Catherine is a very mellow baby. This is a relief for her parents, who are not entirely sure what they are doing. Robert and Elizabeth were both raised primarily by nannies. They had precious few examples of what actual hands-on parenting looked like to draw on from their own childhoods.
Elizabeth marvels over her tiny baby before looking nervously at her husband. She knows she wants to be the mother than she never had for her own daughter, but is not sure how to begin. "Well, she's finally here," she says slowly. "We have a little crib, a teddy bear, diapers, and milk. What do we do now?"
Robert walks over to is wife, kisses her lightly on the cheek and traces his finger on Catherine's little face. "Darling, we're just going to have to wing it and hope for the best."
Of course, winging it is easier said than done.
"Honey? Honey, she's crying again. What do I do?"
Elizabeth lazily saunters out of the bedroom. "Wing it, dear. I tended her at three this morning. It's your turn. I'm going to go eat breakfast."
Luckily, Robert wises up and figures out his poor daughter just wants breakfast, too.
Elizabeth reflects on her own childhood as she coos over Catherine. How her father was willing to sacrifice spending quality time with his children is beyond her. The idea of going even an entire day without making her baby laugh is unfathomable to Elizabeth.
As a nervous first-time father, Robert likes to have Catherine under his eye at all times, so he drags her cradle out to the living room every day. He likes to be able to write in the same room as her.
He's pretty sure she'd be safe in the bedroom, but he likes to keep an eye on her. Just in case.
All too quickly, little Catherine leaves babyhood behind. She inherited her father's green eyes, but her hair must come from a more distant relation.
She is a happy toddler, seemingly immune to the "terrible twos." Her favorite toy in the toy box is the horse.
She also loves crawling into the toy box and hiding from her parents.
"In all things athletic, this family supports the Llamas. Your mother is going to tell you that this family supports the Emus. Normally your mother is right about most things, but this time is she is wrong. We are loyal only to the Llamas. Can you say 'llama?'"
"Wamma."
"Close enough."
It's not long before Catherine begins trying to stand up and walk on her own two feet. Lucky for her, Daddy is always there to catch her when she stumbles.
"Dad! Hey, Dad! Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!"
Tickle time!
Elizabeth decides to expand her garden so that she can grow new food for Robert to use in his new recipes. Unfortunately, she plants a few more plants than she can actually handle.
It becomes a two person venture.
Now that she's a little older, Robert begins taking Catherine on trips to the library.
Catherine plays with the toys in the children's section while Daddy keeps a watchful eye from the computer. When Cougars Attack was a hit, but his follow up novel, Of Moose and Sims was not well received at all. Robert decides to branch out into science fiction and begins a novel called Grunenwald: Origins of a Nightmare.
Elizabeth often joins her husband and daughter at the library after work. She shows Catherine how each peg fits into its proper hole.
Elizabeth encourages her daughter's musical pursuits. Elizabeth loves music and plays guitar. She wants to pass on her love of music to little Catherine.
Catherine daintily samples her food, reflecting on its flavor and texture.
Apparently it pleased the toddler's palate.
Elizabeth's breakfast doesn't sit nearly as well with her as Catherine's did.
Robert is thrilled that another baby is on the way.
This doesn't prevent him, however, from freaking out when his wife goes into labor.
"Robert, stop freaking out and call a taxi," Elizabeth snaps. She's in no mood for his hair pulling.
Three Tudors went into the hospital.
Five Tudors came out.
Little James Tudor was born first.
His twin sister, Jane, was born second.
The twins happened to be born on Catherine's birthday. Her parents had bought a cake to celebrate.
Unfortunately the cake caught on fire, causing panic.
The fire was put out, but the Tudors weren't able to get another cake.
Despite the lack of cake, Catherine grew into a lovely young child. Luckily, her mother's recent pregnancy meant that there was plenty of ice cream in the freezer, so they celebrate with ice cream instead.
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I have so many photos of Catherine as a toddler, but I've condensed her toddlerhood to one post for purposes of plot (provided I can figure the plot out. Argh!) I promise you'll get a better photo of her as a child in upcoming chapters. I was so intent on preventing Robert from catching on fire that I missed her aging up. That sweater she is wearing above is ugly, so she'll be in new clothes next time we see her.
So, my roll determined that the third child would be the heir. The role of heir thus falls to little Jane Tudor. I don't know how everyone lets their spares go, I've fallen in love with all of the little Tudors. The roll was for four children, so we still have one more to go.
Bonus Pictures of Catherine
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