Once again, we have had an eventful week or so. The kids and I tried to stay busy while Vince was out of town to make the time pass faster. He got home last Friday and we put Sam's birthday party plans into action. We invited our neighbors and some friends of ours to come over on Sunday for some cake. We all spent the weekend cleaning, mowing, baking, cleaning...Vince got the yard, screen porch, and garage back into order and I worked on getting the house presentable for public consumption. Never an easy task. The end result was really nice, but short-lived! The yard and porch still look nice though. That's something. It even got kinda hot here!!!!!! People started complaining about the heat. You won't hear me complaining at all. Well, not yet at least.
Sam's party went well. The cake turned out cute and so did the shirt I made for him. We did a jungle theme. It was short, but nice. He dug into the cake, but didn't make too huge a mess. We enjoyed being able to visit with friends for a couple hours. Then, Monday went horribly wrong. Sam woke up that morning sooo sick. Think of all the explosive diapers I have ever been subjected to. Then think of them hitting all at once! He was covered. His bed was covered. Everything was covered. He spent that day and the next pooping and puking. It was terrible. He ran such a high fever too. He would wake up at night, just burning up. I couldn't keep it down. I took him to the doctor, who suspected rotavirus since it seems to be going around this area. We didn't test him for it, but we didn't need to. The symptoms were the same and would be treated the same way regardless. Sam did nothing but sleep and explode. He would lay on my chest and just moan. Poor thing. Poor me. At one point I was cleaning up both fluids out of my carpet simultaneously. ACK! He seems to be feeling better today, but he still is sleeping more than usual. I have been spraying everything very liberally with Lysol, hoping no one else gets sick. I can't deal. My house definitely reflects my inability to get anything done while he was sick.
Yesterday, Audrey had a field trip to the Roo Ranch up by Deadwood. She said it was neat and they got to pet some kangaroos and see the joeys. We should go back sometime so that we can all see it. I was going to drive for this trip, but I was scheduled to have a root canal instead. YAY! So I got nothing done yesterday either. Today is my birthday and I refuse to do anything more than absolutely required to care for 3 kids. Which is a lot. But they are being cooperative today and playing nicely together. I don't even want to see what kind of a mess they are making. I will definitely pay for my inaction today! I don't care. I have spent the last several weeks doing nothing but taking care of everyone else. I WILL be selfish today if it kills me. Maybe I can watch my very own copy of the Twilight movie that my mom sent me. That's probably asking too much. I just hope no one rings my doorbell.
During Sam's sickness I noticed some distinct differences in the way that Vince and I handle things. For instance: When someone throws up, a mother's instinct is to cup her hands in the shape of a bowl. Perfect for catching the vomit before it hits the carpet. Dad's instinct is to hold the child as far away from his person as possible so that the puke lands on the carpet and not anywhere near him. Also, when dealing with diarrhea, a mother never thinks twice about picking up the filthy child and carrying him or her lovingly to the tub. Dad, on the other hand may leave the child wallowing while gathering the necessary tools--rubber gloves, air freshener, towels, and possibly a mask. Only then will he approach said child with the intent to transfer it to the tub making as little contact as possible, all the while exclaiming, "Wow! Gross! Nasty! *gag, gag* Disgusting!" And Dad's approach to cleaning the carpet is markedly different from Mom's. After bargaining with Mom in an attempt to get out of any type of cleaning, especially as it relates to bodily functions, Dad will loudly sigh and begin the questions.
Dad: "Fine. Where is the carpet cleaning stuff?"
Mom: "Under the sink. Blue bottle. No, not that blue bottle. The other one. The one that says 'carpet cleaner'."
Dad: "Where is the towel?"
Mom: "Just use paper towels. Less mess. Then you'll need to vacuum the spot too."
Dad: "Where's the vacuum?"
Mom: "Never mind. Just give the stuff to me and I'll do it."
Dad, looking relieved, throws the stuff and quickly retreats, knowing that he narrowly avoided having to actually clean something. Dad is also more content to just lay back and let a kiddo sleep on his chest, while Mom feels the need to do something while holding a sleeping child, like one-handed dishes or putting laundry away, which she loathes but does anyway.
There are many, many more difference in the way we handle things around here, but I won't bore you with them all...today. And just remember that I have a flair for the dramatic and have been told that I sometimes exaggerate. Who knew?
Well, my lazy day is going all to Hell because Sam is unhappy about something and is requiring my assistance. Off to the rescue--and not a rubber glove in sight!
No comments:
Post a Comment