Cast of Characters:
Little Ole Me (39)
Handsome Hubbs (38)
JDub (6)
Prince William (1)
3:45 am I am woken from a peaceful slumber to JW hovering over my face. I had a bad dream. What?! Are you ok?! Ugh, does this ever lose it's horrifying edge? It's so startling and jolting to be woken like that. And somewhat creepy too. Walk him back to bed and tuck him in. What was your dream about, sweetheart? Well ... three minutes of details later ... I was swimming, and there was a dog in the woods. Ok, well I'm sure you'll sleep better now. Love you. Love you. Back to bed, unsure if I'll be able to fall back asleep. By some act from the heavens, I do.
5:40 am I wake on my own timing after snoozing the past couple hours. B is still sleeping, so I carefully sneak out of bed and head downstairs. I get some coffee and assume my early morning perch in the living room chair. I love this time of the day. It's dark and quiet in the house. It's peaceful. I can complete sentences in my head. The coffee tastes and smells amazing. I spend most of my quite time thinking about Joe and Carolyn, who had to say goodbye to their beloved golden retriever the night before. I reminisce about saying goodbye to Teddy and Honey and how awful it was to come home to an empty house after they were gone.
6:00 am All my sentimental peace is stopped by thuds and thumps. JW's clock apparently turned green. He stumbles down the stairs, iPad in one hand, blanket in the other, hair all tussled, just adorable. He climbs up in the chair with me and covers me with the blanket. My heart melts. Aww, thank you sweetheart. Did you sleep better in the morning? I think I did. We sit quietly for about 60 seconds, and it's so sweet. He's all warm and floppy, his arms just fold wherever I snuggle him. He lets out a few quiet yawns, and his morning breath is just adorable. I guess that's a mother's love? But all this sweetness ends quickly, as he starts up his iPad with Roblox. He immediately gets into it, talking to the screen. What the heck? Hey, how did you find me here? What the heck? Hey I'm going here. I snuggle for another minute or two before I decide to make my exit.
6:15 am I bring a second coffee upstairs and start my process of getting ready for the day. I get a lovely shower and analyze my latest mid-life crisis skincare experiment. I had tried shea butter as a moisturizer the night before, and I give my face a good look under my critical microscope. Hmmm. I actually think it does seem better moisturized, and it feels great. Definitely worth trying again tonight. During my getting ready time, I snap pictures of my current make-up drawer and also the toys that seem to permanently invade the bathroom. Brian also gets himself ready for the day and then begins walking around the room, holding his phone out as if he's searching for a Pokemon. We chuckle about what he's doing, but he explains he's using an app to measure the floorspace for new carpet. Ok, he hasn't lost his mind. He does, however, explain the app isn't working properly and could I just measure the rooms today with a tape measure, kay thanks. JW bounces in and out of this space and at one point exclaims his pee is so bubbly, come look Mama!
7:00 am B and I are all dressed and ready for today. I'm in my mom uniform, and he is handsome. No fair. Jonathan continues to play games on his iPad, and I figure I might as well take care of some emails while I have the time. This summer has been so easy and light with work. I breeze through most of the emails, spend a few extra minutes helping a student find some mental health care options through IEHP, and mentally prepare to review some dissertation revisions later in the day.
7:20 am The baby is starting to stir, but he's just been so angelic about all sleep-related things. I let him roll around and babble while I do a quick hustle bustle straightening. Soon enough, I get him up for the day. We enjoy a morning baba, and he's so cute. Lifts his eyebrows up occasionally through the bottle and pokes at my nose. We do some quick diapering and changing of clothes and then head downstairs for the boys' brekkie. They both eat, which is an act of divine intervention. Minimal food is thrown on the floor, and everyone is in a great mood. Loving this.
