A Special Package

A little over a week ago, I was told that a special, much anticipated package from my parents was finally on its way.  As this last week progressed and the package hadn't shown yet, I grew more certain that its arrival would coincide with the day we were gone at our church retreat--and sure enough, when we got back on Sunday, there was a little note from the mailman waiting for us.  Rather than wait 'a few days' for them to get my reply note and redeliver (which in the past has backfired on us and I've had to go to the post office WAY later to find my package still hiding out there), I headed for the post office yesterday to pick it up.  I knew the one major item that was in it, so I knew it would be a big box.  But I somehow wasn't expecting it to be THAT big.  It was relatively light, so I could carry it without too much difficulty...the trick, however, came when I got to the car:  I couldn't get the thing into the trunk at all, and it barely fit through the back door of the car.  I was lucky the car next to mine had left me some space!  But I got in it and got it home, and then there was much fun to be had. :)

Inside was a knotted mess of wadded newspapers (including a comic, which Daddy grabbed eagerly), several packages of varying sizes wrapped up festively (a belated Christmas), and the item I'd been waiting for:  My child-sized rocking chair.

For my 3rd Christmas, when I was nearing 2 1/2 years old, my grandpa gave me a rocking chair that he had made for me.  I loved that thing--it was just my size, comfy, beautifully crafted, and even had a little drawer under the seat for me to stow whatever tiny treasure I happened to have at the moment (it got lost a few times, but always somehow made it back under the chair).  As the years passed, I out-grew it of course, but it stayed put in our house.  I would guess that my younger siblings also enjoyed it, though I don't really remember.  Regardless, it was a much-loved piece of childhood furniture.

Well, now my Munch gets to enjoy it.  Somehow, 28 or so years later, it has survived all 4 of us kids, and is in rather good condition still, too!  It's a tad big for her yet:  She couldn't get onto the seat by herself, but once on, Munch knew immediately what to do with it, and her face broke out in a huge grin as she started rocking back and forth.  FINALLY, a chair that she's ALLOWED to rock in!  ;)  She'll have grown into it before I know it.  I'm so stoked to have it here for her to really get the most out of it.

Does anyone notice...Munch at 1 1/2 is taller than me at 2 1/2, according to these pictures....?  YIKES.  Now THAT is a way to compare!

There were other goodies in this package too...A couple of note:  The dog calendar for Daddy sent Munch into a tizzy as she pointed at it and repeated one of her few words over and over and over again:  DAW, DAW, DAW!!  A darling little ladybug sponge-holder for me sadly broke in transit but was resurrected (with a few battle scars) thanks to the fabulous tool known as superglue.  An illusionist ball--the type that weird fellow used on 'Labyrinth'--was given to Daddy and is bending the Munch quite out of shape as she is realizing that there is a ball in the house she can't have...  Also a FOURTH beautiful set of ladybug magnets--making it official that I now have more ladybug than cat magnets...how did THAT happen?? :)  Munch's gifts of course are the most fun, if for no other reason than that it's a blast to watch her still learning how to open them.  This latest group leads me to suspect that her room will not stay with this bug/ladybug theme that I started with...But I think I'm ok with this alternate theme...

For the record, that AMAZING Tigger Pillow Pet has already been dubbed 'Big-Tig', by the Munch herself, no lie!  Her face totally lit up when she opened that particular package!  And, incidentally, so did mine...  :)  It didn't take her long to start ripping around the house with both of her beloved Tiggers in hand (or arm, as the case must be with Big-Tig).  And it proved impossible to get a non-blurred picture of her excitement. :)

Many thanks to my parents, and to those who contributed to the goodies inside (my sis and my grandma E in particular)!  We are feeling very loved over here.  :)