"Sounds like fun!"
As David rushed off to work this morning, he asked me what my plans were for the day.
"I think Kate's coming by this morning." I replied.
Actually... We've been trying to get together all week. Literally, everyday this week something has come up. Migraine... dentist... appointments... odd nap times... you name it. Oh well, I needn't explain all the details. How does my fabulous husband always confuse my 'detailed explanations' for complaints?
"Oh great!" he replies, with sickening optimism... "That'll be fun."
Of coarse it'll be fun, I don't have many friends in my life on a daily basis, so it's wonderfully refreshing to have an adult conversation, with a dear friend, every once in a while. But the way he says ' Oh great... it'll be fun.' like I'll be sitting poolside with a mojito and people magazine, chatting it up as my children nap peacefully in the summer breeze, makes me defensive. I ignore my need to pounce on this viscous untruth and simply answer, "Yeah, it'll be fun."
This morning started off 'with a bang' as Evangeline (who went to bed at 10:00 and woke up several times throughout the night) starts yelling "Hey JE-CI-CA! HEY JE-CI-CA!" I pause to listen to my darling toddler... and remind myself to 'RELAX, RELATE and RELEASE'... Ah, yes... I can do this.
Kate shows up right after 9:00 with her adorable little 'Ti'. Titus is just a few weeks younger that Elliot, but they totally ignore each other. Titus also reminds me a little of how Evangeline was at his age. Very interactive, yet independent... but I'm learning that timing is everything when you say something like "Oh! He reminds me of Doodle!" Let's just say that today was one of those 'not a good time' days.
"Titus is home!" Doodle yells, as she stands in the front window. She is wearing nothing but a diaper and random leg warmers on her left leg and arm.
Kate comes in, amiss the chaos, and makes herself right at home. I love that about her. As we juggle the children from bouncy seat to swing to exersaucer... turn on another episode of Olivia... look for another missing pacifier... we decide to skip any polite small talk. When you're a busy mom trying to have a decent conversation, you really learn to sift through your words carefully. At times, even polite pauses to catch one's breath seem like a waste of time. I often find myself thinking... 'If I don't get this sentence out into the open immediately, it will be forgotten and lost altogether.'
As Kate and I rounded the topics of God... the meaning of Life... marriage and family, Doodle decides she's ready to potty train. Since I've been waiting for her to show a bit more interest ... I decide to 'go with it'. She puts her 'big girl unnerwears' on and prances around proudly. I set the timer and continue the previous activities. The timer beeps... we go potty... HURRAY... she gets a treat. I am so proud that Doodle chooses a time we have company to 'show off'. I set the timer again and think to myself ' I bet Kate's so glad that she has someone with an older child she can look up to.' 'Yeah... she could really learn a lot from me.'
Before I could even finish the thought... I see Doodle's wet foot prints trailing down the hall. "AHHH! Not even 10 min.?!"
"Treat mommy?!" Evangeline asks, running in her pee soaked 'unnerwears'.
"No Doodle... Only when you go on the POTTY."
"Two treats? Mommy?"
"No treats... and you only get two treats for poopies."
I clean Doodle up. Clean up the floors. Throw a load of laundry in. Set the timer again. Nurse Elliot... and 'Hi Kate'... 'Where were we?' 'Oh yes... things that make us angry'. We pick right back up. Not five minutes later, I hear Doodle talking to herself...'My get TWO treats' 'My do poopies!'... oh gosh! She's in the bathroom! I put Elliot down, who screams in protest, and rush to the bathroom. Naked Doodle has apparently pooped, out of sheer desire for more treats... sloshed it across the bathroom and flushed it already. As I quickly try to pick up some of the mess before Millie Precious gets into it... Doodle flies down the hall, through the kitchen and around to the living room where poor Kate is trying to manage my fussy child, not to mention her own. I immediately flash back to Doodle's poopy butt that has yet to been wiped... and poor 'first time mom' Kate who has probably never witnessed such a scene. I decide to run full speed down the hall and intercept my filthy child before she lands on anything. If you were to break this down into an instant replay, it would look like this. Poopy, drooly, no bow in her hair Evangeline running like a wild stallion through the living room, jumping over a puddle of pee, dodging an array of dog toys and baby gear... ME running toward her, hurdling over the exersaucer and catching her mid-air, just before she makes a crash landing belly flop onto the newly washed couch cover. I finished the successful interception with a nonchalant pirouette... and carried doodle off to her room, kicking and screaming, most likely because her plans of overthrowing the monarchy have once again been foiled.
I deal with Evangeline, put a diaper on her (we are done potty training for the day) and put a bow in her hair to make her appear a little less 'tribal'.
I come back to the living room, Kate had cleaned up my child's pee and grabbed herself a granola bar. We continued our conversation without missing a beat. We made grand plans for our next get together. I'm always surprised that she comes back. I guess that's what 'A REAL FRIEND' is.
