Having just read Twilight, I'm referring to "you are exactly my kind of heroin" here, bear with me.

Chloe is quitting the thumb. At first she was a bit upset about it, but now she asks for her medical tape for her thumb each AM. She's allowed the thumb at night.

Her sisters lovingly stepped up to become "thumb buddies" to help her not be alone in quitting the thumb:



So far, so good, it's been, what, four days? She's doing great.

My qualifying exam oral portion is Thursday. Buckling down to study. I'm enough of a geek that I"m looking forward to it (and to it being done), and moving on to my dissertation work.

In the meantime, I have a long weekend with kids around. Erm... Will grab what little bits here and there that I can!

Funny thing is, I don't really feel post-partum. I mean, obviously my life is different, as I'm lactating, and still losing the pregnancy poundage.

Yet, the hormone plummet still happens.

**sigh**

I'd say it'd be easier if I actually had a baby to distract me, but then I'd REALLY be crying, for nine months and beyond! ;-)

Phil and I escaped this weekend. We left the kids with my parents, and went to Carmel-by-the-Sea for long bike rides, nice dinners, and some reconnecting time.



It was lovely.

Darnitall, though, I got sucked into the Twilight series while we were there. The dangers of having time to read.

Phoebe's been playing flute for a year, and this session's workshop week (included for those in private lessons at the local music school) included doing some trio or ensemble work. So this is Phoebe's first ensemble performance. Simple music, but complicated by the groupwork.

She's also doing advanced band at school, and has asked to lengthen her lesson time from 30 to 45 minutes, which we will do after the holidays with the new session. She really is enjoying her flute.

(The fairy reference is an inside joke to the girls playing fairies from a book series they've read)