Anybody gotta go?

"You need to use the potty before we go to the library."
NO!
"Lucy, Mommy is not going to be able to take you to the potty at the library, so you have to go now."
WHY?
"Because we'll have Margaret and Josephine, and our stroller won't fit in the potty."
WHY?
"You have to pee now."
I DON'T HAVE TO!
"Well, you have to try."
Tussle. Tears. Defeat.

And so, off we go, Lucy and M in the double stroller and J in the Bjorn. We get to the library. Unclip the girls in the stroller. Put M on hip. Lucy refuses to carry the books in. Sigh. We get inside, begin reviewing movie rental choices. How about Blue's Big Band? Lucy? Lucy?
"I gotta pee, Mommy."
Margaret starts to scream.
Oh, the sympathetic stares...Why are there so many mommies in the library on a Monday morning? Don't you people work?? Margaret does not want to go to the library today, I announce loudly. Someone laughs nervously. Flip Margaret into fat cheetah on a tree limb pose. She frets. She hates books. Is she mine?

The bathroom is two floors up. No elevator. Come on, Lucy. Kick open door with foot. Ooh, heavy! Short seat, hooray! Lucy, you need to scooch up there yourself. I CAN'T! Well, you gotta try! Margaret starts screaming again. Oww! The echo!! Crouch in front of toilet. Push Lucy up and back with one hand. Hold Margaret with other. Josephine's body begins tipping perilously toward water. Lucy pees. And pees. And pees. (We left the house 10 minutes ago...and she didn't have to pee then?! I've been had!) Begins pulling toilet paper. More paper. More paper. Okay, enough paper!

We leave the bathroom with Lucy's skirt tucked in her undies.
Check out Blue's Big Band and another Madeline book.
Go get ice cream.

*In the photo above, Lucy is doing her best to convince Margaret that BOOKS ARE GOOD. "This a very good book, Margrip. See?" she says. "I read it to you. That be nice?"