Monday 10 p.m. ET

Well, I've returned from my last hospital visit of the day. Eli appears to be down for the night (aside from the regular rude awakenings from officious hospital attendants taking her vitals on an hourly basis). I got off the phone with Lia half an hour ago when she was on her way to bed, and I've just now wrestled Julia into final nocturnal submission. Things seem to be going well. Lia is very anxious to get home, which she rightly believes is the best place for recovery. Eli hates getting her blood pressure taken, and unless Julia, in an unsupervised moment, allows her zeal to run over, Eli should be safe from such tests at home. The little cherub seems more than ready to be done with IVs and tests and tubes and monitors and incessant beeping. Lia's ready for a night's sleep in a real bed and, apparently, for some sweets. Julia spent the evening with Cameron, Addie, and Kalee LaDuke. Kalee is an adorable ball of mirthful corpulence--seven months Julia's junior and perhaps her newest apprentice to her wily craft.
During bedtime, Julia arose from her knees after our prayer and informed me she was "going out." To the living room, as it happens, where she expected me to chase her to her delight and my consternation. Besting her for once, I simply turned off every light in the house but the nightlight in her bedroom and then sat in the rocking chair there and began her lullabys. Prodded by the horrors of the dark, Julia quickly made her way back to the bedroom where she penitently asked me to tuck her in (usually when I offer to tuck her in she smiles and quotes a famous line from the epic How I Became a Pirate : "No tucking!"). Anyhow, Julia's been very cute and solicitous of Eli's well-being. When we were talking to Lia on speaker phone tonight I asked Julia, "Do you miss Mommy?" She responded, "I miss Eli."