the lid closed with a snap. Cool. After a minute I can make the box go pop snap pop snap. Even when I lay on my back it would go pop snap pop snap for me.

After a few minutes the doorbell rung again.

It was my Tina and Mani. I liked them. Their fun. Sometimes Mama and Dada would go away and they would be there. I yelled "Ti, Man". Held up a arm to them, but keeping a tight grip on my box. I got my hug and kiss from Tina, tickled from Mani, which made me very happy. They didn't try to take my box

Dada said "Now that you're finally here. We can open our presents." Dada's Mema said "You're no better than children, even thought you have one, at waiting, but I've had my eye on a box with my name on it. So let's open them.

I was sat on the floor, Mama's Papa brought over a big thing and set it in front of me. I looked at it, by climbed up to it. Okay.

Then Papa pulled down on something, it made noise, and I could see it opening up. He put my hand on the paper and we pulled. The paper tore away. Papa looked at me smiling, so I started tearing all the paper off the box. But every time I tried to stop, play, or taste the paper someone would take it away until finally all the paper was gone.

Papa opened the box and inside was a big car like Mama's. They put me standing by it. I reached over to touch it and it moved. I stepped closer and put my hands on it. It moved again. In my language I said "Stop!", but it move again. I sat down on the floor and crawled away.

Mama's Mema grabbed me up. For a while I felt like a basketball being passed from one person to another person to another. Everyone was talking about my first Christmas and my birthday in 3 months. How happy they were with me being here. First grandbaby for both sides.

After a while they let me down I crawled over to the big box empty laying on its side. I crawled in and crawled out. Dada's Papa came over and taught me peek-a-boo with the box. I grabbed what he called the flaps opened and closed them. Fun.

Mama came, grabbed me, took me into the kitchen and put me into my high chair.

Everybody was there holding hands. I liked it. It was like when they took me for a walk holding my hands. Someone talked low after everyone bowered their head. Then everyone said "Amen!"

Then everyone started passing food and eating.

Everybody fed me a little bits, some of the stuff was good.

I liked the mash potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, and the apples/marshmallow stuff.

Some of the stuff was yucky or strange. Something tasted like the green stuff they fed me, but it had strings. They called them green beans.

After lunch they sat me with a few of my old toys in the center of the room, which I wasn't interested in. Mani brought me the old pan and wooden spoon, like he gave me when they were here with me. He said "Babies and people need Musica." I drummed and sang in my language for a long time. People were joking about me being a great drummer and singer.

I started to get tired and looked at the box. I saw someone by it, but they moved away. I crawled over to it with my Ouchy box and spoon. Inside was my Linus blue blanket. I lay down and pulled the flaps closed.

Before I went to sleep I thought "I like this Christmas. Let's do it again tomorrow too."