People ask all the time what life is like for us with 4 kids under the age of 4. I think now it is really getting to the crazy stage that people imagined it would be. Sometimes I feel like I should look around for the cameras, because it almost seems like their are producers and writers mapping it all out, and we are just along for the entertainment. I couldn't make some of this stuff up if I tried. So let me tell you about my day today.
To get you up to speed, I'll have to give you a little background information first. A week before Thanksgiving, I was rear-ended. Alyssa was the only one with me, and the damage to the minivan was minimal. The accident really wasn't that big of a deal, I was just sitting at a roundabout (those of you from here can guess what city I was in), waiting for my turn, when the lady behind me bumped me. She was very nice and apologetic. I didn't see her coming, however, so my neck snapped back. I spent 3 1/2 hours at MedCheck to find out I have strained muscles in my neck and back. Other than a really bad headache the day of the accident, that's the only injuries we had - thank God! The best thing for me to heal is rest. Ha! Like that will happen in my life! The doctor understood, as he had twins and 3 boys after that. He just said in my case it would take a lot longer to heal, but overall I should be fine. He gave me a prescription for muscle relaxers, that I was a little hesitant to try. Do you remember Jenny from 16 Candles who was so loopy at her own wedding? That's the last thing I want to feel like in my job. But, I was told I can also use heat and Advil to get me through the day.
I've also been having bad insomnia again. So after waking up every hour or two, I finally started my day. Well, I should make that Alyssa started my day. She came in at 6 am wondering who was in the shower. At first I thought she was sleep talking, but then I realized she probably heard the toilet flush. We got her to climb into to bed with us and told her it was too early to fix her oatmeal. Dave had to get up and take his shower by then anyway, so I got her to lay with me until he got out. Alyssa usually doesn't get up until Dave has left for the day, but it was nice that he was still there. He fixed her breakfast so I could hop into the shower.
Afterwards, Alyssa wanted to watch cartoons, so I got her dressed and set up to watch her show before I tackled the babies, who were now up. As it turned out, we had a mess on our hands. Let's just say Drew had it coming out of both ends and needed a bath right away. Just before leaving for work, Dave changed Jack for me, but had to put him back into his crib while I finished bathing Drew. At least that was one less stinky diaper I didn't have to change. Poor Lauren was also stuck in her crib and they weren't too happy. Drew just seemed stunned as to why I would want to dunk him first thing in the morning. But I quickly got some clean pants on him and his siblings, too, and let them play around upstairs in their bedroom.
Then it was time to detoxify Drew's bed. I got the washer started (our laundry room is upstairs) and started making trips back and forth. Luckily, all the toys in Drew's bed were machine washable! After my second trip to the washer, the trio had figured out the laundry room was a fun place to play "demolition crew." At one point, they had drying racks and vacuum parts all over the floor in a such a way that I couldn't get in through the door. This did not make me happy as I was carrying some stinky stuff! Then when I tried to start the washer - nothing! Tried a different setting - still nothing. Unplugged it and plugged it back in - nothing! I ran back to get my last load and pleaded with God how I would lose it if I had to deal with a wet, soggy, stinky load of laundry and a broken washer. He had mercy on me and it started up when I finished loading it. Thank you God!
The next mission was to get all 3 kids downstairs with as little hauling as possible. Lauren and Drew went down on their tummies pretty well. Lauren seemed in a race, but she and Drew were done racing while I chased them before Jack realized that the gate at the top of the stairs was open, luckily. That left only one kid to get downstairs.
Then it was off to get formula and breakfast. My husband is so thoughtful and always makes some formula and sets out the breakfast supplies for me. However, today only having 2 sippy cups of formula ready to go made for one angry triplet. Jack was the unlucky one who got there last and started showing off his redheaded temper again. But I got him a drink quickly and was able to get breakfast set up for the trio. By this time, Alyssa's quota of cartoons were over, and she decided she wanted to sit on my lap while I fed the babies. I tried to explain about the boo boo on my back and how it would hurt, so she left me alone for a bit. About 2/3 of the way through the oatmeal, everything Drew had consumed made a second appearance. I had another fun mess on my hands to clean up. The poor kid was looking pasty white, so I felt badly for him. So once I got him and his chair cleaned up, I let him sit on my lap while I finished feeding the other two. Well, Alyssa didn't like that one bit, so she snuck back up on my lap, too. At least by then I had gotten some Advil into my system! The rest of breakfast was luckily uneventful. So I cleaned up the breakfast mess and the kids played, or perhaps you would call it resumed the destruction of the house.
