Final Daddy-less day

Just in time for Drew's return after a five-day absence, Rachel ran a fever of 102 degrees and I had to pick her up early from preschool. I am also getting a scratchy throat and I'm tired and cranky. Tired of us all passing the same cold around and around and around. We are the Twitter family of cold production; we keep following each other in circles. I ended up cuddling with Rachel on the couch tonight while she watched her pony movie and I proofed pages for the upcoming issue of the magazine I edit. At one point, Rachel noticed my photo next to the Editor's Note and said, "that's YOU!" "THAT'S YOU!" and she cheered me up considerably. I made up for the 90 minutes of work I missed and by the time the movie was over Rachel's fever had gone down (she felt as hot as a water bottle when I picked her up, poor thing).

On the way to school we talked about what life will be like when Rachel grows up. She has decided that when she has her babies, she will live in a house next door to Mommy "and we can both be mommies together!" Until then, we will practice. I will pretend that my bedroom is my house and her bedroom across the hall is her house, and we'll run over to each others' houses when we run out of sugar or diapers.

***

We talked tonight at dinner about how, if I lived next door, I could come and take care of Rachel if she were sick and childless. And if she had babies, I'd take care of her AND the kids if she were sick. And if the babies were sick...we'd take care of them together. "You can take care of one baby and I can take care of one baby!" she exclaimed. (Notice the lack of a male figure; I hope this is just an oversight).

"What would you do if I was sick?" I asked Rachel.
"I'd bring you matzo balls and medicine cookies," Rachel said. "And I'd make you watch the pony movie. I'd bring the TV downstairs."

***

I always tell Rachel how lucky I feel that I got her as a daughter and that I get to be her Mommy.

"If you didn't have me, a daughter would still be nice," she insisted.
"But she wouldn't be YOU!" I answered.
"But she'd still be NICE!" Rachel insisted. I pretended to agree but, really, she's wrong.

***

Rachel had one of the last slices of chocolate silk pie tonight, and we were talking about all the chocolate-based desserts Mommy knows how to make.

"All the chocolates I like are yummy," she said. "Wanna write that down?"
Um, that would be yes.

***

"I love Mommy and Daddy more than anybody else," she announced as we were finishing dinner. "I'm gonna tell Daddy that. He'll be so happy to hear, he'll fall down!"