No Regrets

Chapter Thirteen - Silent Night

ONE MONTH LATER - DECEMBER 2013

KATIE'S POV

  "A little higher." Mom instructs. I mutter something under my breath as I raise an ornament to a higher branch of the Christmas tree. I've been moving this exact same ornament up, down, left, and right, trying to place it in a satisfactory spot for Mom. She insists on placing ornament in the "perfect" place. It's her grandmother's ornament that was passed down to my grandma and then to Mom.

  Mom lets out a frustrated sigh and places a hand on her hip, "Never mind, get down from the ladder. I'll have your father hang the ornament on the tree when he gets inside." she says holding her hand out to take the ornament. I hand it to her and descend from the ladder.

  Mollie is having tummy time on her play-mat. She really enjoys tummy time. If she's fussing and you put her own her stomach. More than half of the time, she'll calm down and became very happy. Mollie has gradually became more active and has began to really interact. She smiles, laughs and babbles non-stop. She is beginning to reach for objects, which means we're all having to be cautious about what's on the ground.

  Dominick is outside helping Dad hang Christmas lights up. I am not envious of them in the slightest. Outside, it's around forty-seven degrees, inside it's nice and toasty.

  I begin hanging a few of my own ornaments of the mini-Christmas tree by he staircase. My parents boughts the mini-Christmas tree for Dominick's first Christmas with them. He was allowed to decorate the tree however he wanted. As I got older, I also was allowed to decorate the tree however I wanted. The older Dominick and I got, the more organized the tree became. We'd pick out a theme and decorate the tree to fit it. Dominick and I stopped using the mini-tree two years ago. However, Mom insisted on keeping it for future grandchildren to decorate.

  No one would have thought the first grandchild would come into our family so soon. Even though Mollie is not old enough to decorate the tree, Dad still brought it down from the attic. The four of us have pretty much adjusted to having Mollie around. It took a while to wrap our minds around Dominick having a baby and the adjustments in the schedule to accommodate a baby.

  My parents dearly love Mollie and will occasionally buy her a new toy. They shower her with love, like all grandparents are supposed to. I love Mollie and am usually very open to any time I can get with her. Dominick is, without a doubt, fond of Mollie; but there is still an obvious distance.

  He's tends to her need whenever he has to, when neither my parents nor myself are available; which is a great thing and also a problem. He shouldn't need to be or feel forced to take care hid daughter, right? Shouldn't parents instinctively have a desire to take care of their children?

"Mom, do you think Mollie is too young to have a taste of chocolate?" I ask walking into the kitchen to grab myself a chocolate-chip cookie fresh from the oven.

"Wait till she has a couple of teeth. Be a shame if she choked around this time of year." Mom replies from living-room where she is working on the main tree.

  I take a bite out of the cookie and walk back into the living room.

  A few minutes later, Dominick and Dad come in from working outside. They're both talking about how cold the weather is getting. "I'll make the hot coco. You put on the movie." Dad says to Dominick.

"What movie are you going to watch?" I ask.

"Nothing you'll be watching young lady." Dad says as he starts to pass me. He leans down and gives me a kiss on the top of my head.

  His answer leads me to conclude the move is either a gory-horror movie or a slightly racy adult-firm. I'm not allowed to watch those until I turn sixteen. However, I've seen a few. Being home alone all while your parents are at work and your brother is out with his friends, has it's perks. "Alright." I say getting up to head to my bedroom.