An...Interesting...Day, Plus An Update About Adoption Plans!

~Rapunzel
So today, um....was interesting. 

Zelia popped her head around the divider around 4; she knew the girls would be having their nap.  "Hey, um...come here."
"O-okay?"  I asked, glancing at Eugene before quirking a brow at Zelia. 
He nodded, and I hurried over to see my sister. 
I asked what was up, wondering if there was possibly something she wanted to talk about --specifically, someONE...cough, cough, RAY...whom she has shown a little bit of affection towards as of late (and by that, I mean she isn't badmouthing him for his temper anymore, and he seems to be displaying his temper just a little bit less..maybe it's just me playing matchmaker).  Anyway, but what I saw was the very Merida doll that had been in her box before. 
What?

"Helloo," she chirped, not looking up from her leg joints, which she flexed awkwardly. 
"Um...hi?"  Something about her accent triggered a memory, but...she couldn't walk in the memory. 
"I'm so ex'cited, the girl 'round 'ere, th' heu-man, just fixed up m'ah joints.  That's how I can waalk," she explained.  She tilted her head, finally looking up at me.  "I jus' came 'ere, but I knew my joints were goobered up." 
Oh.  She'd been removed from her box. 
But then... HER HEAD CAME CRASHING DOWN FROM HER NECK. 
I kid you not, the doll's head fell right to the table, red curls flying EVERYWHERE. 
I screamed, horrified at what I had just seen.  What came next was even more horrifying, if that's even possible! 
THE BODY FELT AROUND WITH ITS FEET, BUMPED INTO THE HEAD, BENT, PICKED THE HEAD UP, AND SCREWED THE HEAD BACK ON AGAIN.  
I thought I was going to pass out.
I looked towards Zelia, absolutely HORRIFIED, and she just gave me an amused look. 
"Ah, tha't's bettehr," the Frankenstein girl said, rubbing at her neck. 
"Wh-what the...why...?" 
"OH!  The little arrow joint that keeps yer head on yer neck snapped off inside the other doll's head when she pulled it off.  See, I've got a new body -- a LIV form.  The heu-man made sure I'd stay alive ahfter it falls off, 'cuz ever' time I tilt my head, it falls off," she explained.  It was hard to keep up with her fast, lilting Scottish accent, but I managed.  Managed enough to make my overactive imagination start up, resulting in nausea, rather. 

"...Oh," I coughed.  "Well, ah...good for you.  I'm glad to see you can..can walk,"  Even though you can't keep your head on your shoulders...literally. 
"Thank ye.  Wot's yer name again?  Yer sis told me, but I fergot," she explained. 
"Rapunzel.  And you're..."
"Mer'ida!" she said.  "Nice to meet'cha." 
"N-nice to meet you, too," I choked when she cocked her head again, but managed to grab her head in time, tilting it upright again before it hit the floor.  Oh my gosh. 
She left to go try out her new joints, and I immediately yanked Zelia aside.
"Pretty neat, huh?" 
Why can't Tangled Fan re-body Anna and Elsa?"  I ignored her fascinated expression to ask what I wanted to ask.
"I asked her, 'cause I knew you'd ask.  She said she couldn't because their heads were too small and looked weird, added onto the fact that she didn't have enough bodies.  Plus, she said their skintones are too pale to match.  And alas, they stay," she waved an arm in the air dramatically. 
I sighed.  "Hmmh...I guess it's better, though.  If their heads would roll off...oh, GOSH that's weird!" 
She laughed.  "What you call weird, I call neat."
I shook my head, wide-eyed.  And then Eugene called for me quietly.  "Oh, I better go.  I can't hear any of the kids, though..." I trailed off, curious, and headed for our side of the table.  "I'll see you later!"  I called over my shoulder. 
"Hey...what was going on over there?  I heard screaming," he was standing in the middle of the table, a worried look on his face.  "I didn't want to go over, but I was worried, too..."
"Oh!  Well...uh," I trailed off, quickly trying to find a way to explain Merida.  I gave him the shortened,  and slightly disturbing, story; and he laughed. 
"Well, that's...different.  I'm glad she's able to move around, though -- nobody should have to live in a box." 
I nodded.  "Oh, yeah...I just, um...it was definitely unexpected," I giggled quietly so as to not wake the kids. 

We were silent for a few minutes, but then he cleared his throat.  "So, uh...kids.  You remember the other day how you were talking about us adopting a fourth?" 
"Oh!  Yeah," I said, surprised at the switch in conversation but pleased that it was THIS conversation.
"Are you still thinking about it?  I mean, I have no problem with it if you don't.  I love kids, and of course I'd be all for it.  I just wanted to let you know, just in case you wanted to talk to Tangled Fan sometime soon.   I was going to tell you tonight, but since we're sitting here with nothing better to do, I figured I'd just tell you now."  he explained. 
I sucked in a deep breath. I DID want to adopt another child, but I also wanted to wait...oh, maybe a few weeks.  I wanted to make absolutely sure that we could handle a fourth.  I smiled at him.  "I do want to, but I was thinking if you were with me on this, we could maybe wait a few weeks, y'know...make sure we can keep track of four kids." 
He laughed a bit too loudly, and Jordan jumped.  We both froze, watching her.  Fortunately, she nuzzled her face in her blanket a moment before drifting back to sleep. I smiled at how adorable that had been, watching her sweet little napping self while my hubby answered me.  "Yeah...that'd be great.  And we definitely want to make sure we can handle four!  What age are you thinking?" 
I bit my lip.  "I'd kind of like another baby, but at the same time, another older child would be good, too.  So I guess it doesn't matter to me.  You?" 
"I'm with you.  Babies are a lot less active, but they also need carried around a lot.  But on the plus side, they're not constantly grabbing Pascal's tail, or pulling each other's hair, or, um...biting..." he chuckled.  Audrey and Casey had been pretty mischievous lately, and yes, they had decided that they didn't like sharing Pascal, their bed, or their blankets.  (Even though they each have a blanket.  Audrey is a hoarder, apparently).  THAT was what resulted in Casey biting Audrey's arm the other day...thankfully, no one was hurt, of course. 
"Ugh...yeah," I shook my head with a grin.  I wouldn't trade any of them for the world, even though they really could be terrible at times!  :D  "Just as long as the child we get hasn't had a body transplant." 
He shuddered. "Nope."
I giggled.  "Glad we're on the same page with that!"