I was happy for them being occupied, so I could call about getting our van fixed. The insurance company found a shop that was only 4 miles away, which was nice. As the phone rang, I looked at the calendar trying to figure out which day we could do without our only vehicle with 4 carseats in it. The lady answered the phone "Oh, you’re the Honda Odyssey!" Huh? Most people answer the phone with “Hello"!!! I said, “Wow, you are good!” I can understand that Caller ID would tell her who I was, but does Caller ID now include the make and model of your car now? Evidently, she was expecting my call and had all my info from the insurance company. Things like that can really freak people out who are already spacey from Advil and muscle relaxers!
After getting the babies dressed for the day, I noticed Jack's diaper showing that he might have Drew's illness, too. More fun to look forward to on this dreary rainy day! Then, I tried to catch up on some email, and warn the babies NICU nurse who was supposed to come over for dinner tonight to stay away. (That will teach us to invite anyone over for dinner!)
Then Alyssa came over whiny and crying to be picked up. My first impulse was to try to explain about the boo boo on my back again, but then I looked at her. Ut oh! She was pale and pasty white, too. They were falling like dominoes. It could be me and 4 puking kids by the end of the day. Yikes! So I took my shivering daughter to the couch, bundled her up with 2 blankets, and convinced her that she could wash all her germs away if she drank enough Pedialyte. Of course, we usually only buy clear Pedialyte for situations such as these. Guess what, today we were out of the clear. All I could find was orange. That will be another fun mess to clean up. I told her if she felt the urge for anything to leave her body to please throw the covers off and sprint to the bathroom, where I would meet her.
On the way back to the kitchen, I realized what was my nice clean house last night has now turned into an obstacle course. So what did I do instead of picking it up - take a picture! And since misery loves company, I sent it to my husband in an email telling him that the kids had cleaned the house for him. By this point, Drew was at least feeling a little better and the color had returned to his cheeks. Maybe he had pity on me and was trying to help clean up as he pushed his toy vacuum cleaner around. Alyssa decided that Daddy needed to know that she had a fever, so I helped her call him and leave a voicemail.
After watching Lauren pull two pairs of sock off, I gave up on keeping her feet warm. Jack was crawling in and out of the cabinets and the drawer under the oven. Drew was walking across the floor with a baseball in his mouth. And Alyssa was playing at the kitchen table, using the Game of Life as another backdrop for her pretend play. That, along with sternly reminding the trio to stay on their tushies when climbing furniture rounded out my morning.
Next, I fed them lunch and I was relieved that it was uneventful, except for Jack losing patience over being in the highchair instead of booster seat (they take turns in it). Alyssa ate a little and made just one fairly tame trip to the bathroom. I was starting to believe that I might not be living out the pie eating scene in "Stand By Me" after all. Yeah!
So after lunch I went about cleaning up the high chairs when I heard a high pitched beeping sound. It was Jack. He had found the phone. I forgot to hang it up when Alyssa called her Daddy. So I pulled the plug from the wall to prevent him from calling China. (He's also been known to call his grandparents, too.) After I got the phone away from him and heard an ever louder redheaded tantrum from him, I plugged the phone back in and it immediately started to ring. I thought that was odd. Thanks to Caller ID, I saw "Out of Area" and decided not to answer it, as last time I did it was a telemarketer. Then I get a second call and it was from the same number. Then I started to get suspicious that maybe Jack did get a call out. I unplugged the phone again and hit "Redial". Sure enough, up popped the same number that the Caller ID had just shown (with several extra digits behind it). Yikes! They were coming after me. What does etiquette dictate you do for this situation? Call and apologize? Call and make Jack apologize? Hope they go away? Never answer the phone again? I decided to ignore it and hope that it went away. They didn't call back at least.
Whew, by this time it was only noon and I was completely exhausted! I knew today would be an adventure, but this is not what I had in mind! At least it was nearly naptime and cleaning the kitchen was such a lost cause that I didn't feel too badly lying down myself. During my nap, I had a dream that I was nanny for a lady with 6 kids! Am I a glutton for punishment or what?
But I am thankful to say that the rest of the day went pretty well, and no one else threw up. Alyssa told me that she felt much better after her nap and that she washed all her germs away, but she still had her fever.
Dave went and got the estimate on our van done, and for some reason came home wanting to talk about getting toys out of our house after the pictures I sent him. Hmm, I wonder why? It's not like Christmas is coming and we'll get more or anything like that.
No wonder people are so amused watching us. There's always something going on here. Like I said, it's like a sitcom.
God bless,
Amanda
PS I wrote this entry during a break my husband was nice enough to give me after dinner. When I came back downstairs, I was greeted with, "Guess which one of your children is going to have a black eye tomorrow?" Ei yi yi! I'm scared what tomorrow's episode will bring. Evidently, it will include Drew with a black eye.
PPS I did have one really precious moment today I wish I had videotaped. Alyssa was doing her ballet dancing to the Sound of Music soundtrack, Lauren was trying to twirl around and imitate her, and the boys were watching and clapping their hands in their own toddler way, as if to cheer them on. It was too cute.
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