Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I'm a Disney Princess (without the gown. Or woodland creatures. Or pretty jewelry. So, I'm a Disney Princess mostly in attitude which really just isn't as much fun).

I went downstairs for just a few minutes last night to move laundry into the dryer and when I turned the corner to head up the stairs, I saw Katie waiting for me.  She looked a little upset.  Aaaand, that's an understatement because she had big tears and a heartbroken expression on her face.

I didn't know what was wrong so I went to pick her up and cuddle her.  She can be a little... intense... sometimes so I just thought it was a mood.  Until she told me, between sobs, that she was "running in the living room" and she "knocked over daddy's laptop".  Daddy was already in bed and doesn't know this happened.  (Hi Daddy!)

I looked, and sure enough, the laptop was on the floor with the hinged side in the air.  It was open when it fell and luckily didn't break apart upon impact. 

I didn't freak out over this very expensive potential paperweight and I'm very proud of that.  Um, if it had been my laptop I might have shed a few tears... maybe let loose with a "NNNNNnnnnnooooooooo!" but I didn't want to scare Katie.  And it wasn't mine.  So I kept it together.  I felt like a Disney princess with all of the tra la la-ing and oh, let's just put this back on the table, no need to cry, everything will be fine.  Not sure which princess though... maybe Lily Tomlin in 9-to-5.  (Minus the animated woodland creatures... I don't know if I like those.)

So, after the initial shock, my calm, positive attitude helped to calm her down a little and after I got the laptop back on the table without it breaking into two large pieces, Katie ran to me and wanted me to hold her.  This doesn't happen a lot these days.  She's usually very independant and very much "I can do it myself" or "I don't want to sit with you, I want to play" (and this: "in my room, with the door shut so Jake can't get in here and mess up my stuff because, even though I want to keep all of *his* toys in here, I'll scream if he so much as breathes on my stuff" is implied even if it's not verbally stated).

We cuddled and she cried and I told her that it looked fine, just be careful when running in the living room.  Which, I just don't get anyway.  I mean, daddy's laptop is in the far end of the living room, the only thing near it is his chair and the TV cabinet.  And the kids don't usually play over there because, well, it's not too exciting.

And after taking half a second to consider that statement, I've got to take it back.  Jake *loves* to play over there when daddy isn't in his chair and he's forgotten to close his laptop (the laptop that's now minus a few keys because Jake has plucked them off.  Don't ask me how... it's a mystery of tiny fingered dexterity) but Katie usually ignores it. 

I guess maybe curiousity got her.  Daddy has a pretty cool screen saver and I can see her being interested in it and trying to get closer look at it... and then trying to turn the screen for an even better look, and then getting mad that the laptop isn't moving, and then giving it a really hard jerk because she really wants to see that screen, and then realizing that maybe it was too hard when the laptop falls to the floor.  That's another way this might have played out.

Anyway, I haven't gotten any calls today asking what might have happened to the laptop last night so I think this little mishap ended without the destruction that usually follows when one of the kids drops something.

Happy day... because I really don't want to share.  (I like my keyboard keys right where they are... thank you very much.)