8:00 am Taylor arrives. She is so cute and smiley, and the boys light up when they see her. We chat for a few minutes, and then they head upstairs to play. I spend some time catching up on texts with Jessica, Faith, Cassie, and Carolyn. Topics range from girl talk to play dates to pink eye to golden retrievers. I then plunge into a student's dissertation revisions with the hope of sending the great news that she is finished and gets to schedule her defense. Sadly, that is not the case yet, and I send my thoughts to the committee. Dang, I hate that and worry the student will not take the news well.
9:00 am The time has snuck up on me, and it's definitely time to stop working on this dissertation situation and leave for swim lessons. I call for JW to come downstairs quickly, which he actually does. We've done swim lessons Monday-Thursday for the past 7 weeks, so we have quite the perfected routine at this point: towel, sunscreen, pee, flip flops and goggles are always left in the car from the day before, and that's about it. We jump in the car. The drive is filled with incessant chatter. And I mean incessant. Non-stop. Lots of 'guess what I'm thinking' games that I somehow still have not mastered. Also 'I'll make up a nonsense word, and you guess what it means.' Another one I still have not mastered. I find all this chatter somewhat endearing and cute, but my mind is still on the dissertation issue. Ugh. The paper is just a mess. One giant mess. And the student doesn't realize it's a mess -- that's the worst part. She thinks it's great and ready to defend. I am confident in my assessment of the situation, but I also worry I am missing something and will feel foolish with the committee. Oh self. When will you grow up?
9:20 am Arrive just in time for lesson. JDub, Aiden, and Kylin are the only three in their level, and they are just absolutely darling together. They were quite the power house in kindergarten, and now they're rulin' the pool. So cute. Stacy, Michelle, and I sit in the shade, along with Stacy's mom and another sweet mom I've never met. We chat and catch up on various and sundry issues including horseback riding, school teacher drama, and dental work. It's only been a few months we've lived in this area, but I feel like I've known these gals forever. They are so cute and fun to chat with. And this summer has truly been wonderful, spending time with them as these kids have lived up summer to its fullest.
9:50 am Lesson is finished. The kids bounce around a little wild. Their teacher comes over and sweetly explains that Jonathan needs to keep his bottom lifted up more during his backstroke. I sincerely appreciate how great these lessons are -- extremely fun and playful, yet apparently serious as hell about learning proper technique. Yes ma'am! I doubt this is something we'll be working on, but I really do find this girl super cute and a great teacher. All the friends part ways and head to our cars. JDub instantly resumes his incessant chatter. I make mental notes to myself about what he's saying so I can include it in this post, but of course those mental notes got washed away hours before this post was written. Sadly, I have no memory of what he was chattering about. But it was cute. Typical JDub cuteness. We swing through Walgreens on the way home to pick up some photos I had ordered. Of course, it takes forever and a day to check out there, but we eventually get the goods and make our way back home.
10:30 am Arrive back home. J knows the drill about hanging up his wet clothes and towel to dry. And I am famished. While my veggies are cooking, I snap a photo of the current state of the kitchen, especially so I can remember the pretty anniversary flowers that came with our sweetheart horseback ride the day before. I mix in some leftover pad thai to my veg, and it is ... wait for it ... delicious. So are the boys in the photo. I text with Carolyn about how she and Joe are doing today, and my heart is heavy for them. It's brutal having to say goodbye to pets.
11:00 am Taylor leaves. William must sense her departure because he wakes up from happy nappy as she is walking out the door. We say goodbye to Taylor for the day and get lunch going for the boys. They actually both eat. There is a huge mess being made, but they're eating and laughing together and so darn cute. It's also taking forever, so I take the opportunity to catch up on some social media. Not much happening in "the world" today.
11:50 am We head upstairs, as I'm hoping to finish up this photo project I've been working on. I've been decorating our master bedroom, and a few sections of the room are really coming together. I start working on this photo collage, and the boys are playing great on the floor. It's wild and loud, but whatever. As long as they're happy, I can keep working on this. Brian calls during this chaos, and we attempt to chat for a few minutes. He's finally gone to a yoga class today between hearings, praise be. He needs it desperately, and I have been quite the naggy witchy wife about it. I want to hear more details, but the boys are insane, and he can sense I am multitasking. So we part ways.
