A Soccer Team

Nolan supervises as I change Auburn's diaper on the carpet of her bedroom. It's a wrestling match. The girl is always on the move. I need four arms. The only things I could give her that would occupy her attention for a full five seconds are things she shouldn't have. Like paper, hair clips, car keys. She has a penchant for germs and danger and if you're unwilling to hand them to her she wiggles across the floor looking for it herself.

Nolan is observing the wrestling match as he dreams aloud of the upcoming soccer season. He suddenly stops the soccer talk and asks, "Will you have another baby? You know, you and Dada? Will you have more babies?"

"I don't know," I say. "Do you want more siblings?"

"Yeah. I want enough brothers and sisters to have a soccer team."

This is where I would spurt milk and some would come dripping out my nose, but I'm not drinking milk. I'm trying to velcro the clean diaper closed before the little one squirms away. I lose some ground; she makes a little headway.

"Do you know how many people are on a soccer team, Nolan?"

"No."

"Eleven!" I try sounding as emphatic as I can. I'm imagining the chaos and wrestling of my life amplified an additional eight times. This calls for emphasis and alarm!

He is unphased.

"Yeah, you can have eleven." He is calm and genuine.

I pick up Auburn. Nolan follows us out of the room, contemplating his homegrown team.

"Except... I don't know if you can have them before soccer season starts."

Yeah. I just don't know.