"Hey Lily, how did your earache start?" Chris comes into the bedroom and sits on the bed beside her. She's taken up squatter's rights in here today and I'm playing along. Its sunny and warm and there's plenty of room for Bella to crawl around. Plus with the baby gate up, she's safe too. No worries that she'll tumble down any stairs and wind up somewhere she shouldn't.

Lily pouts and presses her hand against her ear. "It was sore inside."

"How sore?"

"Really sore."

Chris heaves a big sigh and reaches up, grabbing his pillow and then stretches out on his stomach beside her giving me a pitiful look.

That's my cue. "Umm, Chris, does your ear hurt?" Bella lets out a squeal when she realizes my attention isn't squarely on her and reaches up snagging fingers in my hair. "Ouch!" I instantly reach up to untangle the strands she's grasped.

"I don't think I feel very good." Chris complains then puts his cheek against his arm.

"You can hold Mr. Bunny," Lily offers, holding the staffed rabbit out to him.

I succeed in getting my hair free and set Bella down on her quilt. "You play here for a minute," I direct and walk over to the bed, reaching out to press my hand against Chris' forehead. "You don't feel like you have a fever."

He jerks a thumb in Lily's direction. "Did she?"

"I don't got no fever, just a sore ear."

"I don't have a fever," Chris agrees and I roll my eyes. Who knows if he even really has an earache. But I get the feeling he does want a little more attention than I've been giving him the past couple of days. When it comes right down to it, he's a lot like the kids.

"I share my medicine with you," Lily says and I have to hide a smile when I see the look on his face. That really wasn't part of his plan.

But I think I just might have the right remedy, but ihe's going to have to wait until two little girls around sound asleep... Come to think of it, it is almost nap time.