Author: Hurricane Dora Page 2 of 3

The Ride of My Life on a Spaceship

On October 2, 2021

In 07 Months Old, Dora's Stories, Under 1 Year Old

While my sister traveled on airplanes most of her life, I got to travel in a private spaceship at 7-months-old to see my grandparents, big thanks to the Pandemic kid.

Daddy cheerfully said, “Welcome abroad to the spaceship. This is Captain Daddy. It is 4:33AM, the current temperature is 89F with 100 humidity. Please expect a delay as the flight attendant makes her final rounds.”

The dim lights overhead allow me to see everyone’s seating arrangements, Mommy to the right, Daddy in front, and Izzy behind me.

The luggage compartment of the spaceship is so full that the three remaining seats around me are pack to the rim.

I watch Mommy intently as she starts rummaging the six small totes nested on the floor filled with baby bottles, snacks, and toys. After a few minutes, she finally zips everything up.

Daddy’s voice echoes from the front of the car, “The captain has turned on the seatbelt light. Please remain in your seat and keep your seatbelt fastened”. Mommy checks my car seat straps and tightens them some more.

As Mommy checks Izzy’s seat belts in the back, Izzy whispers, “Where are we going?”

Mommy reply, “We are going on a road trip to see grandma and grandpa.”

Daddy made his last announcement, “we are ready for takeoff. Please sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. The lights will dimly shortly.” A few moments later, it got dark with only the street lights peeking through the windows.

The spaceship starts vibrating, moving backward slowly.

It stops and then quickly zooms forward. Mommy places something soft in my hands. I recognize the texture; it is Mrs. Elephant, my sleeping buddy. She then sets a bottle in my hands which floods my mouth with sweet, warm milk. Ahh. Now, that’s the stuff. I am not usually hungry at this hour, but I will welcome free food any day. I cling onto the bottle, chugging until I can’t drink another drop, and drifts off into a deep sleep, dreaming of hyperspace.

Warning: Please take the lesson after a nap but before a feeding. Otherwise, expect to change your outfit due to spit up.

Welcome to Dora’s 5 Min Full Body Exercise Program

By Hurricane Dora

On August 2, 2021

In 03 Months Old, Dora's Stories, Under 1 Year Old

Welcome to the beginner class for babies under three months old. All the positions will require you to lay on your back. Alternatively, you can also take the intermediate exercise program.
Warning: Please take the lesson after a nap but before a feeding. Otherwise, expect to change your outfit due to spit up.

Let’s get started!

To warm up, let’s start with a BIG stretch while laying on your back.
Extend those legs, now raise your arms above your head
Let out a loud yelp to alert the caretakers that you are up.
If you can, arch your back – this is a good technique to wiggle out of your caretaker’ss arms.

Okay, relax those muscles.
Kick your legs as fast as you can as if you are running a marathon in the air, work those glutes! This is good practice for rib kicking.
Add some momentum by flailing your arms.
Remember, you are working for an appetite, so cry for your milk! Wahh!
Let’s do that a few more reps. 3. 2. 1.

Okay, stop. Take a break. Let the environment sink in.
Turn your head to the left.
Now turn to your right.
Keep turning your head faster.
Remember, if you do this daily, the bald patch on the back of your head is your badge of success and endurance. So keep going faster!
Are the caretakers still not here yet?
Let out a loud, ear-piercing scream. Exercise your lungs!

Very good, babies! At this point, you should be panting, exhausted from crying, and very hungry.

Thank you for joining Dora’s 5 Min Full Body Exercise Program.

We hope to see you in 2 hours to continue staying AAA certified – an admirable, adorable, and advanced baby. In the meantime, remember to stay hydrated with enriched protein milk.

I gained a new superpower, the Rolly Polly, the ability to roll from my belly to back and vice versa

Rolly Polly Dora

By Hurricane Dora

On August 2, 2021

In 01 Month Old, Dora's Stories, Under 1 Year Old

I used to dread Tummy Time. It was one of the worst exercise programs a baby can endure at 1-month-old, unlike the one I teach. Every time Mommy announced, “Dora! It’s tummy time!” my stomach churned. She would plop me helplessly face down on the mat, squishing my face on the floor like playdoh as I struggled to breathe.

Why are you torturing me?

