diff --git a/node.go b/node.go
index d6a1141..87f08cd 100644
--- a/node.go
+++ b/node.go
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 package tea
 
+import "fmt"
+
 var lastID int
 
 func nextNodeID() int {
@@ -14,38 +16,133 @@ func nextNodeID() int {
 type lnode struct {
 	id       int
 	name     string
-	xnodes   []*xnode
+	xnodes   []xnode
+	test     Test
 	parents  []*lnode
 	children []*lnode
 }
 
+// newLNode greates a new lnode with the provided test and the list of parents.
+// If there are no parents, the lnode is a root node, and the provided test is
+// run once. Otherwise, the provided test is used to create xnodes that are
+// children of all of the provided parent nodes' xnodes.
+func newLNode(test Test, parents ...*lnode) *lnode {
+	if len(parents) == 0 {
+		return rootLNode(test)
+	}
+
+	id := nextNodeID()
+	node := lnode{
+		id:      id,
+		name:    parseName(test),
+		test:    test,
+		parents: parents,
+	}
+
+	xID := 0
+	for _, parent := range parents {
+		for i, _ := range parent.xnodes {
+			node.xnodes = append(node.xnodes, xnode{
+				id:     xID,
+				lnode:  &node,
+				parent: &parent.xnodes[i],
+			})
+			xID++
+		}
+	}
+
+	for i, _ := range node.xnodes {
+		xparent := node.xnodes[i]
+		xparent.children = append(xparent.children, &node.xnodes[i])
+	}
+	return &node
+}
+
+func rootLNode(test Test) *lnode {
+	id := nextNodeID()
+	node := lnode{
+		id:   id,
+		name: parseName(test),
+		test: test,
+	}
+	node.xnodes = []xnode{{id: 0, lnode: &node}}
+	return &node
+}
+
 // child adds an lnode as a child of the receiver. For every xnode in this
 // receiver, the child lnode has a component xnode whose parent is the
 // corresponding xnode in this lnode.
 func (l *lnode) child(c *lnode, t Test) {
-	c.parents = append(c.parents, l)
-	l.children = append(l.children, c)
-	for i, x := range l.xnodes {
-		xchild := x.child(t)
-		xchild.lnode = c
-		xchild.id = [2]int{l.id, i + 1}
-		c.xnodes = append(c.xnodes, xchild)
-	}
+	panic("nuh")
+	//c.parents = append(c.parents, l)
+	//l.children = append(l.children, c)
+	//for i, x := range l.xnodes {
+	//	xchild := x.child(t)
+	//	xchild.lnode = c
+	//	xchild.id = i
+	//	c.xnodes = append(c.xnodes, xchild)
+	//}
 }
 
 // xnode is a node in the execution graph, representing one instance of a test
 // to be executed. xnode is the unit test in tea. every xnode is either
 // unparented or has one parent.
 type xnode struct {
-	id       [2]int
-	lnode    *lnode
-	test     Test
+	id       int    // id within the parent lnode
+	lnode    *lnode // corresponding node in the logical test graph
 	parent   *xnode
 	children []*xnode
 }
 
+// func newXNode(L *lnode
+
 func (x *xnode) child(t Test) *xnode {
-	child := &xnode{test: t, parent: x}
-	x.children = append(x.children, child)
-	return child
+	panic("no")
+	// child := &xnode{test: t, parent: x}
+	// x.children = append(x.children, child)
+	// return child
+}
+
+func (x *xnode) isOnlyTestInLNode() bool {
+	return len(x.lnode.children) == 1
+}
+
+func (x *xnode) label() string {
+	if x.isOnlyTestInLNode() {
+		return x.lnode.name
+	}
+	switch {
+	case len(x.lnode.children) < 10:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", x.lnode.name, x.id)
+	case len(x.lnode.children) < 100:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%02d", x.lnode.name, x.id)
+	case len(x.lnode.children) < 1000:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%03d", x.lnode.name, x.id)
+	default:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%04d", x.lnode.name, x.id)
+	}
+}
+
+// ancestry gives a slice of xnodes beginning at the root of the x graph and
+// terminating at the receiver xnode.
+func (x *xnode) ancestry() []*xnode {
+	if x.parent == nil {
+		return []*xnode{x}
+	}
+	return append(x.parent.ancestry(), x)
+}
+
+// descendents gives a slice of all xnodes whose ancestry includes the receiver
+// xnode, in depth-first order.
+func (x *xnode) descendents() []*xnode {
+	if len(x.children) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	descendents := make([]*xnode, 0, len(x.children))
+	for _, c := range x.children {
+		descendents = append(descendents, c)
+		descendents = append(descendents, c.descendents()...)
+	}
+	return descendents
 }
diff --git a/node_test.go b/node_test.go
index f2c4657..6ae8155 100644
--- a/node_test.go
+++ b/node_test.go
@@ -4,6 +4,5 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-func TestXNodeDot(t *testing.T) {
-
+func TestXLabels(t *testing.T) {
 }
diff --git a/selection.go b/selection.go
index 389e661..53db31d 100644
--- a/selection.go
+++ b/selection.go
@@ -1,23 +1,7 @@
 package tea
 
-import (
-	"io"
-)
-
 func NewSelection(test Test) Selection {
-	x := xnode{
-		test: clone(test),
-	}
-	l := lnode{
-		id:     nextNodeID(),
-		name:   parseName(test),
-		xnodes: []*xnode{&x},
-	}
-	x.lnode = &l
-
-	return Selection{
-		nodes: []*lnode{&l},
-	}
+	return Selection{nodes: []*lnode{newLNode(test)}}
 }
 
 // Selection represents a set of nodes in our graph.
@@ -26,11 +10,8 @@ type Selection struct {
 }
 
 func (s Selection) Child(test Test) Selection {
-	child := &lnode{id: nextNodeID(), name: parseName(test)}
-	for _, l := range s.nodes {
-		l.child(child, test)
-	}
-	return Selection{nodes: []*lnode{child}}
+	node := newLNode(test, s.nodes...)
+	return Selection{nodes: []*lnode{node}}
 }
 
 func (s Selection) And(other Selection) Selection {
@@ -47,6 +28,17 @@ func (s Selection) And(other Selection) Selection {
 	return Selection{nodes: out}
 }
 
+// xnodes represents all xnodes in the selected lnodes
+func (s Selection) xnodes() []*xnode {
+	xnodes := make([]*xnode, 0, s.countXNodes())
+	for _, L := range s.nodes {
+		for _, x := range L.xnodes {
+			xnodes = append(xnodes, &x)
+		}
+	}
+	return xnodes
+}
+
 func (s Selection) countXNodes() int {
 	total := 0
 	for _, child := range s.nodes {
@@ -55,6 +47,17 @@ func (s Selection) countXNodes() int {
 	return total
 }
 
-func (s Selection) writeDOT(w io.Writer) {
-
-}
+// func (s Selection) writeXDOT(w io.Writer) {
+// 	xnodes := s.xnodes()
+//
+// 	type xedge [2]string
+// 	included := make(map[xedge]bool)
+// 	edges := make([]xedge, 0, len(xnodes))
+//
+// 	for _, X := range xnodes {
+//
+// 		for p := X; p != nil; p = p.parent {
+//
+// 		}
+// 	}
+// }