September 13, 2011
In an effort to decompress, or maybe just to satisfy a guilty pleasure, J and I stay up way too late watching TV that neither of us really cares much about. Finally, just before Midnight, we turn off the mind-numbing reality show and go to check on the kids before heading to bed.
12 a.m. - Trip is typically fast asleep, but this time he pops his little head up and starts screaming. SCREAMING. "Mama! Mama! Mama!" He has been a little under the weather, so I take the bait and climb in to bed with him to "cuddle with you please." How can I resist?
12:30 - After a dozen attempts to leave the room quietly, I finally make it to bed.
1:30 - Anna Kate wakes up. Crying. Hungry. I race to her room thinking, please don't wake Trip up! Like a zombie, I feed her and blindly walk back down the pitch dark hallway. Shin hits chair. Crash back into bed.
3 a.m. - I hear the pitter patter of little footsteps. Trip cries, "Mama". I pull him up into bed. Sleep for the next three hours with feet in ribs, Trip's head resting close to J's back.
6 a.m. - Anna Kate wakes for the day. Smiling. Babbling. Hard to be mad at that.
7 a.m. - Trip joins us. Grumpy.
I have two and a half hours before my doctor appointment. This seems like a lot of time to get everyone fed, dressed and out the door. Experience tells me otherwise. Trip is potty training, which means potty breaks every 30 minutes plus possible accidents and cleanup. Both kids need to eat. Anna Kate needs to take a morning nap. I need to fit in getting dressed and brushing my teeth. My throat has been sore, and the last thing I want is the doc looking down my throat only to be greeted by stinky coffee breath.
9:30 - A friend is suppose to keep Trip, but her son has given her a hard morning. She is late. I meet her at her son's preschool. Hand over my son. They head to the church where my friend is on child care duty for the women's Bible study.
9:50 - Late to my appointment. Anna Kate has fallen asleep. At this point, the doctor appointment is as good as a day at the spa. I am grateful for the quiet. Not so grateful to step on the scale and talk about cholesterol.
11 - I swing by the church to pick up Trip. Take him for a potty break. No accidents so far. Stop back to say goodbye to my friend and frequent lifesaver. Then, the scent of poo fills my nose. First accident of the day. Apparently Trip was so busy playing, taking a break to use the restroom would have been a huge inconvenience. Cleanup. Change clothes. Load back into the car.
12 p.m. (12 hours down, 8 to go before bedtime) - Grocery shopping. Praise the Lord, this was relatively uneventful. Emphasis on relatively. Trying to get groceries with a hungry 2 year old and tired baby is never easy. This trip is extra long because I have to fill a prescription. I bribe Trip with donuts and strawberry milk. Anna Kate's car seat fills the grocery cart, so groceries pile up around Trip. He is okay with this until we reach the checkout line, where he decides it will be helpful to throw the groceries out of the cart.
1 - We are finally home. Time for mommy triage. First priority: Anna Kate out of car. Second: Trip lunch. Third: Dog has been outside all day and it is 100 degrees. Dog in, water, food. Fourth: Nurse Anna Kate. Fifth: Oops, forgot about the groceries in the trunk. Unload groceries. Sixth: Turn on an episode of Curious George to distract Trip. Seventh: Anna Kate down for nap.
1:30 - I put Trip down for a nap. Think. Think. What do I need to get done? How quickly can I do it? I am exhausted and would like to take a nap too. I pick up the phone to return some calls. In the midst of a conversation, Trip comes out of his room.
2 - I put Trip down for a nap. Did I already say that? I check a few emails. I am throwing a baby shower this weekend and working on a few things for the church.
2:30 - I lay down on the couch. Sleep takes over.
3 - Anna Kate wakes up.
4 - Trip wakes up. Potty training continues.
4:30 - Nurse Anna Kate.
5 - I start dinner.
6 - Dinner.
7:30 - Nurse Anna Kate. She is easy for me. She eats well, then straight to bed. Sweet baby girl.
J has a City Council meeting tonight. He's had his own long day. Up and to work at 6:30. City Council starts at 5 p.m. He usually tries to make it home to put Trip to bed, so I keep baby boy awake past his bed time hoping J will walk in the door soon.
9:30 - J is still in his meeting. Trip resists bed time, but finally goes to sleep for me.
10:37 - J is home. Always the highlight of my day. He tells me about his long day and we laugh.
11:54 - I am nearing the end of my shift.
It's funny that after everything, I'm not really sure if I have knocked anything off of my "to do" list today. The house is no cleaner. The laundry still piles over. And tomorrow will be more of the same.
A friend of mine with teenagers said to me today that I will look back and think what a short season of life this is in the grand scheme of things. I believe her. Each tiring, monotonous hour of the day is one that I want to hold on to. Each silly thing Trip does. Each sweet smile or new sound Anna Kate makes. Each time J walks in the door.
I am so thankful and so blessed to call this my life.
