The Night Before Last at Raleigh House

The night before last, Julie picked the bambini up at the KinderCare and, as last night, Joe walked out in tears, and for just the same reason. As we drove off, Clara was also in tears, Julie thinks because she did not pretend that Clara had done her car seat buckle all by herself to the extent that the illusion was complete for Birdie. Thus, in Birdie's mind, she'd not done the buckle all by herself.

Instead of hanging her head against the steering wheel, Julie cranked the radio up and began flipping around for something to sing along with, loudly. She happened upon Buffalo Springfield's Somethings Happening Here and she thought, "How apropos! A good old sixties fight-the-man! song is just what we need here!" (Less apparent was just whom The Man was: young people were speakin' their minds, but it is also fair to say that Julie was getting resistance from behind in the backseat.) There's even some solid clapping in that song, as some of our Loyal Readers may be aware, and we Raleigh Housers love us a good clappy or snappy song. Sound effects, motions, and dance moves are strongly encouraged. Joe whimpered nearly all the way home, but Julie happened to glance in the rearview mirror as she and the bambini waited at the long light, which is how she was able to see the top of Clara's head. Brigade, she may as well have been head banging. Julie's whole heart smiled at the sight, and at imagining the days when Clara might dance in the car with her mother (you know, the days that will precede those when Julie's car dancing and singing will no doubt make Birdie roll her eyes and slink down in her seat).

Later that night, Julie and Joe were reading books: Where the Wild Things Are, How Rocket Learned to Read, and Madeline (board book form). First, Fans, Julie opened WTWTA to the title page, put her finger on "where," and moved it across the words, and Joe read them. Now, maybe he's got it memorized, but it was still pretty cool, and he was still pretty proud. He also read the author's name. He continued reading along until we got to the pages with more than a few words on them.

By the time Julie and Joe had finished the book, Joe was laying next to Julie, on his belly, half on top of her, so Julie pulled him all the way up and after a few moments said, "You're always in my heart, Pal-o." That's when Joe picked his head up and said, "You're always in my heart." Oh, Fans.

So it's true that the train sometimes runs off the track quick as you can blink, but there are other moments when you think, "How--how--is it possible that Birdie is big enough to rock her little heart out, and Joe, to tell Julie she's always in his, and mean it?" You blink, and it's here, and gone.

[Picture taken later that same night. Joe and Neaky, nose to nose.]