A Family Campout at the Dryer

The evening seemed to be going so well! We fed the kids at 5:30 then the watched Harold and the Purple Crayon (fantasticly soothing and mellow - great evening show!) while Mike and I ate and chatted. Mike then turned on the bath, left for maybe 2 seconds and in runs Cora, she leaned in a little to far and when over the side of the tub. That part was pretty funny only because she caught herself with her arms and was high-centered calling "I stuck, I stuck" with her little bare bum up in the air. Well, if you know Cora at all, you know what she was packing in her right hand, by it's tail, yep Gracie went for a swim! Totally submerged and soaked up a ton of water. We managed to calm her down for the bath but once she was out nothing would satisfy her, not even the "extra cow" that is a 2nd Gracie. We went to visit Gracie in the laundry basket (this cow was way beyond being dry before bed time) and through her sobs she said "Hi Dicey" (she calls her Dicey). Then we hung it up to show her that we were going to let Gracie dry out over night, and again through her sobbing said "night, night Dicey, see you in the morning." We then thought it was going to be ok, but as soon as she was dressed she became hysterical for Dicey, she actually threw and kicked the extra cow and said "bye bye" as she did. So, with no choice left we sat at the dryer and waited for Gracie to get dry enough to go to bed with. Cora sobbed and sobbed and kept trying to open the dryer door, no amount of reasoning was getting though to her. Then Wyatt came out and said "I know how to feel Cora better! I'm going to sit with her and tell her some things!" So with Mike's help he told Cora that Gracie was OK and that sometimes his blanket has to go in the dryer too. Amazingly this was what finally calmed her down - and a big hug from brother. It was so sweet I almost cried! Of course Gracie did not get dry in time, but she did stop dripping, so Cora took a wet cow to bed with her (though I am going to finish drying it as soon as she goes to sleep). We've had many comments on how "loved" Gracie looks lately, and I suppose this truly does confirm how loved she is. I pray that nothing worse ever happens to Gracie than an untimely bath!