"I think Kate's coming by this morning." I replied.
Actually... We've been trying to get together all week. Literally, everyday this week something has come up. Migraine... dentist... appointments... odd nap times... you name it. Oh well, I needn't explain all the details. How does my fabulous husband always confuse my 'detailed explanations' for complaints?
"Oh great!" he replies, with sickening optimism... "That'll be fun."
Of coarse it'll be fun, I don't have many friends in my life on a daily basis, so it's wonderfully refreshing to have an adult conversation, with a dear friend, every once in a while. But the way he says ' Oh great... it'll be fun.' like I'll be sitting poolside with a mojito and people magazine, chatting it up as my children nap peacefully in the summer breeze, makes me defensive. I ignore my need to pounce on this viscous untruth and simply answer, "Yeah, it'll be fun."
This morning started off 'with a bang' as Evangeline (who went to bed at 10:00 and woke up several times throughout the night) starts yelling "Hey JE-CI-CA! HEY JE-CI-CA!" I pause to listen to my darling toddler... and remind myself to 'RELAX, RELATE and RELEASE'... Ah, yes... I can do this.
Kate shows up right after 9:00 with her adorable little 'Ti'. Titus is just a few weeks younger that Elliot, but they totally ignore each other. Titus also reminds me a little of how Evangeline was at his age. Very interactive, yet independent... but I'm learning that timing is everything when you say something like "Oh! He reminds me of Doodle!" Let's just say that today was one of those 'not a good time' days.
"Titus is home!" Doodle yells, as she stands in the front window. She is wearing nothing but a diaper and random leg warmers on her left leg and arm.
Kate comes in, amiss the chaos, and makes herself right at home. I love that about her. As we juggle the children from bouncy seat to swing to exersaucer... turn on another episode of Olivia... look for another missing pacifier... we decide to skip any polite small talk. When you're a busy mom trying to have a decent conversation, you really learn to sift through your words carefully. At times, even polite pauses to catch one's breath seem like a waste of time. I often find myself thinking... 'If I don't get this sentence out into the open immediately, it will be forgotten and lost altogether.'
As Kate and I rounded the topics of God... the meaning of Life... marriage and family, Doodle decides she's ready to potty train. Since I've been waiting for her to show a bit more interest ... I decide to 'go with it'. She puts her 'big girl unnerwears' on and prances around proudly. I set the timer and continue the previous activities. The timer beeps... we go potty... HURRAY... she gets a treat. I am so proud that Doodle chooses a time we have company to 'show off'. I set the timer again and think to myself ' I bet Kate's so glad that she has someone with an older child she can look up to.' 'Yeah... she could really learn a lot from me.'
Before I could even finish the thought... I see Doodle's wet foot prints trailing down the hall. "AHHH! Not even 10 min.?!"
"Treat mommy?!" Evangeline asks, running in her pee soaked 'unnerwears'.
"No Doodle... Only when you go on the POTTY."
"Two treats? Mommy?"
"No treats... and you only get two treats for poopies."
I clean Doodle up. Clean up the floors. Throw a load of laundry in. Set the timer again. Nurse Elliot... and 'Hi Kate'... 'Where were we?' 'Oh yes... things that make us angry'. We pick right back up. Not five minutes later, I hear Doodle talking to herself...'My get TWO treats' 'My do poopies!'... oh gosh! She's in the bathroom! I put Elliot down, who screams in protest, and rush to the bathroom. Naked Doodle has apparently pooped, out of sheer desire for more treats... sloshed it across the bathroom and flushed it already. As I quickly try to pick up some of the mess before Millie Precious gets into it... Doodle flies down the hall, through the kitchen and around to the living room where poor Kate is trying to manage my fussy child, not to mention her own. I immediately flash back to Doodle's poopy butt that has yet to been wiped... and poor 'first time mom' Kate who has probably never witnessed such a scene. I decide to run full speed down the hall and intercept my filthy child before she lands on anything. If you were to break this down into an instant replay, it would look like this. Poopy, drooly, no bow in her hair Evangeline running like a wild stallion through the living room, jumping over a puddle of pee, dodging an array of dog toys and baby gear... ME running toward her, hurdling over the exersaucer and catching her mid-air, just before she makes a crash landing belly flop onto the newly washed couch cover. I finished the successful interception with a nonchalant pirouette... and carried doodle off to her room, kicking and screaming, most likely because her plans of overthrowing the monarchy have once again been foiled.
I deal with Evangeline, put a diaper on her (we are done potty training for the day) and put a bow in her hair to make her appear a little less 'tribal'.
I come back to the living room, Kate had cleaned up my child's pee and grabbed herself a granola bar. We continued our conversation without missing a beat. We made grand plans for our next get together. I'm always surprised that she comes back. I guess that's what 'A REAL FRIEND' is.
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