My mother-in-law tells a story about how, when Matt and his siblings were young, she had a maternal panic moment because... one of them? Or maybe all of them? (She tells a lot of stories, and I get the details mixed up) had an orange nose.

The doctor assured her that it was not some new and sinister illness, but merely a result of eating a lot of carrots.

So, primarily to see if it would provoke a smile or a snicker from Matt, I told Penny last night, "Eat your carrots so your nose will turn orange!"

Penny gave me a Look, then shook her head and said, "No, Mommy, I want a blue one."

Speaking of my mother-in-law, she's coming for a visit this weekend. It's a short one -- she's coming in Friday afternoon and then leaving Sunday morning.

She'd originally thought to visit in July. And then she thought maybe early August. And then she said Labor Day weekend. But this time the tickets have actually been purchased, so it's for certain.

I'm sort of surprised she didn't just decide to cancel the trip out and just wait to see us when we go out there in October. But the power of grandbaby-cuteness is not to be denied!

I dreamed this morning that I was nursing another woman's baby. Not like I'd adopted the child, or that she couldn't do it herself. I was visiting (though I have no idea who she was), and she said, "You want to nurse her?" and in the dream, that seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I warned her that I probably wouldn't be able to, but it worked just fine.

I have no idea what my subconcious is trying to tell me. That I should have another baby? That I shouldn't, and just help my friends with their kids? That I'm more nurturing than I think I am?

Sometimes I think my subconcious hates me.

--Liz