While you were away

For the next two weeks I have the "pleasure" of looking after a 5.5 year old girl who, as she explained today, loves nature, bushwalking, swinging, drawing, swimming, playing the violin, playing with barbies, blowing bubbles, playing in the alley (not as sinister as it sounds), doing sums, writing, reading, making pizza, creating schedules, "busking", racing, drawing on the sidewalk, pressing flowers, going to the beach, dancing, putting on a disco, watering her plants, watching her Indian cartoons (her parents are Indian - she is "Australian Indian"), and MOST OF ALL - she LOVES talking. If there is silence in the car or while we are walking she will look up at me and say "So. What shall we talk about now?"

After I finish looking after the Chatterbox, I then drive 15 minutes away to pick up the "Third funniest kid in his class" and his brother (who, incidentally can't wait until he's seventeen so he can watch Pirates of the Caribbean). These two brothers (six and four) are the lights of my life every Wednesday afternoon for three hours, but this week, I get to enjoy them from Monday to Thursday from 4pm to 6pm.

All this work means I am away from home from just before eight in the morning to about 6.30 in the evening. Which isn't too bad because I can take LQ along with me and Dal gets the house to himself to work on his thesis.... or that's the plan anyway.

LQ was really sick on the weekend and stayed home with Dal yesterday and today. They went to the doctor yesterday to be told she has croup. She was given an antibiotic and another medicine to help with the cough. On top of that, Dal was told she should have some dimetapp for the "other type" of cough that she has. All this medicine means our little LQ has been recuperating quite nicely.

LQ has always been good when it comes to taking medicine. We proudly claim that it is the Petersen in her. It only became evident HOW much she enjoys her medicine today when she waddled into our room, picked up two different bottles of medicine (both hers and both with safety caps!), waddled back to Dal and lifted her chubby fists containing the medicine towards him. With a noise that we have come to interpret as "I want", she indicated to Dallas that it must be time for her medicine.... Is this a good thing?

On another "cute" LQ note - Dal was enjoying the peace and quiet this morning as he washed the dishes until LQ toddled out from the toilet with a piece of toilet paper in her hand. Again it was offered to him as though it was a treasure above all treasures. He followed her trail of toilet paper all the way back to the little room to find a nice big pile of whiteness, ready for a little puppy to go to sleep on.

I'm missing my child's cuteness while I deal with a talkaholic! Good thing Dallas takes photos.