My sainted husband hauled AJ off to the library so I could get a little work done this morning, for which I was eternally grateful. I managed to polish off not one, but two chapters of the diss this morning. It feels good to have something finished. I finally decided that the chapter that�s been killing me for the past few weeks was actually four chapters, seeing as it was 150 pages. I should have divided it a long time ago. As soon as I split it up, all the organizational problems pretty much disappeared. All I have to do is write a bunch of introductions and conclusions. And when I�ve finished with all four, I�ll go back and write an introduction to them all as a section.

It has also become clear that I have one big honking paper here. Not that that is a surprise. It�s rather satisfying to see the stacks of more-or-less completed manuscript pile up. It will be even more satisfying to see it sitting on someone else�s desk instead of my own.

AJ is currently not sleeping, although he is supposed to be. From what I can tell, he is sitting in bed running an all-Christmas carol lounge act. He is taking requests from his stuffed animals. �Do you know �Dah-hoo Do-ray?� he asks in a high squeaky voice that I think is supposed to belong to his beloved stuffed caterpillar. �Yes, I know �Dah-hoo Do-ray. Coming right up,� he says in his regular voice and launches into the theme song from �How the Grinch Stole Christmas.� Our house is all about cute at the moment. AJ�s aunt G. has taken to asking him regularly, �Did you go to cute school today?� to which AJ has begun to respond, �Yes!� In the immortal words (or, more accurately, word) of Muffy, AJ�s favorite Arthur character, �Vomitrocious.�

The snow has begun to fall once again. My parents, upon examining the weather forecasts have decided to drive up a day early and will be arriving Wednesday, something that will actually be easier for us, as we won�t be trying to welcome them at the same time that we are doing last minute panicking about the big party on Friday. The packages are mostly wrapped, the cookies are baked, most of the Christmas cards are in the mail. The halls are decked, the egg is nogged and AJ is asleep at last.

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