Oregon visit Part III

The week falls into a routine: Ripley goes off to the babysitter until after her nap. Then I go over, play with her and her two compatriots: Lilly (six months older than Ripley) and Bella (six months older than Lilly). Three little girls - all in different stages of language development - and each speaking her own dialect. But I began to catch on.

Then Ripley and I would go off for our own adventures: buying a birthday present for her daddy one day; doing the household grocery shopping another; looking for a raincoat for Ripley - in which she engaged the check out clerk in conversation! Some of those trips ended with trips to Baskin Robbins. Yes, Gram will resort to bribery to get the child's attention and loyalty!

Friday was the culmination - as I was about to head off to the Art Museum, Erika calls in a panic. A water main has burst just outside the babysitter's apartment and they are having trouble getting the babies out. Will I come? Well, of course.

The babies were handed out over the deck by the time I got there. It's a good thing I had gotten to know them, because all three came back to Erika's apartment with me and I did childcare for the rest of the day while everyone else rushed to empty the flooded apartment.

It was after I left before things were finally dried out and they were able to move back into the apartment. Quite an adventure for all involved.