I still work here

m*: I want some juice now, please.
h: Meggie, I can't right now, OK? I'm changing sister's diaper.
m*: But I want it right now, OK?
h: Meggie, I need you to be patient, please. I have two daughters, right?
m*: Yes, but you have two arms.

If only they reached that far.

Alan is doing two weeks of Reserve time, so I'm doing single duty with the girls. Or is that double duty? Whatever it is, we're doing it. We miss Alan of course, but, honestly, when I have both girls every hour of the day, there isn't much time to be lonely. Maybe there would be if I could use one arm to pour and deliver a cup of juice while using the other arm to change a diaper. But I'm not that good yet.

I'm not working (at least not at the job where I get a paycheck and no one requests beverages) while Alan is away. I could've gotten one of my friends to watch the girls during the evening, but my boss said it was OK. I'm enjoying work. It's only a day a week, but I like to maintain some tie to the working world, be it ever so fine a thread.

I had to take a drug test to resume work. While I had my flu/sinus infection, I took the kiddos downtown to accomplish the exam. For about a minute of the process Meggie and Laurel were separated from me by a door. I could hear Meggie demonstrating her letters for the technician by writing on a Post-it: "This is M for Meggie and L for Laurel. And now I'm going to write my mom's name. See? Here." When I came out of the other room, the technician seemed confused. He kept looking back and forth between the Post-it and my paperwork. He said, "She says she wrote your name, but I don't see any Ms or Os in 'Heather'-- Oh! I get it. That's cool. You've got a good job, 'Mom.' "

________

Picturas.

Laurel eats her first Cheerio.

Meggie proposes to eat all the leftover Cheerios "so that they won't be wasted." Laurel approves the plan.

Things that seem like a good idea when your spouse isn't around.

Sitting practice.

Because she prefers to lounge.

Meggie takes the bike out for a spin.

"Look! I'm making it go all by my own!"

PS--I'll spare you pictures of all the moose "stuff" we had to sidestep to get into the park. Oh, yes, I do have pictures.

This post's prequel.