The day started out pretty well, I thought. Sure the kids were up a little early, but whatever, they’ve been up early every other day…so today was no different.
We got breakfast behind us and Heather blew up the bouncer for the kids to go nuts. And they did. (Macey would have liked to as well, but just like yesterday when she tried to jump into the pool, her attempt was foiled.) There were a bonks involving the tears of various kiddos, but aren’t there always?
Heath gathered up her kids and they headed out the door before L, E, and I came inside so L wouldn’t freak out when they left. As we were waiting outside, L informed me that he peed in his pants, so when we came in I told him he needed to take care of his own mess. I got him a pull-up, put E down for a nap, and started cutting my hair.
He played with Emalee’s Leapster for a bit and then came to visit me in the bathroom - not to change his pull-up and pee, but to pester me while I tried to cut my hair…and yell.
I had planned for this and had a snack and the portable DVD player ready so that he could watch and I would be able to see what he was up to. He brightened up when I told him I’d give him a snack and then wigged out when I said that he’d need to take care of his pants first.
Really…why doesn’t he want to change out of wet pants?
It’s not anything new..he’s been fighting the bathroom for a while now. He knows he has to go, and I know he has to go - one cannot hide the pee-pee dance - but he always says he doesn’t have to and then screams and fights while I carry him to the bathroom, sit him on the toilet, and he pees.
Anyway, instead of just changing his pull-up and watching the video, he yelled about how he wanted “tcheddddaaahhh bunnies and tried to grab the razor. Then he tried to use Heather’s toothbrush. Finally, he brought me a cup of yogurt (WTF?).
I knew he was tired, but he was just acting weird. I finally changed his pull-up for him, which reallly pissed him off, and gave him his snack…which he didn’t eat.
He played fairly well when everyone got back from the library, and he was thrilled when he got to go with Heath to drop off Em for school. Naturally he wanted to go too and wasn’t pleased to be back.
I was feeling a little cooped up as well, and since I’ve been fighting my damn laptop REALLY hard since yesterday afternoon, I decided I’d take him and go to BestBuy to see if they had another adapter. (The dude who sold me the one I have now is sending me a replacement, but I won’t be able to get to it until I get back to KC.) I put E down for a nap and we headed out.
The ride was pleasant enough. We talked about cell phone towers, broadcast towers, oil well engines, and pumping units, and I told him we’d get a treat on the way home. He immediately knew what I was talking about - ice cream.
BB didn’t have what I wanted, even though they told me they did, but L did great and I was pleased that I got to spend some time with him. We stopped for ice cream and I thought that we were square…that we were thinking on the same level. I should have known when he “shared” the ice cream with me by not giving it back when it was about halfway gone. I asked him if it was my turn yet and he declared, “No. Because I ate it all up, Mama.”
Thanks dude.
Anyway, the deal was ice cream and then resting time, but when we got back and I told him it was time to chill, all hell broke loose again.
He never settled down, he kicked the door, and he eventually woke up Elena.
I wanted to beat. him. with. a. stick.
I finally turned the lock around to keep him in the room so that I could get just a few moments of reprieve. Yes, really. I’ve done this everywhere we’ve stayed and it works like a charm. I’ve also started asking him how he’s going to pay for the door when it breaks from him kicking it. He usually stops after I ask him if he has any money. It’s pretty funny,
By this time, Em was home and shortly after L got to come out of the room, the children turned into a pack of hyenas. They were stealing things from one another, yelping, and generally running around like mad dogs.
Heath and I corralled all of them into a corner and I slapped two books together to get everyone’s attention. I made us all go into our respective rooms. I don’t know what Heath did with her two, but I read to my two while they fought over who was going to turn on and off the white noisemaker.
We came out to eat - L only had to go back to his room once (when I went to get him he was almost asleep) - and then settled in for a nice bit of television. L was thrilled because he got to watch “Clue’s Clues on demand.” They watched one more show and then L touched the button on the DVD player. It was all over.
He’s obsessed with buttons these days and even after Heather had told him 13 times that the buttons were for adults, he looked at me and did it anyway.
It was close to seven, so I got him ready for bed and he sat and played fairly quietly in the bedroom. The other kids were in bed by 7 but he fought it a bit. However, after a few stories and reassurance that I would be joining him a little later, he was asleep by 8.30.
Heath, Bri, and I sat in the family room playing The Quiet Game and staring at our computers and the television. It was dark except for the glow from the computers and the TV, so when I saw something white floating into the room behind Heather’s chair it scared the crap out of me.
It took me a moment to realize that I was seeing a very tan Emalee in her white underwear, and before I was sure what was going on, I scared everyone else by uttering Heather’s name in a guttural tone.
We all kind of jumped.
Em just needed to go to the bathroom, so Heather took her and Brian and I laughed.
It broke the silence and shortly afterward we all decided it was time for bed: 10.30 - the earliest I’ve gone to bed since we left Greg and Jeanne’s. Now if I can just keep L from falling out of bed and the dogs and Elena from waking him up in the morning, we should be set.
I could use a good eight hours (with interruptions from Elena, of course).
Anyway, I don’t know how much I’ll be around since my computah is kaput, but I still have my phone and can read - but usually not comment - on all of your blogs.
Please think fast thoughts for a speedy power cord adapter return for me.
