One Long Day

Nina and her long shadow

Friday was bound to be a long day anyway. I was scheduled to work at the market from 8-3:30. I picked up a large, handsome pumpkin, as well as a blue hubbard squash, from Mose Miller, the friendly Amish farmer who works a booth across from ours, dropped off the pumpkin at home, then headed straight over to the Khorey's where I was going to work till 9, or whenever Lisa, their mother, got back from the airport. I was already missing Olive something awful, but work is work. Nina and I drove over to catch the latter half of Alex's soccer game, then we came home in time to do some laundry then get Noah back over to the field for his soccer game. Nina and I picked up Alex from a friend's house, only to get back home to Noah and his friend's phone message telling us that there was no soccer game so we went back to retrieve the boys. We got back to the house, by which time I was expecting Lisa to return (Doug, their father, was out at a singing gig), but then I got a message from Lisa saying that her flight was late and she wouldn't be getting into Pittsburgh until 10:30. Not so terrible. I was trying to gauge her arrival time, thinking perhaps 11 or so. At 12 Rob called to check on me at around the same time Lisa contacted me to say that she'd just landed. By that point the wheels had started to come off, and I sat in the bathroom expressing milk and tears, just wanting to be home with my husband and child. Oh, and I had to be back at the market at 8 the next morning, and was dreading the idea of being on my feet selling oil for nine hours on not enough sleep. At 1:15 I heard Lisa's car pull up to the house. She's so wonderfully nice and gracious that I couldn't be aggravated with her lateness, and it wasn't her fault. I went home, got to sleep (Olive didn't wake up until I did!), then worked a very pleasant day at the market. As much as I've missed being home the past few days, Rob has reported remarkable naps from Buggy - two-hour naps each day! - and she's been in great spirits. At least if I have to leave her she seems to have no problem whatsoever spending the days with her father reading books, going to the library, playing guitar. It's really the next best thing to being able to stay home all day, every day with her.

Alex, trying to be stealthy

Yesterday evening we went to a welcome-back-to-Pittsburgh party for Emily, one of my coworkers at the market, held at the home of some of her friends in Shadyside. Kate and Nick have a daughter, Juliette, who's just a few weeks older than Olive. There were lots of small children there, as well as a good-with-kids pit bull, Stella, and lots of delicious refreshments. Rob entertained the other guests' questions about his experiences at the zoo and Olive enjoyed the company and the toys and snacked on a few crackers, then we headed home to get her to bed.

Buggy was quickly scooped up by Emily's mother.

And today I'm off (tomorrow too, as Schelly, Rob's eldest sister, is coming to visit just for the day!), and when my goon awakes we'll pack a lunch and head to the zoo.