to see her mommy and not a baby-sitter.) Mamie was in a great mood that day. She wrinkled her nose up into the "ham face" she makes when she's happy. Then she began to jump up and down in her crib, her blonde curls bouncing. "Hi-ho, hi-ho!" she called.
"Hi-ho!" Dawn replied. "Boy, are you a happy little girl today."
"Hi-ho," Mamie said again. (Mamie's not even two years old yet.)
"Time to change your diaper," Dawn said, picking Marnie up and carrying her to the changing table. She reached into the box of disposable diapers that was next to the table and pulled out the last one. Uh-oh, she thought,
but then she remembered that Mrs. Barrett usually keeps a big supply of diapers in the laundry room.
"No-no. No didy," said Mamie.
"Yes-yes. Sorry, kiddo," Dawn told her. "You're soaking wet."
Dawn sang "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" to Mar-nie as she changed the diaper, and Mamie made the ham face again. Then Dawn snapped her into a pair of clean overalls, picked her up, and carried her downstairs.
"Suzi?" she called. "Do you want to have some juice with Marnie?"
No answer.
Dawn peered into the playroom.
Suzi wasn't there.
"Suzi!" Dawn called more loudly.
"What?" replied Suzi's voice.
"Where are you?"
"In the dining room."
Dawn carried Marnie into the dining room. She didn't know what she expected to find there — but it certainly wasn't the sight of Suzi wrapping diapers around the legs of the table and taping them in place with Band-Aids.
"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Dawn.
"Fixing my horsie," Suzi replied. She opened another Band-Aid wrapper, expertly peeled off the paper, and applied the Band-Aid to the
edges of a diaper, securing it just under the tabletop.
"Excuse me?" said Dawn.
Suzi patted the table. "My horsie broke all his legs," she said. "And he has a sickness. I have to fix him up."
Dawn clapped her hand to her forehead. Then she set Marnie on the ground. "Suzi, your mom needs these diapers for your sister. I'm, um, I'm really glad you made your horse better, but now we have to take the Band-Aids off — carefully. Try to do it without ruining the diapers."
It took almost fifteen minutes, but at last the diapers had been unwound from the table, folded neatly, and placed in their box in the laundry room. Dawn might not have been so concerned if she didn't know how expensive disposable diapers are.
She decided it was definitely time to get the girls outdoors, so after a quick snack, and after she'd given Suzi her medicine, she put Pow on his leash, walked the girls into the garage, and plopped Marnie in her stroller.
"Where are we walking to?" asked Suzi as they headed down the driveway. "The school playground?"
"We-ell, that's kind of a long walk, but I guess we could try."
"Wait! Could we go to the brook?" asked Suzi. "Marnie loves it."
"Sure," replied Dawn. "That's a great idea. And the brook is much closer."
Dawn, Suzi, and Marnie hadn't walked far when suddenly Dawn saw something that made her stop short. She stopped so quickly that Pow, whose leash was attached to the stroller and who was trotting happily ahead, jerked to a halt, too, and nearly fell over.
What Dawn had seen was me. Well, not just me, but Jessi and me across the street with all of my brothers and sisters.
Dawn told me later that her first thought was, why are they baby-sitting? Her second thought was, maybe they're not sitting, maybe they're just playing with the kids. Then she noticed that my parents' cars weren't in the driveway and knew we were sitting after all.
"Wow," said Dawn under her breath. Of course, she was dying of curiosity. If Mrs. Pike needed another sitter, why hadn't she called the Baby-sitters Club? She always had before. And furthermore, who was the girl who was helping me baby-sit (if that's what she was doing)?
Dawn had a lot of unanswered questions, but she wasn't going to ask me about them. It was embarrassing enough that we'd seen each
other. I hadn't spoken to any of the girls in the club
"Hi-ho!" Dawn replied. "Boy, are you a happy little girl today."
"Hi-ho," Mamie said again. (Mamie's not even two years old yet.)
"Time to change your diaper," Dawn said, picking Marnie up and carrying her to the changing table. She reached into the box of disposable diapers that was next to the table and pulled out the last one. Uh-oh, she thought,
but then she remembered that Mrs. Barrett usually keeps a big supply of diapers in the laundry room.
"No-no. No didy," said Mamie.
"Yes-yes. Sorry, kiddo," Dawn told her. "You're soaking wet."
Dawn sang "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" to Mar-nie as she changed the diaper, and Mamie made the ham face again. Then Dawn snapped her into a pair of clean overalls, picked her up, and carried her downstairs.
"Suzi?" she called. "Do you want to have some juice with Marnie?"
No answer.
Dawn peered into the playroom.
Suzi wasn't there.
"Suzi!" Dawn called more loudly.
"What?" replied Suzi's voice.
"Where are you?"
"In the dining room."
Dawn carried Marnie into the dining room. She didn't know what she expected to find there — but it certainly wasn't the sight of Suzi wrapping diapers around the legs of the table and taping them in place with Band-Aids.
"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Dawn.
"Fixing my horsie," Suzi replied. She opened another Band-Aid wrapper, expertly peeled off the paper, and applied the Band-Aid to the
edges of a diaper, securing it just under the tabletop.
"Excuse me?" said Dawn.
Suzi patted the table. "My horsie broke all his legs," she said. "And he has a sickness. I have to fix him up."
Dawn clapped her hand to her forehead. Then she set Marnie on the ground. "Suzi, your mom needs these diapers for your sister. I'm, um, I'm really glad you made your horse better, but now we have to take the Band-Aids off — carefully. Try to do it without ruining the diapers."
It took almost fifteen minutes, but at last the diapers had been unwound from the table, folded neatly, and placed in their box in the laundry room. Dawn might not have been so concerned if she didn't know how expensive disposable diapers are.
She decided it was definitely time to get the girls outdoors, so after a quick snack, and after she'd given Suzi her medicine, she put Pow on his leash, walked the girls into the garage, and plopped Marnie in her stroller.
"Where are we walking to?" asked Suzi as they headed down the driveway. "The school playground?"
"We-ell, that's kind of a long walk, but I guess we could try."
"Wait! Could we go to the brook?" asked Suzi. "Marnie loves it."
"Sure," replied Dawn. "That's a great idea. And the brook is much closer."
Dawn, Suzi, and Marnie hadn't walked far when suddenly Dawn saw something that made her stop short. She stopped so quickly that Pow, whose leash was attached to the stroller and who was trotting happily ahead, jerked to a halt, too, and nearly fell over.
What Dawn had seen was me. Well, not just me, but Jessi and me across the street with all of my brothers and sisters.
Dawn told me later that her first thought was, why are they baby-sitting? Her second thought was, maybe they're not sitting, maybe they're just playing with the kids. Then she noticed that my parents' cars weren't in the driveway and knew we were sitting after all.
"Wow," said Dawn under her breath. Of course, she was dying of curiosity. If Mrs. Pike needed another sitter, why hadn't she called the Baby-sitters Club? She always had before. And furthermore, who was the girl who was helping me baby-sit (if that's what she was doing)?
Dawn had a lot of unanswered questions, but she wasn't going to ask me about them. It was embarrassing enough that we'd seen each
other. I hadn't spoken to any of the girls in the club
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