Sick Rachel

We've signed Rachel up for art camp this week while school is out and Drew and I have to work (Drew has off Christmas and New Year's Day, which is great, because I'm working both nights). She went Monday, but then woke up Tuesday with a bad stomachache. I had an interview in Rockville, Md., which I postponed until today, even though Drew had graciously offered to come home from work early. Since I was scheduled to work a late shift (4:30 p.m. to midnight) on Tuesday, I told Drew I would take care of Rachel and then bring her in to his office for her to stay with him for an hour or 90 minutes until they could take the Metro home.

This is how sick-kid care works in the 2010s, folks.

Anyway...I had work to do on a magazine story, so I made calls while Rachel read on the couch (and insisted on snuggling against me, which I said was okay as long as she didn't talk while I was doing interviews). Then we moved to the study, where she curled up in the papasan with Caroline, one of her American Girl dolls, and three thick fairy-tale books that I brought down from her room, while I sent e-mails and did more phone interviews. I had finished a particularly productive one when I looked over at her and found that she was fast asleep! Poor kid had really conked out; she has been nursing a cold for the last week and I think she needed the sleep. I shook her awake, made her a quick lunch and then went upstairs to shower and get ready for work. When I came down she was asleep again, and so I woke her up, took her upstairs and she got dressed while I gathered the stuff I needed for work (lunch and dinner).

I got a little lost trying to get to Drew's office (he had agreed to meet us outside) and so we ended up parking the car in a garage (it's only $5 if you get there after 4 p.m.), and we raced to Pew. I had stuffed Rachel's Girl Scout cookie form in a bag with Caroline and some books, and so I raced to work -- arriving 15 minutes late.

Later, after I got home, Drew told me that Rachel had a fine time at his office. Apparently Pew has a hot chocolate machine that has different kinds of hot chocolate, and Rachel loves visiting there for that very reason. She had hot chocolate, and animal crackers -- and then took her Girl Scout cookie form and canvassed the office, selling 20 boxes of cookies. Atta girl! Not even a stomachache (which was fine by the time they left) keeps her down.