Some weeks ago, when our community pool opened, Ngaire developed an obsession with swim diapers. Not so much with wearing them–she never protests when Liam puts his on but she doesn’t get one–more with talking about them. Incessantly, continually, forever talking about swim diapers. Swim diapers! And how we should all wear them! And how various characters from books and movies should wear them! Early on, when I sought to combat her fascination with cold, hard logic (silly me) and explained that only little people who haven’t learned to use the potty wear swim diapers, she merely updated her monologues to include how Mommy or Daddy or Mr. Incredible should pull down his or her big grown-up swim diaper in order to utilize said facilities.

We have tried different methods of dealing with this. (I mean, it’s no big deal, aside from the weirdness of an almost-four-year-old suddenly piping up in public, “Let me tell you a story about Elastigirl. One day, Elastigirl woke up and SHE PUT ON HER SWIM DIAPER,” etc. However, it is extremely, extremely annoying and sometimes, around 4 p.m. or so, I’m afraid my head is going to explode.) I have tried to reason with her; lately, I’ve been trying to acknowlege her comment but then change the subject. The Husbandlet has tried ignoring it. My mother, nurturing soul that she is, takes on the personas of whomever Ngaire is talking about and engages in swim diaper-related chitchat. Liam thinks everything Ngaire does is cool and has learned to say “swim diaper” very clearly. Rhiannon sleeps. None of this has deflected the obsession or caused it to abate.

Anyway, all that to say that my insanity level? Has increased substantially. And I don’t know if this is a good response, but today I have instigated a swim diaper conversation moratorium. Ngaire is under threats of direness if she so much as mentions a swim diaper. Crafty little thing that she is, she thought about this one for a short time and then said, “When we go to the pool today, Liam will wear his swim diaper, right?”

Why couldn’t she preach sermons, like my cousin’s daughter did when she was four?

Rhiannon is SO BIG. I can’t believe it. I tried to put a newborn outfit on her today, one she wore just a few weeks ago, no problem, and the little dress came only to her waist, and the leg openings of the bloomer thingies cut into her plump little thighs. My baby! Also, at five weeks of age, she started smiling (at the Husbandlet, mostly), and last night, at six weeks exactly, her Evening Fussies abruptly ended. I swaddled her as usual and put her in her crib, still awake, and instead of weeping piteously as she has every other evening of her life, she lay quietly until she went to sleep.

So, the Husbandlet’s job of choice is flying him to the Frozen North on Wednesday to meet the lab and check out the town, and most likely sign the contract. (The Husbandlet stresses that this is not a done deal, just pretty darn close.) Today, we hit up a thrift store for suitable job interview clothes–the Husbandlet’s advisor gave him some fashion tips, so we did our best and wound up with what I hope is an acceptable outfit; the Husbandlet is allergic to fashion, and I’ve never learned the difference between a sports coat and a blazer, but we found SOMETHING along those lines that I THINK fits him properly, as well as some nice loafers and pants. If the clothes do not inadvertently signal to the prospective employer that we are seriously deranged, it looks like we will become Frozen Northerners in early August and remain that way for the foreseeable future. I will update more when it is more set in stone (or ice, as the case may be).

In other news, Liam’s little tummy weirdies signalled the beginning of a virus that swept the family (except for Rhiannon, thankfully) and seemed to have one of those horried four-day incubations, so that the last person to succumb (Ngaire) did not do so until six days after Liam. On the plus side, it polished off a couple pounds of my post-pregnancy weight …

For everyone whom I haven’t emailed, and all the blogs I’ve fallen behind in reading, I will catch up one of these days … maybe when my youngest is in school?