Chapter 11: Never Leave Kids Alone With Snack Food

Ziva placed sippy cups of juice on the kitchen table for Beth and Rivka to have with their snacks. The two year olds had just woken up from naps and LJ was still sleeping. She took the new package of Oreo cookies out of the pantry and lifted the flap to open it. She handed each girl three cookies and resealed the flap. Just as she turned to put the package away, LJ could be heard fussing on the baby monitor.

"Stay at the table until you finish your snack, please, while I get LJ," Ziva told the little girls. She put the cookie package on the table, intending to put it away later.

"Okay, Ima," both replied as Ziva headed to LJ's room. Once in LJ's room, Ziva could smell the mess before she saw it. LJ's diaper had leaked. She quickly stripped the soiled clothes off the baby, put the remains of the diaper in a plastic trash bag and ran warm water into the sink in the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and washcloth and gave LJ a bath.

She lifted the baby out of the water and wrapped him in the towel, carrying him to the changing table. She tossed the soiled clothing, wash rag and towel onto the soiled sheet in the crib to take to the laundry room once LJ had nursed. After diapering and dressing the little boy, he was getting fussier, wanting to nurse.

She had barely uncovered her breast when LJ latched on and began sucking hungrily. Once he was nursing, she used her free hand to strip the sheet from the crib mattress and pulled the four corners together to carry the entire laundry load to the washer. She headed to the laundry room to put the soiled items in the machine. As she passed through the kitchen, she glanced at the table.

Neither girl was visible, but the table top was covered in the chocolate cookie halves of the Oreos. Every one of them had the white icing licked off! The empty package sat on the seat of one of the chairs, along with the two sippy cups. One of the sippy cups was lying in its side.

Ziva quickly put the soiled items from LJ's room in the washer, added detergent and started the sanitary clean cycle. LJ was still nursing as she walked back to the kitchen. Thankfully, the sippy cups were both empty so no juice had been spilled on the chair. She sat on another chair and propped LJ on her shoulder to burp him. When he started rutting on her shoulder, she placed him at her other breast to nurse some more.

She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and snapped a picture of the table top to show Tony when he came home and then went to look for the twins. She found them in the playroom, with their baby dolls. Each one had chocolate Oreo crumbs around her mouth. The two looked at their Ima as she came into the room.

"Done with cookies," Rivka told her mother.

"Cookies good," Beth grinned.