There is much insanity in the Harriet household today, which forces me to be brief. My mother-in-law is in the hospital recovering from surgery on her knees (which went very well) and my husband has been commuting great distances to be there daily, so AJ and I have been left to our own devices, which has meant lots of art projects, toy train catastrophes, and yelling along to our favorite songs.

We�ve had a break in our routine this weekend, thanks to the appearance of my friend L., who is staying with us for a couple of days. AJ spent the morning emptying every nook and cranny of his room in order to show her every last one of his toys and demonstrate their use. She was nice enough to act impressed.

This afternoon, while L. was indulging in an IKEA shopping spree, AJ and I went to his first ever big birthday party at a nearby kids gym. There was much giggling and shrieking of three-year-olds. It was particularly entertaining to watch the little girls in demure, embroidered and crinolined dresses hanging upside down on the monkey bars, wriggling and screeching with laughter while showing their undies and bandaged knees to the world.

The others are now collapsed in a state of recovery in front of a video, where I plan to join them shortly.

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