First Day Back

Well, I survived my first day back at work.

I felt a little mournful all day, but luckily Nastya sent me some pictures to cheer me up.

And when I got home, Calliope slowly looked up from where she was playing, then roared as she slowly, deliberately, crawled into my lap. Then she clung tightly to me for several minutes.

It was a delicious homecoming. It also made up for the separation.

Though I noticed all evening how unbearably delectable she seemed, in a way that I didn't remember. Perhaps this is what I get in exchange for being separated from her all day? The silver lining to my cloud?

Tonight when Amy came to pick up Eleanor, she demonstrated that Eleanor knows the correct response when asked "what does a doggy say?" I was suitably impressed that this one year and three day old girl knew what to answer!

Then tonight, reading "Moo, Baa, La La La," when we got to the page that says "and little dogs say 'arf arf arf..." my own pet responded back from the circle of my lap, "arf arf arf!"

I will have to find out if Eleanor taught her, Nastya taught her, or she just figured it out on her own... right after Eleanor figured it out? Coincidence?

I'm so excited for her birthday present to arrive... a Gund stuffed dog, purchased with the gift card from Grammy. I promised to video tape her first impressions of it. Stay tuned.

In other exciting news... I talked to my friend Catherine's accountant last week, finally, and he was lovely. I dug up some information he needed, but was waiting to get a few more pieces of information. I finally heard back from the management company today, sent the new information to the accountant (who doesn't seem to be charging me for the help?) and heard back tonight... I can increase my withholdings by three, in his estimation. He also estimated the size of my refund. All very reassuring in my current anxiety about how I'm going to make the mortgage payment plus maintenance fee on my lovely new home.