Jessica's lot.

Jessica is sleeping and staying all day at her mother's house every other night in rotation with her sister Emily. Jessica is a trooper, a trucker, and non-stop mothering mother- I mean, she just keeps on going and going and going and takes care of our big family, her sick mother and even sometimes herself!

Napping with a baby at Bubbe's.

When she's away at her mom's for the day the kids and I are all a little blue and more snappy. My mother is still in town and has been invaluable with baby/kid care, laundry, kitchen cleaning, and on and on. But we all miss Jessica. She fits like a glove in the house. Beams joy into all our children, fills me with giddy relief and happiness. I miss her so much, but as we've reminded ourselves this whole episode in our lives is temporary. And, of course, it's worth it. For Adria to be able to spend so much time with the two people she loves most in the world, what a gift for her. She's told me so many times how nothing could ever diminish her love for her daughters. She loves them so absolutely. She once joked that dying would be so much easier if she was estranged from her daughters. But, as I was visiting her the other day, she also said it would be easier to say goodbye knowing that they would be 'cherished.' And they will!