Although, with practice, I gained some neck strength, abs, and even arm muscles. Eventually, I could lift my head a centimeter higher than before. I could also lie on my back, gently rocking from left to right, generating enough momentum until I roll over halfway into a sideways plank for a few seconds. It required an immense amount of ab strength, balancing my left arm and leg in midair with only my right side touching the floor. But it was worth it to gain my new superpower, the Rolly Polly, an ability to roll from back to belly and vice versa.

Why would anyone choose to walk? It’s no fun at all.

With Rolly Polly, I can just roll across the room effortlessly like a runaway dice. My favorite spot is underneath the dining chair, specifically Izzy’s, where crumbs and leftovers are plentiful. I’ll snack on the dried blueberries and half-bitten toast, don’t waste it, am I right? Underneath the desk is also a good hiding spot from that monster in the ceiling disguised as a fan, what if it finally decides to eat me?

I wonder if I can request an upgraded version of this superpower to roll, pivot, AND reverse, so I won’t be stuck facing the wall all the time.

One downfall to the Rolly Polly is there needs to be a warning sound when Izzy’s thundering feet are millimeters away from crushing me as she zooms past me after bedtime, re-enacting Lady Godiva (running down the hall without clothes).

I guess Mommy’s always right; Tummy Time was good for me after all.

Born on the Day the World Will End

By Hurricane Dora

On August 2, 2021

In 00 Newborn, Dora's Stories, Under 1 Year Old

Week 2 in the Womb

When I hired this family two weeks ago, I didn’t expect that the new kid, Pandemic, would ruin all my plans. It was already a lot of pressure as the second born. Not only do I have to live up to the high standards that my sister, Izzy, placed, I also have to fulfill all of Mommy’s desires – to be a chubby, scrumptious and drama-free baby.

Unlike Izzy, who tried to attain Nirvana in the womb, my main goal is to survive the next eight months as Mommy’s worries about the Pandemic spread like wildfire: What will the world be like in 9 months? Will doctors and nurses turn into zombies? The world is coming to an end, and I am having a baby.

Month 4 in the Womb

Mommy’s imagination parades the dark womb daily: Will the hospitals have so many patients due to the Pandemic that they won’t have room for us? Should I start hoarding first aid supplies? She asks these questions while having nightmares of giving birth in a dark, empty alley next to the hospital, her screams of pain lost in the sirens on the streets as people fight over the remaining food and water.

The unknown is dark and unforgiving, eating our tender bodies slowly. I feel the sharp pain that runs up and down Mommy’s spine every time she tries to walk. I feel the shudder as she lets out a loud yelp and limps to the wall, clinging on for dear life. I sense Daddy’s helping hands as he lifts her and lays her down on the bed.

I know that I have to give Mommy hope and love. I stretched my arms and legs, practicing my kicks for the real world, letting her know that I am strong and will protect her. I can’t wait to hug her.

Snuggling in My Pirate Ship

By Hurricane Dora

On March 15, 2021

In 04 Months Old, Dora's Stories, Under 1 Year Old

The Parents moved me from the playpen to the floor mat and now in the swing.

I whimper as I kick my chubby four-month-old feet.

Oh good, Mommy finally acknowledges my protests. She walks towards me, pauses in front of the swing, touches the knob.

And walks away!?

“Wahhhh!!” Don’t leave! I want to sleep on your chest for another three hours! The swing suddenly got a boost of energy, swaying faster back and forth.

“You’re a hypocrite. You never let me swing Izzy at the highest setting when she was a baby,” accuses Daddy in the background.

Like sitting in a pirate ship at an amusement park lifted to the highest peak, I can see all the toys scattered on the floor beneath me.

Then swoosh, I am descending so fast, my vision becomes a blur, and now I can see every lightbulb in the ceiling. One. Two. Th…. Ah! Before I can finish counting, I am swinging in the other direction.

Is this supposed to be soothing?

I clasp my hands tightly together, my chubby fingers intertwine, holding on to each for dear life. My lips seal tightly to hold down the spit-up. I scream quietly on the inside. Every few seconds, I got a glimpse of the fan’s spidery arms, ready to descend from the ceiling to snatch me up. Luckily, Mommy buckled me in.

Oh, the adrenaline. The rush. Oddly, this is making me sleepy.

The angular momentum creates a slight breeze kissing my bald head. A yawn escapes my mouth. I doze off to the music blasting in the background and Lady Godiva running down the hall.