Wednesday, November 9, 2011
2am Brennan wakes up screaming.
3am Cave-in and
attempt to nurse him. His nose is so stuffy he gasps for breathe with each suck effectively soaking us both. Try to use the bulb syringe to suck the guck. Flailing, swatting... Utter failure.
3:45am Return to bed to listen to more screaming from a hungry, congested baby boy.
4am Collin wakes up coughing horribly, and I ask Ryan to give him some more cold medicine. (I know it's against "the rules," but I don't care.)
Must have fallen asleep at some point because...
6am Wake up to more screaming. Ask Ryan to grab the Littlest Monster and put him in the pack 'n play in our closet so as not to awaken Collin.
Explanation: When my parents come to stay with us (like last weekend), we put Brennan in our closet since the guest bed is in his room. It is super dark and far away from Collin, so I am far more comfortable letting Brennan "cry it out" in there.
6:02am Ryan notices that Brennan has soaked through yet another diaper. (Size 4 Overnights; what's a mom to do?) After a complete changing, B's wide-awake, and Ryan takes him to the living room to play while I
try to get some sleep and he eats breakfast.
6:20am Brennan is whimpering and snorting, and Ryan takes him in the bathroom during his shower to try to "de-stuff" him.
6:25am Utter failure. I attempt to nurse him.
6:30am Utter failure. Hungry, stuffy, sad baby boy.
6:45am Try a bottle of breast milk. Utter failure.
7am Try a sippy cup of breast milk. Utter failure.
7:15am Feed about half a jar of fruit and oatmeal to a really fussy baby.
7:30am Medicine-induced sleepy Collin awakes with more coughing.
7:45am Daddy pins baby's arms to his sides and head against his chest, and Mommy uses the bulb syringe to suck snot, snot and more snot.
7:50am Daddy leaves us for work and lets me know I can call if I need to vent. Famous last words.
7:55am Attempt to nurse Baby yet again. Utter failure. Ridiculous quantities of snot prevail. Put him in his bed and pray for a miracle.
8am Amidst screaming from the baby's room, I get Collin a waffle for breakfast, eat an english muffin myself, get Collin another waffle, and fight with Collin about hurrying to finish so I can get in the shower.
8:15am Our compassionate service leader calls: My VTee (and my VTer -
Strange arrangement, but whatever) is sick and can I keep her 2-year-old son until she feels better? I say that'll be fine, but someone will have to drop him off because I don't have room for three car seats in our small rental car (see below). I also tell her I have a story time at 9:30 we usually go to, but that I can skip it if necessary. She says she'll work on finding him a ride over.
Explanation: Ryan dropped the van off on
Tuesday morning for an oil change and took the shuttle to work. When he was checking it in, they mentioned there was a recall on something with the back brakes, and that they'd go ahead and do it while they had it. Awesome. At some point they called and said we needed new brake pads too, and I talked Ryan into paying them to do it while it was there. Then at 4pm Tuesday they called to say it wouldn't be done that day, but that they would give us a free loaner for Wednesday. Fine. Ryan took the shuttle, switched our car seats out and got them adjusted in a
Civic.
8:30am Finally make it into the shower. Brennan is still crying in his room. Collin is still working on his second waffle at the table.
8:40am Turn off the water and B is... quiet! First success of the day. Check my phone; no word from CS leader about a ride for the boy. Decide to kick it in high gear and make it to story time.
8:41am Frantically dress myself and Collin, throw on some makeup, and decide that I WILL not go un-blow-dryed for the
third day in a row. Shut all the doors, and pray B will stay asleep while I get my hair dry.
9am You guessed it: Utter failure. Turn off the blow dryer and B is shrieking yet again. Go get him. Put on his shoes and jacket. Yell at Collin at least 5 times to get on his shoes. Start to think Story Time's a bad idea, and check my phone again. No call about the boy coming over. Get my own shoes on, and
9:15am Get everyone crammed into the ridiculously small car with their buckles all done up. Missing my van terribly,
9:20am I realize I don't have a garage door opener, so I'll have to get in and out of the car to do the code in and out. No biggy, but a little annoying nonetheless.
9:21am Look in the rear-view mirror and see blond hair sticking out all over one snotty-nosed face. Again re-think my idea of hitting story time this morning.
9:30am Arrive at the library. Get everyone out of the itty, bitty car that seems to have shrunk even more as we drove.
9:31am Go in the bathroom and get Collin's hair semi matted-down with water. Head into the story time room.
9:35am First late arrival to story time in two years. Fail.
9:36am Look at Brennan, apparently for the first time: His right cheek has an enormous scratch with a little blood and is flushed bright red. Snot is smeared up to his hairline, down to his chin and ear to ear. Definitely should have skipped story time.
9:37am My cell phone rings. I click the button on the side to silence it. How embarrassing.
9:38am Realize my lap feels warm and moist. Feel Brennan's pants - Soaked. Think - How long has this diaper been on? 6am. Too long. Decide to play it cool. They're dark denim jeans; no one can tell.
9:39am My phone rings again. So rude. Super embarrassing, especially since I was late too. This time I look to see that it's my other VTer. Probably just calling to schedule an appointment for this month. Click ignore and then put my phone on vibrate.
9:40am Stand up to sway back and forth with fussy, snot-covered baby and realize my shirt at my hip is now wet. No longer can play it cool...
