“David, stop getting her all jazzed up! Tell her it’s time for bed!”

Mommy always yells at Daddy when he’s tickling me before bed time, I guess it’s because I get out of my, I’m-too-tired-to-do-anything-but-suck-my-fingers mood. I gave the puppy eyes to Daddy because he gives into everything, but not this time. Mommy looked at me in the way when her face wrinkles up at the top of her forehead, and her eye brows go in toward her eyes, so I knew it was time to get ready for bed. So did Dad.

I walked away with my head down, eyes staring at the floor. My eyes, they wouldn’t cry, I will not cry, but nothing would come out. I reach the stairs; I jump on each stair to make sure they hear me stomp up the stairs, but they don’t say anything. When I reach the flat part of the stairs, before I go up the rest of the stairs, I jump up and down three times to make sure they hear me.

“Skyler, stop making so much noise, go put on your pajamas, and brush your teeth, then get into bed and I’ll come up to tuck you in!” Mommy yelled that from the kitchen!
I walk on my tippy-toes, hold the railing so I don’t fall and so Mommy doesn’t yell at me again, and then I go into my room. I see a mirror as soon as I get into my room and I strike a pose. I always like getting my picture taken, so I need all the practice I can. I turn to the side, turn my head back to the mirror, close my eyes a little, and then keep a straight face. Oh look! Cameras! I thought. Next pose. Hands on my hips and smile! Oh no, I’m missing a few teeth!
I walk to the right and look at my huge, pink bed! It’s Daddy’s “back-up” bed! I got it because I’m Daddy’s only girl, and because Tucky smells.
Hmm… where are my footies? My footies are my FAVORITE pajamas. They are so soft on the outside and on the inside! First foot goes in the right, then the other side. I know my right, but then there’s another word for my other foot, I think. I tip-toe across the ugly, grey carpet, with dog puke by the door to get to the bathroom. Scout threw up gross bits one night, probably because those dog treats are not good! I knew that because a couple nights ago, Mommy and Daddy went out for dinner without Tucky and me, so Tucky fed me dog treats- the tan colored bones that come in a big, red box on top of the counter where the dog food is. Tucky said if I didn’t eat them I would die! I don’t know why Mommy and Daddy yelled at us when they got home and saw me eating them. I thought they were supposed to help me not die! Scout ate the whole box because I had them on the ground with me.

Cold, cold! The little tiles on the white ground freeze my feet! I can feel the cold all the way through my footies! I step on the shaggy, white and black carpet and then step up to the white step stool and pick up my pink toothbrush. I turn the right knob to make the water as cold as it can get. I take off the cap to the toothpaste, run my toothbrush under the water, and then use my other hand to squeeze out the toothpaste. The dentist told me to brush for two minutes, but I can’t count that high. I’ll just brush for a little while longer, yeah just a little. I rinse off my toothbrush, and jump off the stool, I run into my room and jump on my bed. WAIT! Something is missing! Where is Bear?!

“Daddy! Daddy! Bear is missing! Daddy where is he?!” I yell down the stairs.

“Have you checked under the covers, Baby Girl?”

“Yes, Daddy! I searched my whole room he’s not there!”

“Looks like we have to go on a Bear Hunt to find him!” Daddy says with a smile.
I hear him coming upstairs, because he makes louder stair-climbing noise than I do. He is so big; I really think he’s a giant. He’s so much fun to climb on! Whenever I do climb on him, which is almost every day, I climb up his leg first, then once I get to his belly he lifts me up and puts me on his shoulders! I can see everything from up there, and boy is he old, he has no hair left!

“Ready Munchkin? Jump up!” he says as he squats down for me to jump on his back.

“Ready!” I say with a big smile on my face.
I put my arms around his neck and he holds my legs just to make sure I don’t fall off. Daddy’s so much fun- he skips around when I’m on him and then jumps into each room. The first room we search is Tucky’s room because he’s always been jealous of Bear. We bend down to look under Tucky’s blue bed; all there is are dirty, stinky, moldy socks.

“Bear, come out-come-out-where-ever-you-are!” Daddy says as he checks Tucky’s closet.

“Bear, please come out, it’s bed time!” I say as I start to cry.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” Daddy assures me.

Daddy always runs like he has to pee, I don’t know why, but I think it’s funny! The hard wood floors creek when Daddy walks on it, because he’s so heavy, he weighs like 4,000 pounds. We run into the bathroom, wondering if Bear just had to use the toilet before bed, but no sign of him. I smack my dad on the back and say,
“Giddy up, pony!”

The next room is dark and scary, but I wasn’t worried because Daddy turned on the lights so I could see it was just my parent’s bedroom. He lifts up all of the covers in the bed, to make sure Bear isn’t hiding in their bed. We have no luck anywhere upstairs!

“Daddy, where could he be?” I say as tears stream down my face.

“He’s just hiding on us Sweetie.”
Daddy jumps on each stair on the way down. Whenever Mommy sees Daddy do that she always gets angry.

“David, don’t do that, you’re going to fall and break her neck!”
I think Mommy just worries too much. Daddy jumps into the dining room. The colors are all dark and -- I think the word my mom uses is “elegant,” whatever that means. The table is really smooth and glossy. It has six chairs all around it. We only sit in here for special occasions -- like my birthday! In this house, my birthday is the most special day of the year, at least that’s what Mommy and Daddy say. Daddy bends down to check under the table, because sometimes Bear likes to take a nap with the dogs under there. I always find him lying with Scout and Ranger, and Bear’s usually in one of their mouths. They probably just like him just as much as I do!

Daddy prances like ballerinas do into the sunroom. The sunroom is my favorite room because it’s bright and yellow and everything is so cheery! Daddy jumps up and down three times, and points to my huge, pink, poka dot love sac!

“Hmm… I think we found him, Sweetie!”

“DADDY! DADDY! I found him! I found Bear!”
I jump off Daddy’s back and hug Bear as hard as I possibly can!

“Bear! I thought I lost you for forever!” I say with the biggest smile on my face.

“I’m glad you found him Doodle Bug, but it’s way past your bed time,” Mommy says as she walks with her arms crossed into the sunroom.

Daddy picks me up and throws me behind him to carry me upstairs. He folded back the covers and lays me down with Bear in my hand. I start to suck my middle finger and the ring finger on my right hand, with Bear in my left. That’s what the word is! Left, is the other hand!

Mommy kisses me on the cheek. “Goodnight Doodle Bug, I love you.”

Daddy kisses me on the forehead, looks to see if Mommy is out of the room, then starts to tickle me again!
Mommy yells from Tucky’s room,

“David, stop getting her all jazzed up! Tell her it’s time for bed!”
Daddy scrunched his nose and chuckled, kissed me again and whispered in my ear,

“Remember, Daddy loves you.”
“And remember, Skyler loves you.”
Daddy walks away, shuts off the lights, and closes the door. I whisper to Bear,

“Aren’t you glad I hid you? We got to stay up a whole extra hour!”