Summary

Since Noah, Janie’s life has grown increasingly stressful, as her son’s unusual phobias and anxieties make holding onto babysitters increasingly difficult. He hates when she leaves him, which makes daycare hard, but also makes having a social life even harder for Janie. Noah hates baths, forcing Janie to clean him with antibacterial wipes and prompting complaints from teachers about the sour smell that follows him.

Janie knows her son is unusual. He brings up topics that Janie cannot seem to explain, and he will constantly ask to go home, or ask for his “other mother” (35).

Before setting out for a date with a man she met through an online dating service, Janie finds Noah in the kitchen, smashing egg yolks into his hair and claiming he is making, “eggnog,” baffling Janie with the fact that he...