12:40 pm I notice this project is taking longer than I expected, and I reminisce about how I could have done this in 15 minutes pre-kids. They are getting a little feisty, but I really want to finish this. In an act of motherly desperation, I suggest they both go into William's crib to play. It's so fun, right?! They actually both oblige, suckers! And I am able to complete my collage. I love how it turned out. I head into WW's room to see how they're doing. We do a little playing on the floor. It looks like a bomb went off in Toys R Us. And of course, they're not interested in the toys. No. They are squealing with delight at hiding in the closet. I'm laughing too, as the simple pleasures in life are always the best.
1:00 pm We head downstairs to squeeze in a few minutes of piano practice before happy nappy. J happily flies through all his work for the week, while I try to keep William in my arms. He fine for a little while, but he soon enough demands his freedom. I lose the hostage negotiation and set him on the floor. Not surprisingly, I regret my decision. He gets a horrid burst of energy and begins tearing things apart with evil glee, throwing candles on the floor, smashing wine corks on his head, laughing hysterically. All while J is playing piano like a madman, hands flinging up high in the air, pouncing and banging the keys with all his might. God Almighty.
1:15 pm I've had enough of the crazies for a while, and it's close enough to nap time anyway. I get JW started with quiet time, and he chooses TV for today. Rabbids' Invasion. And William and I go up for a babba and nap. He instantly mellows out with the bottle and is so sweet as we rock. He plays with my face and his own feet. His eyes start getting heavy. He twirls his blankie around his face and ears. During moment like these, I just want to freeze time. I notice how big he's gotten and try diligently to remember how it felt to hold him as a newborn. I try and try. I figure he must have only filled up one arm, but I just can't remember the feeling. I held him all the time, but I just can't pull it out of my memory. This year has been one of the fastest of my life. He's already one? How? Where did this year go? Gah, my feels are getting sappy. He is nice and calm, and his babba is done. Time to get him into the crib. Right during the transfer, my phone rings. Please don't freak out, baby, please don't freak out. It's just Mama's phone, it's ok. Mama loves you. You have a great happy nappy. Close door.
1:30 pm Miss the call, which was Carolyn. Quickly FaceTime her back, and we do actually get to catch up. She shares the details of Ivy's last day, which are heartwrenching. But she is in surprisingly good spirits, which I'm glad about. Despite the circumstances, it's great to talk.
2:10 pm We hang up. William is still sleeping, so I take the opportunity to measure the bedrooms for new carpet. I get the numbers and then do some old school multiplication and addition to get the total. I feel slightly embarrassed to admit I actually enjoyed doing a smidge of math during the day. I then catch up on the emails that have come in since this morning and even get this blog post started. J continues to delight in his TV time and goes in and out of the refrigerator like a teenager.
3:00 pm Daddy's home!!! Yaaaasssss!!! It's such a wonderful sight to see him walk through the door, especially when he's earlier than usual. We chat for a second. His hearings didn't go well, and opposing counsel was an asshole. Typical. I start packing the diaper bag for tennis lessons, which we'll need to leave for soon. J ends his TV time and starts getting himself ready, amazingly. Sunscreen. Hat. Shoes and socks. Diaper bag is ready. William is still sleeping, and I comment that I'll wake him up at the last second. B realizes what's happening with all this hubbub, and he offers to let William sleep. He'll do baby duty while J and I are at tennis. Really? That would be amazeballs. Are you sure? Ok, well then, count me in! And cue: baby crying. I try to keep my selfish disappointment to myself and remember that it's better for B to spend this time working in a quiet house. B gets Cranky McFussypants from his crib, and he's woken up on the WRONG side of the crib. Big wrong. He is pissed off about who knows what and generally hating life in every way. Yay. Wee.
