As I survey my home - wadded tissues adorning the counter tops, dirty dishes piled in the sink, and toys scattered about the floor, I find myself wanting to run far away and be...alone. It's been one of "those" days. Any parent knows what I'm talking about. Two very whiney babies with never-ending streams of snot coming from their noses. We've managed to go through a box and a half of Kleenex in two days! I no sooner finish wiping one little nose when I notice the other one needs wiped again!
And just a little side note to my children: I don't enjoy wiping your snotty nose any more than you do. And when you fight it, snot goes EVERYwhere and just makes matters worse. So let's work on this together, okay? :)
My day started earlier than normal. Naomi decided that 6:30 was a good time to be up and ready for the day. Isaac slept in until about 10am, which was kind of him, since he had been up half the night crying. But unfortunately sleeping in didn't cure his grumpy mood. At breakfast, he enjoyed his oatmeal so much that he wanted seconds. Cool. So I made him another bowl (which I now know is too much for a 2-year-old). He ate a few bites, then let me know he was finished by tossing it off his tray. Nice. Warm, sticky oatmeal splattered all over my kitchen floor and walls. Mona was nearby and loved helping clean up!! Why must he continue throwing his food?!?
Naomi screamed while I was on my hands and knees, cleaning breakfast off the floor. As I went to rescue her from her loneliness, I find that she had a reason for her screaming - spit-up all over the place. Lovely. Especially lovely with the mix of snot running down to her lips! YUCK!
Isaac asks to watch TV, which I respond with a resounding YES...PLEASE! :) As he sits, motionless in front of the television, I have a moment to clean up a little after breakfast. Well...as well as I can with a baby in a hip cast in my arms!! More snotty noses to wipe, too! Snack time followed shortly by lunch. Pretty uneventful...aside from the constant nose-wiping and spitting-up by Naomi. And she didn't enjoy being put down so I could eat either. So I ate through her screams.
After lunch...NAPTIME! A blessed time, indeed. And it just so happened that their naps aligned today. SWEET! Naomi went down. Then Isaac...sort of. I could hear him up in his room. But thought he was just fighting his nap (an almost daily occurrence). But today was a little different. Isaac decided to get creative. He thought it would be a good idea to use his hands to remove the poop from his diaper. And then use that poop as art on his crib and on the floor. He later informed me that he "licked it." Nice. Mid-day bath! Goes okay until the part when I need to wash his hair. He's developed a HUGE intolerance to hair washing...doesn't like water in his ears or eyes, so fights it altogether. Bath ended with LOTS of screaming and tears. Cleaned up THAT mess...then put him back down for a nap.
Came downstairs for my "break"...turned on Naomi's baby monitor. And she's UP! Wow. So they didn't nap together after all! Bummer. But hopefully she'll be in a better mood. Nope. Still cranky. Still snotty. Still wanting to be held constantly. So I spent some time with my sweet baby girl...and I did get a few good laughs out of her. :) And then Isaac decided that 45 minutes would be enough of a nap for today. Splendid.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty much a blur...filled with lots of whining, correcting, and snotty noses! :) The afternoon ended with a generous amount of spit-up soaking my arms and legs. Mona came to the rescue again! :) My poor husband probably wondered what in the heck was going on as he found me frazzled and with no pants on!! I had one of "those" days! I didn't even go into how many times I put my son in time-out or how many fits he threw or that he began experimenting with cause and effect by hitting his baby sister! To say that I was exhausted at the end of today would be an understatement. Mentally, physically, spiritually...drained. Empty.
But I will take whatever sleep I manage to get tonight, and get up tomorrow to do it all over! :) Well...I will pray with everything I've got for tomorrow to be at least a little more tolerable than today. And I will praise God for two of the most wonderful kiddos alive! And I will love them all the same. I will remember the point in my day when I remembered that Isaac likes to sing, so we spent about 15 minutes singing fun, silly songs...and the time when he danced up on the bins like he was part of STOMP or something. I will remember him laughing hysterically as he sat in my lap and we sang "the mommies on the bus say, Shh, Shh, Shh!...all through the town." He especially liked that one! I will remember him saying, "I saw-wee (sorry), mommy." without being prompted! And all of Naomi's silly squeals and laughter. Yes...this was one heck of a day, but it wasn't ALL bad. I love my kids. And I love my job! :) Wouldn't trade it for the world!
1 comment:
Leslie, I tried to leave you this comment at Facebook but it kept giving me an error message, so I'll post it here instead!
I sooo hear you! ;) I'm sorry! I know days like that are really draining and difficult. When you pray about tomorrow, don't forget to pray that God will enable you to do the work you've been called to do. I find that I am 100% NOT up to the challenge of all these little ones and their antics, and at least 26 hours out of the 24 of straight discipline and correcting! ;) I don't have the patience, consistency, or self-control, and I'm plain too lazy half the time to do what's right by them. But I find if I ask God to enable and equip me, I have much easier days with the children than when I don't. It's not that He helps the days to be easier in terms of what goes on or their behaviour, but more that He enables me to deal with it more efficiently and more cheerfully than I otherwise would, and also without feeling the need for a break (which is seriously supernatural, for me, lol!). I know I will miss this stuff like crazy one day! Hang in there! You're doing a great job! xxx
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