Things are Changing in the Castle

Once upon a time there was a princess. The princess was petite and lovely. The princess had minions and good friends, and chocolates on special occasions. The princess had a mommy who loved her and a daddy who loved her. The princess was rather a good baby, if the Queen could provide adequate down time, up time, sleep and bottles of sweet milk.

One day the princess became confused. It seemed that every time she turned around, things were...different. Things moved. Things disappeared. She became nervous. Then there was the time when she just couldn't ignore it anymore. She walked into her room...and something was wrong. What was it? What was it??? That was it! Under the window...the couch. Where was the couch? She knew the couch had been there before - she remembered the pale blue blanket that was on top of it, the stuffed animals that were always just out of reach. She walked into the room slowly, walked right up to where the edge of the couch used to be. She started to inch forward, nervously. What if the couch was still there, she just couldn't see it? It had always been there - where could it have gone? Suddenly, she lost her nerve. Throwing a nervous giggle at her watching mother, she turned and ran back out of the room. She got a few steps into the hall before her curiosity got the best of her. She crept back into the room, boldly approaching where the couch used to be. Mustering all her courage, she bravely stepped past the edge of the invisible "couch", expecting to bump into something at any moment. No bump! No couch! Finally, she knew she wasn't imagining things. Things all over the house were disappearing. The TV next to Mommy's computer. The chair next to the guest bed. But where could it all be?

Mommy tried to explain - everything is in the garage. We had to put it out of the way to make the house look better.

Her mother pondered - how do you explain to a 17 month old princess that in a mere two months, this would no longer be their home? That it had to stay neat and tidy so that people could come and look at it and see a pretty home that they wanted to buy? How do you soothe her nervousness and make her feel safe and distract her from how different everything is?



Her mother, the Queen, came up with a game plan. They would find new things to play. With the extra stuff moved out of the way, the home became a veritable HOTBED for roughhousing, intense games of Chase, and amazing hiding places. One night, the Princess actually fooled her mother! As they chased around and around the house, the Princess slipped underneath the piano and her mother went right by her. The Princess was learning to enjoy this new space!


The second part of her mother's plan was to allow the Princess some previously un-offered comforts. Chocolate, when she was not asking for it, but no more than a piece or two a day. Her lovey, carried all over the house when it wasn't nap time. Extra snuggles and books at bed time. Oh, and more Silly Mommy Moments to make her laugh.



(So far, the Queen's plan seems to be working. The Princess is adjusting to her changing surroundings and her attitude is much better - she's even playing happily with Cousin E this week! Now, if only we could get some buyers in here to SEE our clean home!)