3:20 pm We make it to the car, which seems to instantly improve baby's mood, thank you peshus Jesus in a manger. We are five minutes late leaving, which isn't a big deal. But I silently observe how perplexed I am about the length of time required to get out of the house with a baby. The boys babble and chat in the backseat. J's incessant chatter returns. With a vengeance. He has millions of questions about driving a car. Stuff about the lanes. Stuff about the gears. The odometer. The speedometer. The blinkers. I try to explain things in simple terms, but there's a lot of "gee, I don't knows" in there too.
3:45 pm Arrive at the tennis courts, and it is hot. Sweltering hot. This month has been brutally hot, including one day at 118 degrees. Today is a measly 104, so it just feels like the norm. But geesh. It is hot. JDub runs into the court and has another great afternoon with his buddy, Austin. Melissa and I chat the time away while William devours goldfish and shrieks violently when I won't give him more than two at a time. Violently. Despite the heat, the time goes quickly. It always does, and this new friendship has been such a joy. We talk about doing a play date next week, as this is the last tennis lesson for the summer. Man, that went quick. The boys are done, and we all comment about how great they did this summer.
4:40 pm We pile back in the van and get the air cranking. We are all sweating, especially J, since he was running around on the godforsaken asphalt. I try to point the vents right in his face, but he says he can't feel any cold air. I remember that feeling from childhood well. Being dead hot, and nothing helps. His face looks like a tomato, and his hair is dripping. Poor thing. We get going, and the traffic is unusually thick. Ugh. I'm sweaty, hungry, thirsty, and I want to move. Not just sit here. Ugh! The cars finally start inching forward, and we slowly make it to the previously promised reward place - -Yum Yum donuts. J and I share a love for donuts, and I had promised him we would get some to celebrate his great efforts and attitude about trying tennis this summer. He is full of more questions and chatter as I weasel my way through a very crowded and urban-feeling parking lot. My patience is starting to wear, but we make it. It is so damn hot outside. Getting the baby out of the carseat and carrying him the few yards into the store while trying to hurry JDub behind us is exhausting. But we all make it inside, and their air conditioning feels like heaven. I want to live there. We select our donuts, and the gal throws in a couple more. Super nice. Then back to the car. Heat. Sweat. Carseat. Seatbelts. The sun is lower in the sky and is just radiating its zapping power right at me. Back in the car. Chatter. A few screams. A few "would you want someone to do that to you?"s
5:15 pm We make it back home, and it feels like an accomplishment. B meets us in the driveway and helps carry everything and everyone inside. Bless his soul. Mama feelin tired. He gets the boys occupied doing I'm not sure what, and I prepare dinner as fast as my little hands will move. I'm starving. Moods are starting to get feisty, and I suspect everyone is hungry. Sit down to eat, and it's ... wait for it ... delicious. Nothing fancy -- salad with leftover honey mustard pulled pork. But hunger is the best seasoning. We all dig in and enjoy. Plus, one of my favorite Ina Garten sayings is "a healthy meal provides a rich dessert opportunity." Brilliant. Genius. Why can't she be my friend? Anyway. Dinner is good, and everyone eats. Only a couple "sit down on your bottom" type comments. There's a flossing demonstration in there somewhere, and B about chokes since we're dying laughing. Soon enough, we bust out the donuts. I micromanage all the cutting and sampling because B and J have zero restraint with chocolate. Man, they are good!
6:00 pm B shoos the boys upstairs for bath time, and I begin the kitchen clean-up. I love this time of the day. This summer, I've been home every evening (instead of teaching night classes), and it's been wonderful. We've fallen into a routine of B doing all the bath, jammies, toothbrush, drama, while I clean the kitchen in peace and quiet. I love it. It's so nice to do dishes and wipe counters in peace. It still takes a while, but I don't mind one bit. As usual, I pause to marvel at how gross the floor was. I sweep the floor every.single.night, and it's still this gross? How? Ugh. Another unsolved mystery. But the kitchen and downstairs area are nice and tidy. Ready for tomorrow.
