Cranky

I had to ground Em for a week yesterday for a relatively minor infraction, but one for which I had set the punishment in advance if she didn't do XYZ, and she didn't do XYZ. I am a hardass.

N is behaving like a feral animal, deliberately disobeying each and every rule we set. I would assume he's being raised by wolves, except I know he's being raised by me. Hey! Maybe I'm a hardass *and* a werewolf. That would explain a lot. Or not.

Baroy and I screamed at each other for a good half hour last night over how best to handle N. We don't do that. Ever. But N's been that difficult.

I'm pretty sure that, at last count, I've worked for the last 763 hours straight without sleep. I may be off a few hours one way or another, but it's pretty close.

I'm juuuuuuust about to snap.

Of course, Em is also being a total doll these days. She apologized up and down about the minor infraction, and didn't once ask me to back off of the grounding.

And when I was explaining to N the new set of consequences for his behavior (first major problem results in loss of computer time; second major problem results in loss of TV time; third major problem results in an immediate bedtime), he had only one concern: "But you'll still lay down with me, right? Even if I have to go to bed early? Because I loooooooove cuddling with you!"

Be still my heart.

And on a totally, completely, uncategorically unrelated note: Doesn't this make you want to smile? Stem cells from amniotic fluid! Totally cool! And not because of any hesitation I might have about using embryonic stem cells (I have none) or because I think it will settle the debate (it won't, and it shouldn't, because it's a debate that needs to be had), but because, hey! We didn't know there were stem cells in there! And now we know that there are! And it's yet another source for cells, and yet another hope for cures, and yet another advance for medical science.

I also like it because I wrote about Dr. Atala in one part of my first book, Superhuman. At the time, he was trying to tissue-engineer a bladder. This is definitely cooler.

Of course, this story left me with an indelible image of scientists chasing pregnant women around with buckets, trying to be there just at the moment their water breaks...But maybe that's just me.