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Authors: Bonnie Bryant
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would be downstairs most of the time, she would be picking up Phil’s next call on the kitchen phone, anyway. Then The Saddle Club headed for the stairs.
“Time for the rest of the party to start,” Stevie whisperedwith a grin. “What should we do first? I vote for prank phone calls.”
“Well, I guess we could—” Carole began.
She never got to finish the sentence. There was a loud, piercing scream from the direction of the nursery. It was Maxi, wailing at the top of her lungs, sounding as if her heart would break.
“I NEVER KNEW babies could have insomnia,” Carole said twenty minutes later. She was in the living room, watching as Maxi crawled busily around the floor among her toys.
Lisa was sitting next to Carole on the couch. She sighed and rested her chin on her hand. “
I
never knew someone so cute could scream so loud,” she said. “My head is still throbbing from the racket.”
The girls had rushed back into the nursery at Maxi’s first scream. As soon as they had entered the room, the baby had stopped crying. Within seconds, she was as happy as she had ever been.
But when the girls had once again tried to leave her alone in the crib, the same thing had happened. And again, as soon as they were back in the room, Maxi was happy again.
Lisa had rocked her for a few minutes. Then they had tried to leave again—with the same result.
This time, Stevie had suggested letting her cry for a little while. Her theory was that Maxi would wear herself out pretty soon and fall asleep.
It was only after ten straight minutes of ear-shattering screams that Stevie had remembered that her parents often tried the same trick with Stevie and her brothers when they were arguing or roughhousing or otherwise making noise. It never worked.
“I know what you mean, Lisa,” Stevie groaned. She had collapsed on the floor next to the baby. Maxi giggled and crawled over her stomach. Stevie didn’t move. “I feel like I’ve just been to the loudest rock concert in history. They say those can ruin your hearing.” She grimaced. “If that’s true, maybe Maxi won’t be a horsewoman when she grows up after all. She’ll be a rock star.”
Lisa giggled. “She’d look awfully cute as the star of her own music video, wouldn’t she?”
The others had to laugh at that. Carole leaned over and grabbed Maxi as she crawled toward the couch.
“Let’s try rocking her,” she said. “Maybe she’ll get sleepy again like she did when Ms. Lynn was here.”
While Carole was rocking Maxi, Lisa decided to heat up the baby’s bottle. “If she has a little snack and sits with us for a while, she might calm down and fall asleep,” she said.
Stevie nodded. “Good plan,” she agreed. “Meanwhile, we can still get our own party started, right? Let’s play a game of Monopoly or something. That should be easy to do while she’s downstairs with us.”
“Okay,” Lisa said as she headed toward the kitchen for the bottle. “But make sure somebody holds on to her. We don’t want her swallowing any of those little game pieces.”
Stevie quickly located Max and Deborah’s Monopoly game in a closet. She tossed a few of Maxi’s toys into her playpen to create a clear space on the floor, then proceeded to set up the game board.
Carole looked over at the clock on the mantel. “So much for Maxi’s seven-thirty bedtime,” she said ruefully. “I hope she gets sleepy soon. It’s already going on eight-thirty.”
Stevie stopped straightening the play money and sat up quickly. “What did you say?” she asked. She didn’t wait for Carole to answer. She jumped to her feet. “Eight-thirty! Oh, no. Phil missed our eight o’clock call!”
Lisa entered with the warm bottle just in time to hear her. “Are you sure about that?” she said. “Maybe you ought to check the answering machine. It was a littlenoisy around here, you know. We might have missed the phone ringing.”
Stevie gasped. “You’re right! Especially since I
“Time for the rest of the party to start,” Stevie whisperedwith a grin. “What should we do first? I vote for prank phone calls.”
“Well, I guess we could—” Carole began.
She never got to finish the sentence. There was a loud, piercing scream from the direction of the nursery. It was Maxi, wailing at the top of her lungs, sounding as if her heart would break.
“I NEVER KNEW babies could have insomnia,” Carole said twenty minutes later. She was in the living room, watching as Maxi crawled busily around the floor among her toys.
Lisa was sitting next to Carole on the couch. She sighed and rested her chin on her hand. “
I
never knew someone so cute could scream so loud,” she said. “My head is still throbbing from the racket.”
The girls had rushed back into the nursery at Maxi’s first scream. As soon as they had entered the room, the baby had stopped crying. Within seconds, she was as happy as she had ever been.
But when the girls had once again tried to leave her alone in the crib, the same thing had happened. And again, as soon as they were back in the room, Maxi was happy again.
Lisa had rocked her for a few minutes. Then they had tried to leave again—with the same result.
This time, Stevie had suggested letting her cry for a little while. Her theory was that Maxi would wear herself out pretty soon and fall asleep.
It was only after ten straight minutes of ear-shattering screams that Stevie had remembered that her parents often tried the same trick with Stevie and her brothers when they were arguing or roughhousing or otherwise making noise. It never worked.
“I know what you mean, Lisa,” Stevie groaned. She had collapsed on the floor next to the baby. Maxi giggled and crawled over her stomach. Stevie didn’t move. “I feel like I’ve just been to the loudest rock concert in history. They say those can ruin your hearing.” She grimaced. “If that’s true, maybe Maxi won’t be a horsewoman when she grows up after all. She’ll be a rock star.”
Lisa giggled. “She’d look awfully cute as the star of her own music video, wouldn’t she?”
The others had to laugh at that. Carole leaned over and grabbed Maxi as she crawled toward the couch.
“Let’s try rocking her,” she said. “Maybe she’ll get sleepy again like she did when Ms. Lynn was here.”
While Carole was rocking Maxi, Lisa decided to heat up the baby’s bottle. “If she has a little snack and sits with us for a while, she might calm down and fall asleep,” she said.
Stevie nodded. “Good plan,” she agreed. “Meanwhile, we can still get our own party started, right? Let’s play a game of Monopoly or something. That should be easy to do while she’s downstairs with us.”
“Okay,” Lisa said as she headed toward the kitchen for the bottle. “But make sure somebody holds on to her. We don’t want her swallowing any of those little game pieces.”
Stevie quickly located Max and Deborah’s Monopoly game in a closet. She tossed a few of Maxi’s toys into her playpen to create a clear space on the floor, then proceeded to set up the game board.
Carole looked over at the clock on the mantel. “So much for Maxi’s seven-thirty bedtime,” she said ruefully. “I hope she gets sleepy soon. It’s already going on eight-thirty.”
Stevie stopped straightening the play money and sat up quickly. “What did you say?” she asked. She didn’t wait for Carole to answer. She jumped to her feet. “Eight-thirty! Oh, no. Phil missed our eight o’clock call!”
Lisa entered with the warm bottle just in time to hear her. “Are you sure about that?” she said. “Maybe you ought to check the answering machine. It was a littlenoisy around here, you know. We might have missed the phone ringing.”
Stevie gasped. “You’re right! Especially since I
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