1 Mother 2 Another

Yesterday the girls and I headed to the
park for some fun, Cora on her bike and the rest of us walking.
Cora packed a purse full of toys, I brought our water bottles, and
Maddie packed a first-aid kit. Just in case.


The girl must have been psychic, because on the way home Cora fell
of her bike. The bike didn’t even tip over; it simply leaned
a bit on a bump and Cora toppled off. She fell on her hiney,
bumping it a bit, and looked at me startled.


Maddie rushed over with her purse half-way opened: “Cora, are
you ok?”


Cora looked up at Maddie and said sadly, “Maddie, I fell on
my hiney!”


Maddie leaned over, the Concerned Older Sister. “Oh, poor
baby. Do you need a band-aid for it?”


Cora blinked, the wheels turned in her head, and she said,
“Yes. Yes, I do.”

Which is how I found myself, a few minutes
later, being shooed politely from the bathroom as Cora stepped in
to go potty and “band it up”. Cora respectfully
declined assistance, and a few moments later came out sans
underpants, saying anxiously, “Does it look ok?” before
turning around so I could get a good look.


There, right in front of my face, was a smiling Big Bird running
parallel to Cora’s crack, a gap of maybe two inches between
them, riding comfortably over the meat of her hiney. How my child
managed to get that thing on her butt so straight, I will never
know.


How I managed to keep a straight face, I will never know.


Choking back my chortles, I struggled to stay solemn as Cora turned
around, concerned. “Yes,” I managed to squeak out,
“It looks just fine.” Brian happened upon the hiney and
almost snorted, working manfully to control himself as Cora marched
heroically upstairs for more pants, calling over her shoulder,
“Mommy, can you come help me?”


The sight of Big Bird, swaying back and forth in front of me as I
mounted the stairs, is one I will cherish for a long, long time.


Cora wore the thing the whole day, claiming it made the hiney feel
much better, and then went to bed with it still firmly in place,
and I’m wondering if she’ll wake up having forgotten
about it and leave the thing on for days.


I am so dreading having to rip that thing off.