I stand corrected

Round 12: Winter 2018


Sam Cooper is 40, Grace is 35, Ross and Madelyn are 7 and James is 2.

Narrated by Grace Cooper

We've been talking about getting a pet ever since we moved into this house. Initially Sam wanted to get a German Shepherd because he has worked with them in the military but I thought a smaller dog would be better. He finally gave in and we bought a Miniature Schnauzer male called Oscar.

It didn't take long before Oscar charmed Sam. The kids absolutely adore him and sometimes Madelyn and Ross even start fighting because they both want to play with him the moment they come home from school.

We just have to make sure that James doesn't love the dog too much. He's too young to be very careful and tender so he usually pulls Oscar by the ears and hugs him so tightly that the poor dog looks like his eyes are going to pop out.

We've been having some serious problems with the nanny lately so we're both trying to take some time off work every now and then to look after James. There's no use paying the nanny if James is hungry and tired when we get home from work.

Madelyn and Ross are quite independent already. Madelyn usually wakes up first and goes to Ross's room and wakes him up too. They manage to get their cereal out of the fridge by themselves which is very convenient for me. I always seem to be so busy in the mornings.

We wouldn't be very surprised if Madelyn followed Sam's footsteps to army. She can be very bossy and she's quite a disciplinarian for the dog.

She keeps her brothers out of trouble as well. It's so funny to look at them sometimes when she watches tv and he reads the paper. They're like an old married couple. But really I'm very happy that they are so close.

We try to eat at least one meal together every day. It's nice to hear about the kids' day and talk with them.

We decided to throw a party just to gather all our family under the same roof for one day. We never had a house warming party so it was definitely time for that!

I'm so glad to see that dad is finally getting over mom's death. I heard him tell Sam that this is the first time he really goes out for other reasons than work. It's about time!

Sam bought a 6-pack of beer and it didn't take long for Danny to find it. I tried to ask him about his studies but he was really evasive. He was put on academic probation last year and we're all hoping that he would work a bit harder and graduate.

Dad was almost like his old self, telling funny stories and entertaining everyone. I wouldn't mind if he started dating again. He's still young and I know that mom wouldn't want him to spend the rest of his life alone.

Ross and Todd played cops and robbers. They insisted on taking off their coats even though it wasn't really that warm. Luckily they didn't catch a cold. We tried to tell them not to run to the street but as soon as the adults turned their back they were on the road again.

It's so hard to think of Frieda as my sister. She was born after I had already moved to college so we've never become very close. She's so much younger that our kids think of her as their cousin instead of aunt.

The real highlight of the party was the latest addition to our extended family, Bridget. We were all pretty shocked when Janie and Danny told us that she's pregnant. They're doing pretty well - except for Danny's academic probation but that has nothing to do with the baby.

I have to admit that seeing Sam with a baby in his arms kind of made me want another one. But I think this is it for us. It's best to focus on the family we already have.

Madelyn got so tired that she snuck off to her bedroom and went to sleep before 7 pm. I don't think it's ever been that easy to get her to bed. She's usually asking for 15 extra minutes before bedtime to play with Oscar or watch tv.

It was so great seeing all of our extended family get along so well. We should definitely get together more often.

Notes:

• Title from "I stand corrected" by Vampire Weekend. 
• As you can see, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. Real life has been quite hectic lately but hopefully I'll have more time to play now. I think this impromptu hiatus only inspired me, ie. I'm building a military base which is going to be pretty awesome if I may say so.
• I've been boasting about the superb nanny that I have in Wellington but it seems my luck has run out. She kept putting James on the high chair and then letting him out over and over again. The poor kid was so hungry and tired by the time Sam got home from work. I'll give her another chance but I guess I'll have to think of other solutions for families that need a babysitter if she doesn't come to her senses.