In the midst of our normal days there is this ever-present string of surprises that I still don’t know what to do with. Monday I relished watching Claire up on her horse. She worked very hard, she was able to do more than she had in a long time and I was reminded how dynamic and fluid life is, forever changing. Ironically, on the way home she had a not so small seizure as I drove on a narrow twisty road through the forest. Chloe pulled Claire’s arm to keep her body from hitting the window. I told her that I was looking for a place to pull over when my sweet little 5-year-old suggested that I look for a call box, because they always have space there. I don’t know how she knew it but I was glad that she did as I was mildly panicked about where to stop.

Later that night, as the girls went to bed, Chloe remembered that Claire’s chipped tooth needed to be but under her pillow for the tooth fairy. I was pretty convinced that only whole, first time out teeth would be paid for but Chloe was convinced otherwise. I honestly forgot about it until Chloe bounded out from school the next day. She was beaming with pride and made me promise to not tell Claire if she shared a secret with me. She then told me of the card she made for Claire, on behalf of the tooth fairy. When we got home she took $6 and some change, put it in carefully constructed pocket and hid it under Claire’s pillow. She ‘slyly’ reminded Claire that we forgot to look under her pillow in the morning and ran off to check. Chloe pretended to be surprised when she found the card and ran it out to her sister.

Part of me is so proud of Chloe for her thoughtfulness and then sad that she has to play both sides of every game for Claire. At this point it has been made clear that on this journey in Rettland what I need to do most is sit back and take notes.