Morning Mad Dash
Last night was strange and restless. Alex had a fever from Saturday through Monday. Kristiana had a fever Saturday and Sunday. Both of them seemed to have a little bit of an upset stomach and the sniffles. They were both feeling better yesterday, but their noses are still running. Now Andrew and I both have what they had. Our sinuses hurt, my glands are swollen. Now I truly empathize with the kids.
Last night both the kids slept with me and Andrew slept in Alexander’s bed :-) Kristiana literally nursed all night long. I think it was her attempt at keeping the snot from blocking her nose. If she kept swallowing, she would also swallow the snot. Alex—I do not know what his problem was. He just woke up every once and a while and would cry, and I would hold his hand and tell him it’s okay and he would go back to sleep.
All night long it was hot and cold and I had children strewn about my bed in various positions. Each time I woke, I kept wondering when the morning alarm would sound. It never did. Kristiana began to coo and I realized this was my alarm. At this point, I reached over to the nightstand searching for my cell phone to check the time. It was 5:58 a.m. “This is a good time to get up. If I move quickly, I can fit in a jog.” So I did. I ushered sleepy children (who almost immediately acknowledge my absence from the bed) from room to room. We arrived at the back door, Alexander was still not sure what is going on. I do not usually wake him up until 7:15 a.m. “Do you want to go outside with Mummy?”
Excitedly he replied, “Yes!”
“Okay, go put your shoes on.”
“Yes, yes, Mommy, put your shoes on.” He pointed with a serious visage toward the shoes. Some how I manage to change the baby’s diaper, get his shoes on, my shoes on and a juice into his hand, and we went flying out the door. Now I had to assemble a double jogging stroller—an engineer type designed it, but he did not design it for the multi-tasking mum with two babies in hand. After some struggle finally I was on my way jogging in the cool, dark, morning air. It was 6:15 a.m. “How did I get going so quickly?” Alexander was quite surprised it was still dark.
We moved quickly toward the track. I would guess it is 400 meters from the house. It’s down the way and across the busy central street in our suburban town. There’s hardly any traffic at this time. I was three quarters of the way there. “Oh crap! Skunk! I knew I should not have come this way. Oh thank goodness. It’s a baby and it’s running away.” (I saw the mama skunk as road kill last week. That skunk probably won’t bother me anymore.)
I jogged one mile. Always as I hit the second turn I say a prayer. It’s usually a prayer for my own soul. Alexander was not happy about the prayers. He was not ready to pray. He wanted to get out of the stroller . So I let him out and left him on the track. He was starting to be an unruly two-year-old. I jogged two more laps and then saw him running toward me diagonally across the football field. The high school football coach jogs there in the morning too. As he passed by he commented that Alexander ran fast. I agreed with him. “Are you ready to get in the stroller and go home?” After some coaxing he did get back and the stroller and we jogged home. The sun had come up and Alexander was excited to see that we were outside. He had not put together that the nighttime outside is the same as daytime outside.
Once I arrived home, the real race began. “Okay, make the coffee, Renee!” (still talking to myself). All the while, the baby is on my hip.
I hear a little voice, “French toast, Mommy!”
My monologue begins again, “Okay, okay. French toast, Coffee! baby bottles, breakfast.”
“DEEeeedle Eeep! DEEeeedle Eeep! DEEeeedle Eeep!” Andrew’s alarm began to sound. “Boom, boom, boom.”
“Oh good, Andrew’s up and coming down the stairs. He never gets up that quickly.” He has somewhere to be this morning. It’s his first day teaching the community college classes. “Honey, you want toast?” I made Alex and Andrew breakfast and packed up everyone’s bags. Time to shower—the fastest shower and dressing known to working-woman-kind. Baby had to come with me. It’s easier to keep her happy that way.
After some fussing and bribing to get Alex dressed, somehow we all managed to be in the car by 7:45 a.m. Time to go. “Daddy has to be at school by 7:50 a.m.” The school is one block away. It’s the first day of school for everyone.
“WAAHH!” Both kids crying mad in the back seat.
We drive around the corner and see the biggest traffic jam you’ve ever seen in a small town. “Frak it!” Andrew exclaims. He jumps out of the car, grabs his things and begins walking. He didn’t want to walk, because he didn’t want to be sweaty on the first day. It’s a half mile walk in 80 degree weather. In the end, the students did not arrive to class until 8:40 a.m. Class started at 7:50 a.m. I think the system is broken. Another teacher told Andrew that it only lasts two weeks. But, if you have to waste two weeks with that nonsense, the system is broken.
I sat in traffic another 15 minutes to the daycare, which is usually a 5 minute drive. The kids both cried when I left them in their classrooms. Alexander has a good time at preschool, but does not like how he is simply thrust into an immediate social situation (that’s my speculation based on his behavior, since he wants to go, and he's happy until he gets to the classroom and sees the kids and shuts down and begins to cry.)
