Day's Notes (Let's Just Say I'll Never Catch Up and Leave It At That)

1. One of the last things I do before crawling into bed is make my nightly rounds. Ever so quietly creep into each child's room and check the status of things. Adjust the temperature or pull up kicked-off covers, say a little prayer over each small sleeper. One child is almost always on her back, arms akimbo, the other on his tummy, legs tucked up tight.

2. I like how the little gal who does my hair concentrates seriously while cutting, then goes into a more relaxed zen mode while styling the results. Sometimes she makes little comments and I wait for her verdict. One time it's "I like your hair." Last time, "Much better."

3. We pick up a ball-ramp toy at a consignment sale. The next morning K begins to play with it but wants to bring it into the room where I'm still feeding T his breakfast. I tell her, "You can bring the ramp in here!" Apparently she hadn't learned what ramp means yet--I hear a moment's struggle in the other room, and she appears, holding the table lamp she has unplugged and carefully carried in.