3.13.2013

Our Day, In Three Parts



Part I: We took a bath.

I filled up the tub, took off everyone's clothes and diapers, and put everyone in the water. I had just cleaned everyone from top to bottom when Lucy took a dump right in the bathwater. Gross. And since all the kids were looking at it like "What IS that thing?" and "What will happen if I touch it?" I had to rush in pronto and scoop it out with my bare hand. More gross. I then had to confiscate all the washcloths {because at our house, everyone gets their own washcloth, and everyone likes to gnaw on washcloths during bath time}, drain the tub, rinse it out, and then fill it again.

Which is when Max took a dump. EVEN MORE GROSS. More scooping, more confiscating, more draining, more rinsing, but no more filling because EVERYONE OUT OF THE TUB. I wasn't in the mood to tempt fate.

Part II: We went outside.

Going outside was good for us. We played with bubbles {mostly by carrying the containers around in our hands and occasionally sticking the wands in our mouths}, we colored on everything within reach with chalk {and in Lucy's case, nibbled on the ends when I wasn't looking}, we smelled the grape hyacinths that are blooming in our yard. But I think maybe we stayed out too long, because after a while everything started to go wrong.

Max tripped and scraped his arm up so bad I wondered for a minute if I should take him to the doctor {it turns out he was fine even without a band-aid on. I know because I put a band-aid on him and two minutes later he handed it to me, all wadded up, and he hasn't had any issues}, Maggie had a weird run-in with a bee that I still don't entirely understand {I wasn't watching her when it happened, but it really scared her, and for the rest of the day she kept coming up to me and saying "Maggie? Bee? Huhchu?" and needing hugs}, Lucy got frustrated with me fishing everything out of her mouth, and Max even wandered into the road at one point.

Part III: That damn bee.

Maggie woke up again at 9:45, scream-crying for me and when I picked her up and asked her if she had a bad dream, she hiccuped and whispered "bee." I told her the bee was all gone, that she was safe with me, that she was a big brave girl. I gave her a cup of water and her toothbrush. I let Christian hold her. I took her downstairs and let her watch more Yo Gabba Gabba. I tricked myself into thinking that maybe she would fall asleep in our bed. No, no, no, no, and oh no. None of it worked. And she shuddered every time we mentioned the bee.

Finally Christian suggested trying our old 5-10-15 minute routine, and while he was out of the room, Maggie cried and coughed so hard that she threw up. We changed her sheets, we kissed her and put her back in bed. She cried for twenty more minutes, and fell asleep.

This day has been good. This day has been hard, but this day has been good.



P.S. I wrote this post last night, mostly while waiting for Maggie to fall asleep. I finished it when I thought she was asleep for good, but she was not at all. She slept for 40 minutes, woke back up, and then {so Christian tells me} cried on and off until 3:00 am. So yes, we're all exhausted over here this morning.

10 comments:

  1. oh poor maggie, bees are scary! even now as an adult (and i'm not allergic!) :) glad you can see the good in a rough day, these pictures are beautiful!

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    1. Thank you! And it's funny, I don't know how she got the idea that bees are scary. Possibly it swooped down into her face? Whatever it was, I'm hoping I can convince her otherwise soon; we so often have bees around our house!

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  2. I think Charlie gets nightmares every now and then as well. Poor little people!!

    Did Max stay asleep the whole time? What's the trick to keeping the other one asleep when they're sharing a room?

    The sidewalk chalk on the steps is awesome!! (and yay for the weather that allows us to be outside!)

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    1. Poor little people indeed! It's so hard to comfort them when they don't understand the words "you're safe" yet. And YES. Max stayed asleep the.whole.time. It was a miracle. They've shared a room {and they used to share a bed, before they got too big} since they were born, so maybe that's the trick? Maybe it's just that Max sleeps like a rock, because think if their roles were reversed, Maggie would have woken up immediately.

      And thanks! I love sidewalk chalk. :)

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  3. Scooping poop out of the tub with your bare hand is yet another Mommy Baptism. Congratulations. I had a friend who tripped with the poop in her hand and "painted" the wall. TMI?

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    1. That's so gross. Lucky for me (?) our upstairs bathroom is so small I just have to turn my body around to move something from the tub into the toilet.

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  4. I loved the chalk on the steps! Is it weird that I want to do that to bricks now, even though I`m a grown-up (or so I`m told...)?

    Some Snapshots Blog
    Jess

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  5. What a hard day! Geez, that makes my hard day seem like a cakewalk--thanks for the much needed perspective.

    Also, the pics of your kids are so cute.

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  6. It sounds like a typical day with kids. But good for you for looking at the positive!

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  7. Stopping by (and now following!) from Dancing With Ashley. I love your photography and this blog is too cute. Excited to follow along! :)

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