One More Day

Annalee has a play cell phone, a play laptop, and a play tape recorder. The cell phone itself records a few seconds of someone speaking, and Mommy has put a message for Annalee on it that Annalee listens to from time to time. "It's Mommy; I love you," it says. The green plastic laptop I remove from Annalee's play area whenever I see it and put it up high or someplace out of sight. The cell phone is sort of fun; Annalee practices having conversations on it, when she's predisposed to do so. Yesterday, I'm informed, on the next-to-last day before my return from England, Annalee said into her pink phone, "Ahhhh, Daddy, homey." One more day.