From the trenches

You know how some weeks the days just flow and you know you're in the exactly right place and nothing in the whole universe could make you happier than being home with your kids all day every day?

That was not this week.

Luckily I have put off blogging until now otherwise I would have had a very whinny post on my hands. And, I doubt that in 10 years I want to read myself whining. I do, however want to remember that though it is only Thursday I have lived through a week I have felt a couple of times would never end.

First, Emma has been sick on and off for a week. She's had this phlegmy cough/cold for a little over a week. That's not bad on it's own. If you go into any store every human in a 5 mile radius has the same cough. This cold season is a doozie. BUT, there has been a fever on and off since last Friday. That's no good. Two days ago she started telling me her mouth hurt and didn't want me to take her temperature in her ear any more. I thought she must have an ear or sinus infection. I found the thought that she must have an ear infection full of irony since this weekend Rae asked me if her sickness could be an ear infection and I said "she's never had an ear infection before." So, today I took her to the doctor. She was so excited to go (little weirdo). She was thrilled when the doctor used her stethoscope to listen to her heart. She looked in her ears and said "I can't see her eardrum. Her ears need to be irrigated." I'd never heard of this being done, or seen it, or held a three year old down to have it done. They put co lace in her ears (yes, that's co lace- stool softener liquid). Then, they come back 5 minutes later and irrigate her ears with about 20 oz of water a piece. She wasn't having any fun. I was pretty grossed out by how much goo and solid looking ROCKS came out of her ears. All those times she didn't respond when I called her REALLY could have been because she couldn't hear me! After the fabulous ear irrigation the doctor came back and looked in her ears and asked me if she hadn't been complaining. I said "no, not really." She's been VERY sleepy and crabby and lethargic but never complains. She said she had two pretty severe ear infections. We were off to get some fabulous pink medicine and Emma was happy again. Although the experience was so traumatizing for her she fell asleep on my shoulder in a pretty loud waiting room at 9:30 in the morning while we waited for medicine. She feel so dead asleep she was snoring. When she woke up 15 minutes later it was like it had never happened and she was running in circles and talking to herself and making everyone in the pharmacy laugh by living in her own little world.

However, that was today and there were many things that happened before today....many things that made THIS week one of THOSE weeks when you just think "where can I hide for five minutes?"

Monday I spent most hours sitting on the couch because Emma's ear infection came with an immense need to snuggle. If I got up for any reason she would be behind me within 20 seconds saying "mommy can you come back and snuggle with me?" I did no laundry, no dishes, and I ate nothing. Sitting on the couch was fine with me. However, for some reason whenever Emma sits on me Andrew feels a need to join in. And, if he got within 6 inches of Emma she would push him and say "don't sit by me gripy Andrew." I'm not sure why she started calling him gripy Andrew. This of course makes him push her back and me try to make them both stop. We have this about 1500 times on Monday.

Tuesday when Mike leaves he says he just has basically an "admin day" which means he's going to study and he'll be home in the afternoon. I am grateful for this because of my Monday but hopeful that today will be better anyway. Mike was assigned a spot on Tuesday I cannot remember the name of but it was basically that if one of the helicopters had any repairs done he would have to take it up and make sure it was fine before anyone else flew it. He was confident there wouldn't be any of these incidents. Tuesday was another repeat of Monday. Only Emma slept for four hours in the afternoon (adding to my theory she must have an infection since she NEVER does this). Andrew was getting books off the bookshelf while Emma was sleeping and bringing them to me and reading. We had gone through about 15 books. When he decided to read by himself at the bookshelf. I picked up the computer to look at email, etc. I hear Andrew in front of the bookshelf passing all sorts of gas. He looks up at me and giggles about all the noises he's making. He is such a boy. Well, he brings me another book so I put the computer down and immediately smell it wasn't just gas he was passing. Phew! SMEEEEELLLY! I picked him up and realized there was poop dripping out of the bottom of his pants and as my eyes followed his trail across the room there was in fact a trail, and not of breadcrumbs. So after the outfit and diaper change for Andrew and cleaning a LOT of carpet. I was throwing all the rags I used in the wash and Andrew pointed at me and said "poop poop." I looked down and realized that somehow I had poop splattered all over the front of me.
I kept my spirits up all day Tuesday though because I signed up for a kickboxing class that started at 6 p.m. and I was EX-CITED! Probably more excited than I should have been about a class that would probably kick my butt.
Mike called me at 5 p.m. and I said "you don't sound like you're in the car." He said "I'm not. I'm really really sorry I have to take a helicopter up right now." Which means he wouldn't be home in time for my class.
Well, that sux. Not because of the class but because I was so naively excited and believed that THIS time when I had plans nothing would happen. I was so foolish.
Well, needless to say when Mike got home I wasn't in a good mood. The pressure of the week and the frustration at another thing cancelled boiled over turning our home into some sort of pressure cooker where we were more like static electricity shocks to each other than anything else.
However, after a long Wednesday in which I wasted no time giving both the kids Motrin (Andrew now seems to be following suit for sickness). I fell DEAD asleep last night and was happy to take Emma to the doctor. Until the irrigation fun. Now, after 2 doses of Amoxicillin and a trip to the Library (for all of us) and apple crisp for dinner (just for the grown ups) all the static electricity is gone and all is right with the world again. I signed up for a new kickboxing class for 4 weeks that starts the last week of April the day after Mike gets back from Maine. If anything and I mean ANYTHING happens to keep me from going to the class I'm just going to give up on ever leaving the house and buy a treadmill.

Plus, the upside to this is that you can never have two weeks like this in a row. It's just not possible.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.