Last week, finals week, seemed to go on forever. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I worked 11-hour days all week, and life consisted of three things: sleeping, working and getting ready for work. Or it could have been because we were extremely short-handed all week long. Again. Either way, I wasn’t the only one who felt the week was at least a day longer than it should have been, and I’m certain I’m not the only one who was ecstatic when the clock finally reached quitting time on the last day. I know I drove home with a smile on my face.
Because my work week runs from Sunday to Thursday, and because with the end of finals week comes inter-session break, during which we are only open Monday through Friday, I have myself a three-day weekend.
First on the agenda were Kat and Laurel. We went shopping at Andersons and Laurel took her very first ride as a big girl in a shopping cart. She’s doing very well at sitting up now. Unless of course, she falls asleep. Then she just sort of topples over and snoozes in whatever position she lands in. It’s pretty funny. All day long, I tried to make that child laugh. Babies, for whatever reason, seem to love me, and I generally have no problem coaxing the giggles out of them, if not total belly laughs. But Laurel? She gave me plenty of smiles, for sure. But the real talking and laughing was reserved for the 19-month old boy sitting in a cart behind us in the cashier’s line. That child had the most beautiful brown eyes… if I’d been Laurel, I’m sure I would have flirted as well. It was totally adorable.
I helped feed her sweet potatoes later on. Feeding one is quite different from feeding two. With two, you have just enough time to get the spoon into one’s mouth while his twin is busy savoring the bite you just fed him. It actually runs pretty smoothly, especially if you’re not a patient person. I’m considerably more patient now than I was 22 years ago, which is good because she took her time.
Shortly before I headed home, Kat was getting ready to put Laurel to bed. And that’s when it happened. I got her laughing. Maybe she was slaphappy. I didn’t care. 
I love that kid and I miss hanging out with her mom. For very selfish reasons, I wish they’d both come home. And that’s all I’m saying on that note, but Kat knows there’s more and she knows what I think, and whatever happens, I’m there for both of them. *blows kisses at both of them*
Earlier this week, I thought I’d try to spend Saturday out at my dad’s. I’m overdue for a visit there and he’s going out of town for the holidays soon, so it seemed like a good opportunity. Except that last night, I learned we had a winter storm warning for today, and since he’s more than 20 miles southwest of here with a few miles of open field country roads in between, I didn’t want to chance it. When I woke up this morning and found they’d bumped the storm warning time up by five hours, I figured I’d made the right choice. But it’s now almost 3 p.m. here and it just started snowing. Then again, there’s no way I would have made it out there before noon anyway, and I never stay just a couple of hours. So, Dad? It looks like I’ll have to catch up with you after Christmas.
JM is in Cincinnati this weekend. JL stayed with a friend last night in order to be closer to work, and will likely do the same tonight. That leaves me and the cats all by ourselves. An extended amount of quiet time for the first time in weeks. I think I can live with that! There’s plenty of food here and a couple of books to read, as well as those logic problem magazines that arrived the other day. I definitely won’t be bored.
As for tomorrow, well… we’ll see what happens.