Flushed Away

"Mommy's going potty...you stay here, okay?"

Don't you sometimes wish you could rewind time, if only by a few minutes? I do, this morning. My car keys have been flushed down the toilet. Well, flushed anyway. I do not know how far they have progressed but far enough that I could not reach them with my hand. We wont go into details about that part.

It was one of those slow motion moments. Toddler walks in with keys just as I am flushing. Plop! No! Panic! Grab them, you can wash your hands later! Too late! In goes pacifier, too! No! Grab pacifier in time. Put on bathroom counter but to no avail. Speedy little hands grab and put back in mouth. Nooooooo!!! Yank disgusting item from toddler's mouth. Pray.

Nice morning so far, eh?

Hello Kim? Kim?? Oklahoma Kim?

I have tried to email you a few times over the past week, but every time my emails bounce back to me...do you have another email address? I can't email your coworker about her Mary Kay order either...

I am not ignoring you, buddy.

Thanks,
C

Not Quite Twenty Four

Monday, January 22nd, 12:00 a.m. - I am sound asleep, and so is Duncan (for now) but Iain is still awake. I am not sure why, since he's been sick (too) and had little sleep.

12:23 a.m. - I awaken to realize Iain is still awake (see previous entry.) I fall back asleep and say a little prayer that Duncan will sleep well. He is quite congested.

2:33 a.m. - Duncan wakes, cries...I wake, lie still and hope for the best.

2:41 a.m. - I go to check on him, he is sitting up, coughing...I rock him back to sleep and put him back to bed.

4:03 a.m. - More crying and coughing, I go in and settle him again and then crawl back into bed, not sure what day it is...thinking it's Sunday again and that Iain can maybe take the morning shift so I can sleep. Ha!

6:33 a.m. - Duncan up for the day. I go get him and first words, as usual, "Daddy." We crawl into bed with daddy, momentarily, before he is ready to hit the ground running.

7:30 a.m. - Kiss Iain/Daddy good bye then back inside. Hot tea for mommy while I make pancakes...from scratch. Extra mommy points!

11:38 a.m. - Where does the morning go? Duncan has had lunch and is down for a nap. Pray that he sleeps well. I have done two loads of laundry, three loads of dishes (see angry appliance post), hung up clothes in closets, changed four diapers, brushed teeth (!), read My First Bible Story Book three times, and checked MOPS email. Now I will rest.

12:20 p.m. - Crying. Awake.

12:34 p.m. - Still crying. Rocked to sleep by 12:50...sweet baby.

1:55 p.m. - Up from nap and happy. I even managed to sit and go through a stack of mail and write two notes...one to my friend Michelle whose baby died a few weeks ago, and one to my friend De thanking her for awesome hand me downs.

3:13 p.m. - Talk to friend Betsy regarding bringing food for Michelle and her grieving family. Also talk about toddlers. Laugh alot. Make myself a cup of tea and put some in a sippy cup for Duncan. Only an hour and a half until I need to start dinner! Realize everything is frozen. Scramble.

5:15 p.m. - Duncan in high chair eating bowtie pasta with parmesan and peas, hot dog, frozen strawberries, avacado. Thaw chicken, wash lettuce for salad, make marinara sauce, wash 5th sink full of dishes, take three Advil.

5:45 p.m. - Daddy's home! Hurrah!

5:45 p.m. - Duncan out of high chair for post-dinner run through house, play with Daddy, I finish getting dinner in oven.

6:15 p.m. - Duncan in tub. Peace.

6:40 p.m. - Naked baby running through house.

7:00 p.m. - Sleepy baby. Iain reads Mother Goose's Nursery Rhymes (cousin Brittany, previous owner!), I read Curious George Gets a Medal (for 17th time today) and then to bed. Realize I have a song about Larry the Tomato not having a belly button stuck in my head.

8:00 p.m. - I call one of my MOPS moms to tell her we do have a spot for her baby girl in child care this semester then plop back in Iain's leather chair, with heating pad on my back. I am an old woman already.

9:44 p.m. - Iain asleep. I will watch a few Tivo'ed epsidoes of Homicide then go to bed.

Terrible

I am a discussion group leader in a MOPS (moms of preschoolers) group. One of the wonderful ladies in my group was due to have her 2nd baby this month. I got this yesterday from her sister:

Christie,
I'm M's sister. M asked me to email you and let you know what
happened. M lost Kennedy on Sunday. She was scheduled to be induced tomorrow. M felt her move on Saturday night, but on Sunday she did not feel her moving, so
she went to the hospital. They hooked her up to a monitor and there was no
heartbeat. She had a c-section. They are not sure what happened to her, the cord
was not wrapped around her neck, there were no knots in the cord, and the fluid
was clear. She had an autopsy and it will take about a week and a half before we
get the results. She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was about 19" long. She is beautiful
and looks just like her big brother. M is scheduled to get out of the
hospital tomorrow. Anyway, I wanted to let you know and if you could please let
the rest of your MOPS group know. If you or anyone wants me to give M any
messages, please email me at adkf;aldjf;ajdflkj@al;djfa.net.

I had some extra lady fingers, leftover from a kick-ass Scottish trifle I made for Christmas, and offered Ducan one, calling them cake. Now he says, "caaaaaaaaaaaake" in this deep little voice.

He is quite a parrot and can mimic almost anything I say. Including "shit."

He is happy, happy, happy and friendly. Waves and says "hi" to just about everyone we see everywhere we go. And cars. And planes. And dogs.

Just writing it down so I don't forget!

Stress Level for the Day (n/k/a SLFTD) 7

• Still no garbage disposal, people
• Brother in law Jim is coming back today to try to help get the stupid thing installed. Yes, back. You are smart enough to figure out what that implies.
• Have birthday party for 2 year-old today that I still have not bought gift for
• Husband at work because of computer virus
• Not sure when brother in law is coming or when husband is coming home
• Party starts in two and a half hours
• Husband having very, very bad time at work
• Dishwasher not working

One is not the loneliest number

I took Duncan to his granny's and aunt's yesterday afternoon and left him to spend the night. Spend the night! Since Iain had to work late I got some cherished time all alone. While I will not say I was dancing with joy, I was pretty excited. I lived alone for quite a long time before getting married. And I loved it. I love being alone. I am an introvert. If I go a long time without solitude I get drained of energy. I need it to recharge.

Happily, Duncan has a grand time at his grandmother's and aunt's house. They have two dogs, two kitties (which are hands down his favorite creatures) and numerous fish and frogs. And a staircase. He has become quite attached to his aunt and can say her name clearly enough for most of us to understand. He still can't say "granny" which I think stings a bit but this wont be forever either.

I have the morning to myself and feel a little paralyzed at all I could do with the time. I have to ask, "what can I do that would be most difficult with a toddler in tow?" That list is quite long. So then I have to prioritize.

I will let you know what I decide.

Awesomeness

Had a play date this morning with some good friends in their totally rockin' playroom. She has left the plain drywall up and has drawn all over it with crayons, and so have the kids. It is really, really cool. The biggest hit? The air mattress.

But really, why?

Happy New Year, Baby!