6:30 pm I head upstairs to the zoo. Dirty clothes everywhere. Wet hair all wildly tossed in every direction. Toothpaste chunks in the sink. But they are happy. All three of them. It's a lot of work to do bath time. It's the end of the day, the kids are tired and wound up hyper cray cray, and the adults are tired and slowing to a sloth's pace. But it helps me a ton that Brian does this, and it's good for them. All three of them. It's good for them to spend time together. I'm grateful the boys have their dad around as much as they do. They'll never know the difference, but they sure are lucky boys to have their dad around so much. I retrieve mini-Brian (William is looking more and more like Brian) and get him a pre-bedtime babba. He plays with my face through all of it, and then we head to our bathroom. I get him occupied with toys, q-tips, and hair rollers while I wash my face. I also love this time of the day. It feels so amazing to splash cold water on my face and wash the day's sweat and grime off. I decide to give the shea butter another night's chance and smear the waxy goo around. Meanwhile, Brian and Jonathan are reading books. We all love this nightly ritual. I overhear something about dinosaurs tonight. At one point, B cracks up and says he has to tell Mama that one. Reports J's comments about a dinosaur book: I wonder if anyone has ever seen a dinosaur? Hmmm, maybe Bunny? We both die and know she will find that hysterical too.
7:15 pm Jammies for William. He happily waves night night to Daddy and Big Butter. A few high fives in there too, and he shyly yet proudly tilts his head into my shoulder. It's all so cute and tenderhearted. Final babba time for WW. He's such an angel about sleep. Finishes his babba and goes right into bed. No fuss, no muss. Night night, my sweet angel. Mama loves you with all my heart. You have some great dreams, and I'll be back to check on you. Love you. I head into Jonathan's room for a final tuck-in and quick chat, but he is already sound asleep. Sweet angel. Mama loves you with all my heart too. You are so precious. Muuaach.
7:30 pm Wash bottles and plop on the couch with Brian. It's done. We made it. Victory. We're both tired, and it's the best time of day when we can sit together and catch up on life. We chat a bit. Then I start working on this blog post, and he's watching youtube videos of prank baiters. I make comments about how time-consuming these blog posts are, but that I'm always glad when I've done them.
8:10 pm Gibberish and screaming commence. J had been in a good streak for a while this summer, but he's recently been back to the ole night terrors. Brian goes in to take care of this one. It's only a couple minutes, but it always feels like longer. I go in and try to soothe this sweet boy. It kills me that he's plagued by these damn terrors, and we're helpless about it. But he does settle down fairly quickly, and B and I resume our lazy bum positions. I continue blogging. He continues youtubing. Somewhere around 9ish, he heads to bed and says he'll be waiting for me. I am tired too. I've been tired for a while. But I must finish this tonight, or else I have a feeling it will collect dust for a while. I really want to get it done, so I continue the documentation. I begin the photo dump process and notice my phone for the first time in a while. I see I've missed 3 calls and 45 texts. Wut? Mother of Mary, what the hell? I return a few messages quickly and skim through a huge string from my sisters and mom.
10:00 pm I'm tired as a mother. As much as I want to complete this blog post today, it will just have to wait for another day. I close up shop. I check on the boys, who are snoozing peacefully. Night night, sweet angels. Mama loves you so much. More than my heart can handle. I head to bed, where I find the love of my life lightly purring the night away. I carefully climb in next to him, and he doesn't budge. I guess the poor guy couldn't wait for me, but I'm not surprised. I'm glad he is getting some solid rest. I slowly drift off after a busy, yet typical, summer's day. I adore summer with all it's outdoor fun, even with the wretched heat. I really love it. But more important, I adore my family. These posts always remind me of how much happens in one day, and how fortunate we are to have these days. I love them. I love my boys and this life we're living to its fullest. Until next time ...