What a mad morning.
Last night both the kids slept with me and Andrew slept in Alexander’s bed :-) Kristiana literally nursed all night long. I think it was her attempt at keeping the snot from blocking her nose. If she kept swallowing, she would also swallow the snot. Alex—I do not know what his problem was. He just woke up every once and a while and would cry, and I would hold his hand and tell him it’s okay and he would go back to sleep.
All night long it was hot and cold and I had children strewn about my bed in various positions. Each time I woke, I kept wondering when the morning alarm would sound. It never did. Kristiana began to coo and I realized this was my alarm. At this point, I reached over to the nightstand searching for my cell phone to check the time. It was 5:58 a.m. “This is a good time to get up. If I move quickly, I can fit in a jog.” So I did. I ushered sleepy children (who almost immediately acknowledge my absence from the bed) from room to room. We arrived at the back door, Alexander was still not sure what is going on. I do not usually wake him up until 7:15 a.m. “Do you want to go outside with Mummy?”
Excitedly he replied, “Yes!”
“Okay, go put your shoes on.”
“Yes, yes, Mommy, put your shoes on.” He pointed with a serious visage toward the shoes. Some how I manage to change the baby’s diaper, get his shoes on, my shoes on and a juice into his hand, and we went flying out the door. Now I had to assemble a double jogging stroller—an engineer type designed it, but he did not design it for the multi-tasking mum with two babies in hand. After some struggle finally I was on my way jogging in the cool, dark, morning air. It was 6:15 a.m. “How did I get going so quickly?” Alexander was quite surprised it was still dark.
We moved quickly toward the track. I would guess it is 400 meters from the house. It’s down the way and across the busy central street in our suburban town. There’s hardly any traffic at this time. I was three quarters of the way there. “Oh crap! Skunk! I knew I should not have come this way. Oh thank goodness. It’s a baby and it’s running away.” (I saw the mama skunk as road kill last week. That skunk probably won’t bother me anymore.)
I jogged one mile. Always as I hit the second turn I say a prayer. It’s usually a prayer for my own soul. Alexander was not happy about the prayers. He was not ready to pray. He wanted to get out of the stroller . So I let him out and left him on the track. He was starting to be an unruly two-year-old. I jogged two more laps and then saw him running toward me diagonally across the football field. The high school football coach jogs there in the morning too. As he passed by he commented that Alexander ran fast. I agreed with him. “Are you ready to get in the stroller and go home?” After some coaxing he did get back and the stroller and we jogged home. The sun had come up and Alexander was excited to see that we were outside. He had not put together that the nighttime outside is the same as daytime outside.
Once I arrived home, the real race began. “Okay, make the coffee, Renee!” (still talking to myself). All the while, the baby is on my hip.
I hear a little voice, “French toast, Mommy!”
My monologue begins again, “Okay, okay. French toast, Coffee! baby bottles, breakfast.”
“DEEeeedle Eeep! DEEeeedle Eeep! DEEeeedle Eeep!” Andrew’s alarm began to sound. “Boom, boom, boom.”
“Oh good, Andrew’s up and coming down the stairs. He never gets up that quickly.” He has somewhere to be this morning. It’s his first day teaching the community college classes. “Honey, you want toast?” I made Alex and Andrew breakfast and packed up everyone’s bags. Time to shower—the fastest shower and dressing known to working-woman-kind. Baby had to come with me. It’s easier to keep her happy that way.
After some fussing and bribing to get Alex dressed, somehow we all managed to be in the car by 7:45 a.m. Time to go. “Daddy has to be at school by 7:50 a.m.” The school is one block away. It’s the first day of school for everyone.
“WAAHH!” Both kids crying mad in the back seat.
We drive around the corner and see the biggest traffic jam you’ve ever seen in a small town. “Frak it!” Andrew exclaims. He jumps out of the car, grabs his things and begins walking. He didn’t want to walk, because he didn’t want to be sweaty on the first day. It’s a half mile walk in 80 degree weather. In the end, the students did not arrive to class until 8:40 a.m. Class started at 7:50 a.m. I think the system is broken. Another teacher told Andrew that it only lasts two weeks. But, if you have to waste two weeks with that nonsense, the system is broken.
I sat in traffic another 15 minutes to the daycare, which is usually a 5 minute drive. The kids both cried when I left them in their classrooms. Alexander has a good time at preschool, but does not like how he is simply thrust into an immediate social situation (that’s my speculation based on his behavior, since he wants to go, and he's happy until he gets to the classroom and sees the kids and shuts down and begins to cry.)
What a mad morning.
1 comment:
Whew! You amaze and exhaust me :) Good job getting everyone out the door this morning.
Now I'm off to try that exercise DVD you recommended (yeah, the one you recommended months ago. The one I got months ago. The one I haven't tried yet) :)
Miss you! Hope the rest of your day is less hectic!
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