What the hell am I doing?

Jackson is officially hanging out at my house Monday through Thursday, and Heather's got him Fridays and Thursday afternoons. After three months at home, Danielle went back to work yesterday and dropped off this tiny version of his father early in the a.m. I warbled "Let the River Run" from Working Girl, while Danielle lugged in his diaper bag and vibrating chair, and then our adventures began.

Today I packed Jackson and Rudy into the double-seater Joovy carriage to drop Beanie off at preschool. Other moms and dads, and Marley's teachers asked how it was going, since they're all aware of the child care arrangement my sisters and I've got going. It takes a friggin' village, people. Rudy and her little buddy rolled in the same carriage at Old Navy where I raced after I decided that I needed a new Celtics shirt to celebrate last night's win and remembered they had one. (My Ray Allen infatuation is growing - and possibly getting out of hand - since I learned, for starters, he's won The Sporting News' "Good Guy" award three different years and has "Man in the Mirror" and "Human Nature" on his website's soundtrack. After "Run This Town," no less. Plus, you just know he makes shots when he does because of the hours and hours of practice and practice that he's put in. I have a thing for hard work.)

I think I've managed to handle three kids (part-time) so far, but there are stretches of time during which someone is always crying. They take turns. This afternoon, I was trying to feed Jackson a bottle while Rudy wailed and screeched on the rug on the other side of the table, beside a mountain of summer hand-me-downs I was foolishly attempting to organize and her sister Marley, pawing through dozens of crayons all over the floor, beneath an overturned laundry basket. I eventually put Jackson in his chair so that I could settle Rudy upstairs in her crib, and then that guy started whimpering and didn't stop until I got back down so he could suck down the rest of his bub.

But overall, that tiny guy is a delight. And Rudy, especially, can't get enough of him. She squeals, "Bee-bee. Bee-be. Buh-bee." And she said "Jackson" yesterday, even though it sounded more like, "Yaxie." She's figuring things out, that Toot. Heather bought her a shirt tonight that says, "I'm kind of a big deal," because when she saw it, Rudy is the first kid she thought of. I can totally see why.