Attendance

Ever since our first baby was born, I've been afraid I am going to leave her somewhere.  Then, we had twins -- and I became incredibly sleep deprived.  I just knew I was going to drive away and leave a twin somewhere.

Around 2016, when the twins were born, I began taking attendance in the car before I left somewhere.  My dad always did this on road trips when we got back in the car after a gas or restroom stop.  Our family has stories of people getting left behind on car trips, so my fears were not unfounded.

I always take attendance in the car as we are about to drive away.

Do we have Tracey?

Present!

Do we have Howard?

Present!

Do we have Caroline?

Present!

Do we have Lee Lee?

Present!

Do we have Hunter?
Present! (Vocalized by a sibling proxy)

The kids know they need to respond, they know they need to speak up, they know they need to answer only for themselves or for a baby who cannot talk yet, and they know that we take this seriously.  They know that it is how we know that everyone is safe and accounted for in the car.

Sometimes, we had names who are not present, just for fun.

Do we have Lloyd-ey?

Nooooo!

Do we have Lexie?

Noooooo!

Do we have Mickey Mouse?

Nooooo!

All that to say, last night, I heard Lee Lee talking to herself in her room.  I turned on the camera so I could hear what she was saying, and I tuned in to several minutes of her taking attendance... I have no idea how long this conversation went but, it was not a short roll call.

We have Daddy in my crib?

Noooooo!

We have Caroline in my crib?

Noooooo!

We have Howard in my crib?

 Noooooo!

We have Mama in my crib?

Nooooooo!

We have Hunter in my crib?

Nooooooooo!

We have Tracey in my crib?

Nooooooo! 

We have Addallee in my crib?

Yes!

We have Elsa in my crib?

Yes!

We have Minnie in my crib?

Yes!

We have Olaf in my crib?

Yes!

We have Alligator in my crib?

Nooooooooo!

We have Hippopotamus in my crib?

Nooooooooo!

It was quite a roll call.