A Day in the Life of Cora: 5 months

HIIIII! I'm Cora. The CoraBunny, CoraMonster, CoraNugget, CoraButton. Rarely Cora, often Peanut, and always happy to be here. Here's my day:

6:45 a.m.: WAKE UP!

Today is going to be AWESOME. I like to hold my hands and roll around and talk and chirp to myself. It's been nearly 12 hours since I've seen anyone and I have SO MUCH to say and SO MANY saved up smiles to give. I hear my super awesome mini parents moving around in their room and then my big parents come in to get me. This is the best part of my day.

I'm pretty sure my dad is supposed to get me in the morning, but I always hear my mom say, "I'll just run in and get her real quick" and she's dressed all fancy with funny clicky shoes and she scoops me up and gives me big snuggles and lays me on my changing pad and we both do SO MANY SMILES. Mommy dresses me in something that matches. Daddy often fails to help me live up to my sartorial potential, but I smile at him anyway because smiling is my favorite, and I know if mommy sees me in mismatched clothes she always takes me back in my room to change again and I think it's hilarious when she pulls a shirt back over my head. Shirts over the head is my favorite.

You know that "Everything is Awesome" song from the lego movie? That's what I sing in my head ALL day. Because it's true. Everything is AWESOME.

7:15 a.m.: I get to spend time smiling in all sorts of different places in the house! Sometimes I'm on my big parents bathroom floor while my mommy does funny stuff to her hair and face. Other times I'm in my monkey bouncer in the kitchen or my awesome rainforest jumperoo in the big room. My big brother and sister like to come help me jump, even though they're supposed to be putting their shoes on. I don't have shoes. I'm not even sure I have toes. This is confusing. BOUNCE!

7:45 a.m.: Time to go to school! Mommy is already gone and I get big kisses on my squishy cheeks before she runs out the door. Now I'm in the car seat, my new favorite, facing backwards and chewing on a toy. Or my hands. I like to chew. And I like my hands. And they're always right nearby!

7:55 a.m.: We drop my big brother off at Kindergarten! I love my big brother! He always gives me a kiss before he jumps out of the car. He's my favorite.

8:05 a.m.: Now we're at my school! Daddy carries me in in my special bucket seat with my pink bottle bag on his shoulder. My big sister walks with us holding her kitty lunchbox. I can't wait until I'm old enough to have a lunchbox. My sister goes to her class and then I get to see my baby friends. I love my baby friends! Daddy tells my teacher I had a great night (duh, great nights are my favorite) and then tells me to have a good day (of course! good days are my favorite) and he goes off to do whatever grown-ups do during the day.

8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.: School time! I smile my smiles, play with my friends and teachers, drink my bottles, and nap my naps. I love school. I have a best baby friend and we talk and talk and TALK when we're on the floor together. On nice days I get to spend lots of time outside in the buggy. I love being outside in the buggy- I can let my tummy hang out and relax while I look for my big sister. She always comes over to say hi and I get SO excited. My big sister is my favorite.

4:45 p.m.: Mom is here! She's my favorite! My teachers tell her all about how good I was and then she hands me my elephant and I get so excited I shove two of its legs in my mouth. I LOVE my chewy elephant. Where does mommy get it? It seems to disappear and reappear at will. Mom is magic, just like my elephant! We girls get in the car to go pick up my brother and I talk the WHOLE WAY. I have so much to tell them about so many things! Politics, conspiracy theories around Malaysia Flight 370, and my thoughts on preferred Honest Co. diaper patterns.

5:00 p.m.: We get Landon! I love Landon! He tells us all about his day and all his papers and art and I have to start ALL over with my latest news and there's a lot of talking happening at the same time. I love talking at the same time. It's my favorite.

5:10 p.m.: Home! I love home! Usually I'm hungry because all that talking has parched my throat, so my mom goes straight to the rocking chair and snuggles me and feeds me a bottle while my brother and sister go outside to play. Now that the weather is nice I get to go outside and eat while mommy watches my siblings do fancy tricks on the playground. I can't wait until I can do tricks on the playground- I'll be flipping my chins backwards over the swing in no time.

5:25 p.m.: Mom works on making the big people dinner and I get to bounce in my jumperoo. I love my jumperoo! I bounce like a hyperactive kangaroo because it's a really important job and I'm the only one to do it. I try really hard not to look at the waterfall because it hypnotizes me and the bouncing stops. Then I break free and the smiles and bouncing come back right up until I'm sucked in again. It's an exercise in mental toughness and I LOVE it!

5:40 p.m.: TOTALLY over the jumperoo. I file my protest with the mommy and she puts me in my monkey bouncer, then my play gym, and then my bumpo and sing-a-long stage. I love all these things! It's like circuit training for babies. It's not easy keeping all these chins in shape.

5:55 p.m.: Mommy is done with dinner and we're outside watching the big kids play. I love watching the big kids play! Sometimes Mommy just holds me, other times I get to roll around on a blanket while she reads a book or bangs her fingers on a black thing. Boring, but she smiles at me a lot and smiling is my favorite.

6:15 p.m.: Big person dinner time! I sit in my highchair at the table and watch everyone eat and I think this is very awesome. Mommy tried to feed me food on a spoon once and I was NOT IMPRESSED. I prefer a liquid diet with a side of chewy elephant, thankyouverymuch.

6:45 p.m.: Daddy is home! By now mommy is long done with her dinner so she's usually holding me because I'm irresistible. Daddy makes a big plate and sits with us. I LOVE when he sits with us and I smile at him lots while he eats his dinner and talks to mommy and the big kids.

7:00 p.m.: Everyone is done eating and daddy starts doing dishes while the big kids clear the table. Mommy usually goes to the rocking chair and feeds me, but sometimes I get to take a shower so I get naked instead. I love naked! Daddy takes a shower with the big kids and mommy passes me over to him and I love it! Shower time is the coolest. I get passed back to mommy after I get all scrubbed with the silliest soap and she snuggles me in my towel and puts on my pj's.

7:15 p.m.: Now that I'm so fresh and so clean I'm snuggled in the rocking chair with mommy drinking my bedtime bottle. The big kids streak past me between the shower and their room and I think this is very funny. My big brother reads bedtime stories on the couch and I get to listen. I am feeling so warm and so cozy and my tummy is so full and my mommy rocks me back and forth, and back and forth, until the reading is over. My brother and sister gives me hugs and kisses on their way to bed and THIS is the best part of my day.

7:30 p.m.: Mommy brings me to my room, lays me on my tummy, turns out the light, turns on my noisy machine, and puts great-grandma's blanket on my back. I give her big smiles because my bed is my favorite.

7:32 p.m.: I'm asleep.

7:45 p.m.: Except when I'm not. Sometimes I like to talk and hold my hands and roll around.

7:55 p.m.: Super asleep.

3:30 a.m.: Sometimes though, just for fun, I wake up and have long enthusiastic conversations with myself at 3:00 in the morning. I just have so many thoughts! I lay on my side and hold my hands and jabber until I get tired again. Sometimes Mommy sneaks in my room to check on me. She tries to be quiet, but I always know. I smile at her and she smiles back and gives me a little pat on the back and goes back to her bed. I love my mommy. She's my favorite.

Everything is my favorite! I'm Cora and I'm really just delighted to be here.