Introducing Debra to the World

Debra was born into the cold of a Hidden Springs winter and this year was as cold as anyone could remember but the light and warmth she brought into Carl and Malia's life kept the deep chill at bay in their cosy little home on Cottenwood Crescent.

Not that they would have noticed the freeze outside as they devoted all their available time to Debra, encouraging her to talk, walk, and make sense of the world around her.

It was a particularly long winter this year but eventually temperatures lifted and the snows started to melt away.

Malia loved taking Debra out into the parks and open spaces around their home, particularly as the green shoots of spring began to reappear from under their frosty covering provided an ideal opportunity to introduce Debra to the wonders of nature's life-cycle.

Whether indoors or out, Debra was always inquisitive.  To her parents surprise even meal times were an adventure rather than a challenge.  It seemed that whatever new flavours they put in front of her Debra was ready to give it a go, dipping a finger (or several!) curiously into her bowl and sucking on them expectantly before smiling broadly at having something new to enjoy.

Being so adventurous it was inevitable that Debra would be eager to explore under her own steam and it seemed like only a matter of a few days to get her using the walker to propel herself around the house!

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Spring also brought other changes into their lives as Carl received a major promotion, and salary increase, at work.

It was very welcome news as they had been struggling a little to put money aside for Debra's future.  Carl knew from his own father and grand-father that the future was a result of the choices you made in the present - and now that he had a family he intended to do all that he could to secure a good future for them and all that followed.

The extra in his pay packet would also help them afford another child.  Having Debra really brought out the paternal instinct in Carl and he was keen to add to their family.

The downside of his promotion was that his hours and workload increased, meaning that he had less quality time to spend with Debra and Malia.

But whenever he could work from home, he always would so that even he wasn't actively engaged with his daughter, Debra would know he was there for her ...and always  would be.