RIGHT BACK WHERE I STARTED

As you know, I've spent the last two weeks in Dallas with my sister, who just had hip-replacement surgery, and my elderly mother. Throughout the visit, I have experienced an eerie sense of deja vu. I knew it wasn't because I was just here a few months ago when my sister had her knee replaced, but couldn't quite put my finger on the cause.

I've spent most of the time trying to stay somewhere central, so I can hear both of them calling me from opposite sides of the house, usually at the same moment. I have played short-order cook to a finicky eater and one with no appetite. I have mediated disagreements and struggled not to show favoritism, for Mom does not respond well when she thinks anyone is getting more attention than her. There have been medical emergencies, where I needed to be two places at once, and there have been errands I needed to run but couldn't, because I'd rather die than load them and all the necessary paraphanalia into the car. There have been diaper pails to empty, barf buckets to rinse, and tears of frustration on all of our parts.

If you are a stay-at-home mother of an infant and a toddler, this is probably beginning to sound somewhat familiar. At last I realized that I have landed right back where I started, 26 years ago. I made the mistake recently of saying that I was envious of some of the mommy-bloggers I follow, because I miss the days when my kids were small, and all of the fun projects I used to come up with to keep them entertained. I should have known those words would come back to haunt me!

Thinking about those fun projects gave me an idea though. A couple of days ago, when my sister was finally feeling well enough to focus on something, I pulled out the knitting needles and yarn. I am just learning myself, so not a very good teacher, but I did manage to work her through casting on and the basic knitting stitch. Once she got in the groove, I started a new project for myself, and a short while later, Mom wandered in to see what we were up to. Before I knew it, we were all laughing and having fun, for the first time since I arrived. I guess some things never change.