Mr. Mom
Bonnie had some minor surgery yesterday to repair a hernia-type condition she developed after delivering James, who turns three next month. They kept her overnight just to make sure that she's healing all right, and I'm sitting by the phone waiting to hear from her to make sure she's ready to be discharged.
That left me with the three kids alone last night, which wasn't nearly the trauma I expected it to be. They all behaved themselves, which I attribute to a few different factors: A) They'd spent the night before with relatives at a hotel, so they were tired out from a day and a half of swimming in a pool and other activities; B) They suddenly found themselves in a different routine than usual and C) They knew their mother was in the hospital, so they knew not to mess around too much lest they raise the wrath of their father.
The biggest trauma I suffered today was trying to brush Emmeline's extraordinarily long hair. I'm not good with the long hair -- I don't know what to do, and if god forbid she'd asked for a braid or something I probably would have begun hyperventilating. Fortunately she took it easy on me and simply handed me the detangling spray, a brush, and a hairtie, and told me to do a ponytail. It's a bit messy but I think it'll work.