Tess's Tidbits: Piper's Surprise

Hello everyone!  I've missed blogging so much!  Sorry you haven't heard from me lately.  Frankly, everyone else has had so much going on that I didn't feel like I had anything important enough to write about.  That, and Maggie and Rachel have been on the computer a lot, researching as much as they can about the new "Captain America" movie.  It's kind of hard having Maggie hang out with Rachel so much, but at the same time, I'm relieved that I don't have to hear all about her superhero movies.  I'm just not into films where people are getting shot at or blown up every few minutes.  I'd much rather stick to my calm, beautiful Jane Austen movies. :)  And really, it's hard to be mad at someone like Rachel.  She's a very sweet doll, even if we don't have much in common.

Things have been pretty much the same for me.  I've been spending most of my time reading and writing stories or talking with my sister Hailey and my cousin Katie.  I got to participate in a few blog posts on Mama's blog, too.  It's the Hathaway girls who are going through all of the major changes right now.

Those of you who read Emma's last post will remember that Piper has been longing to see Ruthie and get to know her, now that she knows they are sisters.  Well, yesterday, I was with Emma, Piper, and Charlie, looking over our blog posts.  It was one of the rare occasions that Maggie and Rachel weren't using the computer! :}  We were discussing some of our plans for our 1 Year Blogoversary celebration (it's coming up this Friday!!). 

Suddenly, there was a soft knock at the side door, which is right beside the computer.  We all looked at each other in puzzlement.  Mama was in the other room, talking to Grandmama and Mimi, who had just come by for a visit.  It seemed odd that Mama would have another visitor so soon.  Besides, the knocking was coming from down lower, like it was someone our size at the door.

"Should we answer it?" Emma wondered. 

"We could!" Charlie replied.

"But what if it's another human, one we don't know?" I worried.  "No one is supposed to know we're really alive!  Except Mama, of course."

"I don't think a human would be knocking that quietly, or that far down on the door," Charlie pointed out.  "I think we should answer it."

Piper looked troubled by this, but as she was the one closest to the door, she was the first to move toward it.

"I can't reach it from here," she said.

Charlie came up behind her and held onto her waist.  "Now try!"

Piper reached again, but it was no use.  She still couldn't reach.  It was then that Emma and I decided to move the computer chair over to the door as quietly as we could.  Thankfully, all of the adults had gone back to the playroom to see Mama's girls, so we weren't noticed.

Once we got the chair in the right spot, Emma and I climbed up and Piper and Charlie jumped down from the desk.  Piper still couldn't reach the door knob by standing on the chair, but Emma and Charlie obligingly let Piper stand on their shoulders.  I stood behind them, ready to catch Piper if she fell.

It was tough work...the door stubbornly refused to open on Piper's first few tries.  But finally, after a big yank, the door opened just a hair.  Then, of course, we all had to climb down and move the chair out of the way so that we could pull it open the rest of the way.

The door was a lot heavier than it looked, but we finally managed to pull it open.  What we saw surprised us more than anything.  There, standing in the doorway with a package of some sort tucked under her arm, was Ruthie!  We were all astonished to see her there.

Before we could ask her how she got here, we heard Mama and Grandmama coming back from the playroom.  We all froze in our places.

"What in the world?"  Mama gasped.  Under any other circumstances, she would have asked us what had happened.  But she wasn't sure if Grandmama's dolls had revealed themselves to Grandmama yet, so she acted like we were just lifeless dolls.

Grandmama, on the other hand, got right to the point.  "Ruthie, what on earth are you doing here, young lady?"

Ruthie looked a little embarrassed, but she held her head high.  "Well, you read me Emma's last blog post.  What else could I do?  I had to come see my sister!"

Mama looked over at Grandmama, startled.  "You...you know our dolls can talk?" 

Grandmama gave her an amused look.  "With the dolls I have in my house?  I can't get them to stop talking!"

"This is so exciting!" Mama said happily.  "I never knew you were in on the secret, too!  Does Mimi know?"

Grandmama nodded.  "Jo broke the news to her over a month ago."

"Wow!" Mama replied.  "And to think, all this time I've been keeping it a secret, just in case..."

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but could we please get back to why Ruthie is here in the first place?"  Charlie interjected, in a much more tactful manner than Maggie would have had if she had been here. ;)

Everyone turned back to Ruthie.  She somewhat timidly stepped through the door and walked right up to Piper.  Mama and Grandmama obligingly closed the door behind her and moved the computer chair back to its place.

 "Piper," Ruthie began, "ever since Grandmama read me Emma's post, I've been wanting to come see you, too.  I know you're still special to Emma and Charlie, but I just wanted you to know how excited I am to have a sister!  I can't wait to get to know you better."

Piper was very quiet, which we'd all come to expect from her, but I could tell that Ruthie's words had moved her deeply.  Without a word, she leaned forward and gave Ruthie a big hug!

Ruthie stepped back then, laughing and wiping her eyes.  "I brought you something," she told Piper happily.  "It's an outfit to match mine!  Grandmama bought it."

Piper took the package from her sister.  "Thank you," she said, her eyes shining. 

"You know what this means..." Mama began.

We all looked up at her. 

"Photo shoot!" she said excitedly.

We all attempted to look excited.  Mama and her photos...most of the time we were happy to oblige.  Sometimes the photo sessions got a bit long, though.  I noticed that Charlie looked suddenly weary.  Mama had been taking endless photos of her for the Doll Wardrobe's photo contest.  I think she would be thrilled to never have her picture taken again!

"Well, Ruthie, I wish you would have just asked me to come over," Grandmama said seriously.  "I would have said yes, you know.  But now that you're here, how would you like to stay for a couple of days?"

Ruthie grinned from ear to ear.  "I'd love it!" she said happily.  "Thanks so much!"

"You're welcome," she answered.

"Well, we'll leave all of you alone to get caught up," Mama said with a smile.  She and Grandmama headed back to the living room.

"I'm so glad you're here," Piper said shyly. 

"I'm glad, too!" Ruthie beamed.  "Do you want to try on your outfit?"

Piper nodded, and the two of them headed off down the hallway together, keeping an eye out for Mama's girls, of course.

I was so glad to see the two of them having such a good time.  I hope they have a wonderful visit! :) 

As promised, Mama wasted no time in taking some photos of Piper and Ruthie once Piper had changed into her matching outfit.  Here are some of Mama's favorites:

After a while, Mama had Emma and Charlie join their cousins for a few family photos. :)

By the way, did you notice that Charlie took out her braid?  Mama was very reluctant to let her take it out at first, because she didn't think she would be able to get it back in, and she was worried that Charlie would be disappointed once it was actually out.  Charlie was so glad Mama let her, though.  She's really happy with her hair now.  What do you think of her new style? :)

I'll be sure to let all of you know how the rest of Ruthie's visit goes! :)  And be sure to check back on Friday, August 5th, to help us celebrate our 1 Year Blogoversary! :D