Dorothy opened her eyes and saw the first morning rays of sun glimmering against the freshly fallen snow just outside her window. Excitedly she reached for the clock on her bedside table, 7:48 shone back at her and her heart sank just a little. She had promised to let Mommy and Daddy sleep in until 8.
She crawled to the edge of her bed and hung her head over the edge where if she lay just right she could see the glow from the Christmas tree and trained her eyes on that slightly brighter spot. The glow looked the same as it had last night before bed but it felt different, it felt like an extra special glow now.
She pulled herself back up onto the bed and crawled over to the foot board where her robe lay folded over top and reached all the way to the floor to snag her slippers. She slipped her arms into the warmth of her robe and her feet into the fuzzy bunnies their round little eyes staring up at her. “Just a few more minutes” she whispered to them and lay back against her pillow to look at the clock. 7:49.
She sat back up and slid to the floor creeping as softly as she could over to the window sill. She stared out at the dawning morning looking for rabbit tracks and was not disappointed to see a rabbit sitting amongst the row of spruce trees nearby. Dorothy took off her slippers and held them up to the window. “See some bunnies live outside, you live on my feet”
She dropped her slippers back to the floor and stepped back into them before turning back to her bedside table again. 7:50.
Dorothy sighed and looking down she noticed her clothes from the night before and her stuffed animals all over the place. She picked up her clothes balled them up and threw them from where she stood into the open hamper beside her closet. “shoots and scores” she whispered.
She pulled her sheet up and then her blanket folding the top edge down and then the sheet over top just like Mommy had shown her how to do and set about collecting all the stuffies around her feet. She arranged them just right along the headboard before looking at the clock again 7:52.
“Arghh” Dorothy growled, why wouldn’t her silly clock hurry up. She softly tiptoed over to her door pulling it open just a little bit further and peeked out into the hall before edging her way out and down to the next door. Dorothy walked over to the crib where she was greeted with a happy gurgle. “Hi Tommy” she said.
Dorothy looked over at Tommy’s bedside clock 7:54. “Do you want to get up Tommy? It’s Christmas morning?” His only response was to blow a bubble. “Really Tommy you could at least answer your big sister” She teased poking her fingers through the bars. Tommy babbled solemnly in response and grasped her fingers.
“Yeah, I know just what you mean. C’mon Tommy lets go see if Mommy and Daddy are really sleeping?”Dorothy pulled the step stool nearby against the side of the crib and climbed up so that she could reach down and hoist Tommy first up to standing and then up over the rail.
“Dorry?” Tommy asked inquisitively.
“What did you say?” She asked him almost stumbling as she stepped off the stool “Dorty” Tommy answered.
“Tommy” she said smiling down at her brother. “Dorty” Tommy cried again clapping his hands. Dorothy sat down sitting Tommy opposite her so she could see his face. She pointed her finger at him and said “Tommy” then pointed back at herself “Dorothy”.
“Dorty” Tommy cried excitedly reaching out to grab her shoulders and pulling himself up to stand so that he leaned against her. “Dorty, Dorty, Dorty”
“Dorothy that’s right Tommy, you can say my name!” Dorothy exclaimed having forgotten all about Christmas morning.
Ten minutes later the door swung open “There you are, I was wondering where you’d gotten off too” Said Dorothy’s Dad “Do you want to come see if Santa came? Mommy is getting up now.”
“No look Dad, Tommy who am I?”She asked him
“DORTY!” He crowed loudly.
“He knows my name, I’m his first real word! Isn’t that amazing.” She said beaming up at her father as he smiled down at her.
“Yes it is, now do you want to go see if Santa came?”
“Mommy said not until 8”
“It’s quarter after 8 Dorothy.”
“Oh…..c’mon Tommy lets go see if Santa brought you a present!”
