Any excuse to go to Mr. Hoopah’s store is good. I love that place.

What I’ve found recently at

We told him about the baby Olgamuses. He was very excited.

Mr. Hoopah disappeared into the back of the store, which seems like the most mysterious place. It must be full of treasures like Ali Baba’s cave. I sometimes wonder if he lives there.

He came back quickly carrying a giant jar. He looked very proud.

I thanked him and took the jar, and we were about to leave when I felt my stomach grumble. Chuck, the Lalas, and I looked around for interesting snacks. Here were some of our choices:

Of course, I went for the mac-and-cheese-flavored ramen. The others picked their own snacks (fried jellyfish chips for Shalala, crab cakes for Farla, and vegetarian chicken wings for Chuck), and then Farla asked me if I wanted to go sit at the picnic table outside the store with them.

At home, I set my snack down on the table, washed my hands, and opened the fridge door to take one last look at the babies before going to bed. They were quiet, half asleep, and so was Meh.

I played them a little lullaby on the ukulele that I composed on the spot. I felt very inspired.

Then I went to sleep right next to the fridge, on the floor. I had totally forgotten to eat my mac and cheese.

I woke up early in the morning and cleaned up the rest of the kitchen as best as I could. From what I know, newborns are vulnerable to infections and viruses. Their environment has to be kept clean.

Normally, I would hate doing all this cleaning, but I didn’t mind. Why? Because it was

At around eight a.m., Meh called to me from inside the fridge. I opened the door, and she jumped out.

Meh ran to her food bowl and started wolfing down her olives. She seemed to enjoy the bacon-wrapped olives as much as Mr. Hoopah thought she would.

While she was eating, I took a look at the babies. They were all squirming around. Without Meh right there, it was easier to get a closer look.

I will draw them here so you can take a look too:

Meh came back and sat next to me for a minute. I took some time to pet her, hug her, and tell her how proud I was of her big accomplishment. After all, giving birth is a huge deal!

She was quickly shedding her extra pregnancy weight, but she still looked tired.

She hopped back on the shelf, snuggled with her babies, and started making her purring sound again. She sounded a little bit like a dishwasher. She looked so happy and so proud. I took a photo on my phone.

I closed the fridge door to let the new family have a rest. But then I didn’t know what to do next. I felt a bit restless.

So I kept myself busy by writing down a few observations I’d come up with:

I spent the rest of the evening feeding Rita dead flies I found on the windowsill. I like Rita, but she’s not the most talkative companion. (Sorry, Rita)

I can’t wait until the babies get a little