The Night of Mice and Pain

We're alive... but barely.

Last night, Otto found a nest of mice, and brought them in every hour or so. He would be so proud as he bolted into our room to show us his latest catch -- some alive, some not.

Hub-D was the hero of the night, of course, as I tried to sleep (unsuccessfully) with a pillow over my head and he worked to banish the still-alive mice, which usually would return in Otto's mouth, dead, within the hour.

Of COURSE we should have locked him out after he brought in the first mouse, but in our sleepless state, we kind of thought each one would be the last.

This was all exacerbated by the New York Times crossword puzzle, which Grandma R. and I stayed up late finishing (we're still vexed by the lower left corner). Her plane left early this morning, so it was our last chance to work through that puzzle together.

Then at about 10:30pm, Hub-D and I started talking about where we'd like our children to go to school, particularly now that it's hit home that our favorite private school will cost $200,000 PER KID to get them to... high school. Then we have to pay for high school, then there would be, maybe, college (military academies sound appealing, girls?).

So there we were as the clock ticked later into the night, wondering if we should move to a better school district so that their primary education would be free, or if we could magically come up with the $1.5M it would cost to put three children (one still hypothetical) through 12th grade.

We finally drifted off after midnight, despite a weird VOICE coming from the direction of our neighbor's house. We'd been hearing it since we returned from Texas, someone's TV, we supposed, blathering late into the night. So we put pillows over our ears and gradually fell into a fitful sleep despite the cost of private school, despite the YVER River (crossword puzzle), and despite that odd voice.

Then at 1am... first mouse. Hub-D catches it and releases it out the front door triumphantly.

Then at 2am... next mouse. It hides behind our massive dresser. Hub-D creates an obstacle course to guide it out the back door and props open the back door.

Then Baby V wakes up to feed, what a good little girl. So I nurse her and she's almost asleep and dreamy at the boob, when...

NEXT MOUSE is brought into Baby V's room for inspection and praise.

Baby V then wakes up fully, so excited and scandalized by the lights and my hollers and Daddy coming into her room late at night.

About 3:30, we finally settle down. Baby V wakes up one more time, then...

Hub-D has to investigate THE VOICE. He flips on the light in the back and starts peering at the fence, trying to determine WHO has got their TV on at 4am. That's when he discovers the radio that our handyman must have left here... two weeks ago. It's just been chattering 24 hours a day.

OK, so, back to bed everyone, until...

6:10, Time to drive Grandma R. to BART! Then 6:15, Baby V wakes up ready to party, then at 6:30, Chebbles randomly wakes up with a diaper filled with black poo.

Good morning, you beautiful family!!!