9:45am While Collin colors the project, I put Brennan on the floor in the back corner and do a quick fresh diaper switch. Doesn't fix the wet pants or my wet shirt, but at least the problem won't be perpetuated. Why did I choose to come to story time today?
9:50am Exit the story time room and decide to check my phone. Three missed calls from the CS leader, 2 missed calls from my VTer, one new voicemail. Crap. Why the heck am I at story time? Decide to call the VTer from the lobby.
9:51am On the phone, I hear that VTer was at my house to drop off the boy but I wasn't there. She's now late for her doctor's appointment and headed to drop him off at the CS leader's house. Another screw-up!
9:52am Call CS leader. "No problem. It's fine. My twins are sleeping. My preschooler's at school. I'll keep him for a while and drop him at your house when you get home." (There are reasons I'll never have this calling - She's a SAINT!)
9:55am Rush around the library trying to find all the books I wanted to check out for preschool next week, but realize I left the slip of paper with all the call numbers at home. Utter failure.
10:10am Cram everyone back into the little car, which once again shrunk. Crack Brennan's forehead on the door frame while trying to get him in his seat, and he starts shrieking. Utter failure. Head home.
10:30am Call Ryan while driving home with the news that I won't be able to drop off the rental car and pick up the van today since I'll have an extra kid all day and there won't be room. Abruptly hang up when I see two police cars parked in front of my neighbor's house.
10:31am, Pull in the driveway and get out to type the code in the garage pad and see my neighbor who works full-time getting into his car. I then see the police have turned on their lights, and that they are definitely not just looking for speeders. Realizing he shouldn't be home and that something is probably the matter, I head over to see if he needs anything and if he's alright.
10:32am He says he has no idea why the cops are there, and I turn and see both cops getting out of each of their cruisers. They are reaching for their gun holsters, and sprinting towards our backyards.
10:32 + 1 second I sprint back to our garage, type in the code, pull the car in, hop out, close the garage with the button, and stand in the dark garage... panting.
10:32 + 2 seconds (I swear I must have moved that fast! It's a blur. Motherly instinct to protect the children?) Unbuckle Collin and tell him to get into the house, fast.
10:33am Head inside as well, just in time to see the police officers putting cuffs on the twenty-something guy by the little bridge to the swing set in OUR backyard.
10:34am Call Ryan back. Collapse on the living room floor crying and tell him why I hung up. (Overly dramatic? Probably. It'd been a rough day - Agreed?) He asks me to check over the house and make sure it looks like no one's broken in.
10:35am Another panic attack! Why did I let Collin in without checking the place out first!? Look around and realized we're locked and secure. Huge blessing.
10:37am Realize B is still in the car. (Yep, totally forgot about him for those minutes.) Go out and unbuckle him and bring him in.
10:38am Next door neighbor knocks on the door, asks what's going on. I tell him I have no idea, but that the kid just got arrested. He says he saw them lead him out to one of the cruisers. He's only happens to be home sick.
10:40am Sit in Collin's room with the blinds open watching the cops stand by their cars talking. Another cop car (this one's an SUV) shows up, and all three cops go inside the house two doors down from ours. SUPER curious what's going on.
11am Try nursing Brennan. Eats on one side! Tiny miracle.
11:10am Give him the other half of this morning's jar. Put him in his room to nap.
11:15am No crying! B has fallen asleep. Another tiny miracle.
11:30am CS leader arrives with our little friend. I make pb & j sandwiches, slice an apple, and dump some goldfish on a plate.
11:45am Little friend eats three goldfish and drinks a sippy of milk before returning to playing trains. C does only slightly better.
12noon B's screaming. 45 minute nap! AHHHH!
12:15pm Little friend's mom calls. Is leaving the doctors and is headed to our place to grab her little one. Hallelujah. I need a break.
12:30pm Give Brennan some solids. More fruity something.
12:40pm Boy's dad arrives and gets his things. I pack up his almost-untouched lunch and send it along.
1pm Clean up the kitchen and trains, and read to Collin the new books from the library (that he grabbed at some point, and I barely remember checking out before leaving. Miracle.) Give Collin more cough medicine.
1:20pm Collin is down, and I attempt to nurse B. He eats on the other side! YEA! He feels super warm to me, so I give him some Tylenol.
1:30pm Nap time. Blissful. Quiet. Calm. Reading my new library book on the couch.
Must fall asleep because...
2pm SCREAMING BRENNAN!
2:05pm Rock, sing, rub his back, scratch his head, sway, etc. etc.
2:10pm Take him to the living room (so as not to wake Collin). More crying. Inconsolable.
2:30pm Return to my closet. More rocking, swaying, singing, rubbing, scratching... He falls asleep on my shoulder. I put him down. I tip-toe out...
Quiet nap time = Reading time for Mom = Another little Mommy-nap?
3pm Other neighbor (aka Neighborhood Know-It-All) is out raking leaves. Head outside to try to get the scoop on the cops from earlier in the day. Doesn't know anything, but will ask around and get back to me. Awesome. :-)
4pm Ryan texts me that the van is still not done, and that we will have the Civic for yet another day.
And a typical evening follows - Crazy dinner time. Fussy children. Daddy at Scouts. Mommy doing bedtime alone. Mommy recording her hysterical day on her blog instead of sleeping.
What will tomorrow hold? I fear more of the same.
But Step One: Say no to an extra child... and maybe the story time.
