Okay so my husband has been gone for training for two weeks now, seven weeks left to go. One thing I know that's really going to suck about all of this is that the weeks that he's gone is going to drag, the few weeks he gets to be home with us and helping us move out to California, those weeks are going to fly ridiculously fast. Then, when he leaves again for Korea, it's going to be long and painful. And that's not a mere 7-9 weeks again, that's going to last a whole year. Stinks. But it's what he signed up for and I was well aware of it while marrying him. I know he's worth the wait.
So....while I'm waiting, I shall babble on about a typical day at home now without him. Henry wakes up anywhere between 5am and 8am. That starts the day. Change his diaper, feed him, but only a little because he usually has a regular morning poo he likes to make for me (ewk, haha) and then I put him in his bouncer seat so I can get a few chores done (dishes, laundry, trash, so on and so forth). Then, if I'm lucky, I can sit at the computer and have a yogurt or some toast while he's still kickin' it in his bouncer. Sitting at the computer or doing the dishes, I usually feel a cold, little hand or hands wrap around my leg or tap my back. I turn and lift my little Olivia up to sit on my lap or to hold her on my hip. Then I have to take the sweet little 4-year old to the bathroom because I know if I don't take her first thing, she'll hold it as long as possible and sometimes have an accident. I start fixing her and her older sister, Alison, breakfast. When Olivia wakes up, Alison usually wakes up not too long after that.
"Brush your teeth, get dressed, clean your mess....," the typical things that I repeat on a daily basis to them. Then they play, watch cartoons or we run to the grocery store, get whatever might be needed, anything from bread to sponges to diapers. Then we try to hit the library. Sometimes there's activities during the summer for kids, like necklace making, tissue-paper fish making and so on. We then check out a couple of books (Right now I'm trying to read an Alice Walker book) and check out some movies from their limited selection. The girls found a few, including the infamous Beverly Hills Chihuahua (aye carumba, headache inducing, right?) and I came across Frida and the Squid and the Whale. I wonder if I'll even have time to watch the previews let alone watch the movies and read that book.
Lunch, dinner, it happens. Typical. Boring. Bedtime. Bath, pajamas, stories, maybe a movie before bed. Lately our A/C in this house hasn't worked so we've all managed to make decent spots in the only room that has been able to stay cool in this hot, Louisiana summer, and we snooze there. I even have a few different spots for the baby, Henry to sleep. Either the pak'n'play, the car seat or his bouncer. Sometimes he sleeps for short periods in his swing as well.
Anyway....this is how it's been. Of course we have had one. very long, very stressful night. And those come once in a while, maybe to remind me to take my birth control or to just help me build up my patience. Who knows what God has in store for me when these events happen but one thing I do know, just do it, get through it and I'll figure out the "why" part later.
I finally got Henry to sleep. Olivia decided to have two "#1" accidents (thankfully no number 2 but still, accidents still are no fun to clean up). Then, finally, got her cleaned up the second time, cleaned the floor and saw what time it was. Whoa. It's around 11pm. Time for bed. Tried to get her down stairs, and she was upstairs earlier (when she had her accidents) watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Oh whom ever had the bright idea for that movie, I hope they pay). She threw a temper tantrum because I wouldn't let her watch the movie three times in a row. Okay, like I wasn't exhausted enough getting the baby to sleep, doing the regular daily chores, cleaning up her accidents....now she's going to throw a tantrum. A half an hour flies and I finally get her calmed down, down stairs and laying down. Twenty minutes past that, she's asleep. Thankfully, my ten-year old Alison is self-sufficient, helpful and a great listener. She's been asleep for an hour now. I lay down. Yawn. Stretch. Relief. All the kids are asleep....wait....no. No. There it goes. Henry's awake and ready for a change and a feeding.
And that's a typical day....sometimes with events as I just mentioned, sometimes without. But the second my head hits that pillow and I know for sure all the kids are asleep, my body is merely recharging to get through the next day of events or no events but the same ol' same ol' still. And you know what? These kids, these kids are amazing, beautiful, full of energy and worth it. I wouldn't trade them for the world. They make every day, even if they're the same routine day in and day out, they still manage to make every day unique, special and not too boring. I don't just love them, I like these kids.
