Not a post about an event or a trip. Just a day at our house, four and a half months into our second deployment, 24 weeks into our fifth baby, 10 years into our marriage, and a gallon and a half into our milk supply. Costco seems imminent. Tomorrow.
I decided I want to blog more about our daily lives than vacations and celebrations. Or rather, just include the raw and real ordinary grind-so as to preserve the authenticity of us. So I decided to just blog about today. But then I realized that nothing significant happened today. But then I remembered that the point of this whole exercise is to capture a snapshot of our lives right now, today, just as we are.
Our today started in the dark dark hours of the wee morning, where little Lila chatters and sings. She woke me up (as she always does). I heard her laughing an uproarious belly laugh, and then I heard Anabelle scream at her in the meanest of voices. I ran in to see Lila sitting up, with a scared look on her face. She looked sad. I whispered the need for her to be quiet when she couldn't sleep so as not to wake the whole house. Then I quietly scolded Anabelle for screaming in that voice. She didn't say anything. I said it again. This woke her up. Turns out she was sleep screaming. And now we were all awake.
I do some laundry since I'm up. I'm thinking I will get a start on the day's cleaning to free up some time to run errands and maybe paint with Maisey later. I tell Anabelle to count her birthday money as a means of accomplishing her math homework, and also to get it sent off to the Riebens. I am curious to see how she will divide it up. She decided to give $48 to them for their adoption, and keep $8 for herself. I was proud of her for that. I know it was hard for her to hand over cash, something she very rarely has, to someone else.
We watched an inspiring video about a man giving to the homeless while I curled her hair for picture day at school. I had to pull Lila away from her bed chatter to get her ready. She was on edge and volatile from being so tired (days and days and days worth of tired). I did an awesome puffy curly hair do with plenty of aerosol hairspray and a big bow on top. She told me she lost the bow before pictures were taken. I loved that bow. I bought it just for Elise when she was born. I made the girls take a picture outside before school- just in case there was nose picking or vampire smiles which the photographer might feel uncomfortable telling them to stop.
I hurried and fed Elise oatmeal to try to keep her from screaming at me throughout the duration of my walk. Every day goes better for her when it starts with oatmeal. This is an indisputable fact. I'm not sure why I try to accomplish anything before she's had two full servings of oatmeal. I was rushing to get her, Maisey and myself ready because Kesha Black was waiting outside for me to walk. It's been a nice change of pace to walk with her. Exercising doesn't feel quite so treacherous. On the walk I bent over quickly and it caused sever pain to my stomach. I made the same mistake later in the day. I officially cannot bend over anymore. All things must be squatted for.
We came home and I got a call from Becky Littlefield who was calling to check if we were over strep throat. That conversation turned into an hour long discussion about parenting and doctors and everything else. We rarely have brief conversations. I was cleaning all this time but it caused me to miss my chance to be able to run errands before Elise's nap. I resigned myself to having a cleaning day. It's hard to be too frustrated about a friend calling to make sure you don't need anything.
I called Dr. Thacker, the kids on base pediatrician to tell him how frustrated I am with him over his apathy and laziness. Of course they won't let me talk to him, only messages through his nurse. I argue with her over a particular referral I want for Lila's sleep issue and I tell her I want it now. She was short and annoyed with me but she and the Dr. agreed to give it to me. I don't care if we're friends, I just want the right help for Lila. I am irritated that he doesn't also seem to want that.
Braden calls and I give Maisey and Elise a snack in the backyard so that I can talk to him without Elise standing at my feet screaming. It worked for a few minutes. I tell him about things here, and he listens as he always does. He says that he is feeling so done with being there. Elise comes in and sees him and starts being silly for him. We say good night to Braden so that he and Elise can both go to sleep. When I put her down I said, "love you" and she said it back. That was the first time. It melted my heart.
I took a shower and Maisey watched a Jimmy Fallon lip syncing video over and over. She loves to watch people singing and dancing. Pretty soon she was dancing with them and singing all the words she knew. I asked her to eat a sandwich. She threw a fit. She asked for a Popsicle. I asked her to eat a sandwich. She threw a fit. I told her to go somewhere else and throw a fit. She ran outside and started running away. I told her to come back and sit on the porch. She did. Then she told me she was hungry and asked if I could make her a sandwich. I made her apologize for her tantrum and ask me very very nicely to make her a sandwich. She did, so I did. She then wasted the said sandwhich and instead made "chocolate milk" using her milk from lunch mixed with a bunch of mud. She looked for slugs for a while. She dug in the dirt. She heard kids voices and said excitedly, "Is that Anabelle and Lila?!" I told her no, not for a few more hours. She let out a big disappointed sigh and said, " I don't even remember what they look like anymore". It had been three hours after all since she had seen them.
I cleaned some more and did some more fall decorating. Elise woke up with the devil in her about the same time the girls got home. Spent the next hour trying to coax three girls into shin guards, cleats and soccer clothes, getting them a snack and some water bottles, looking at homework, hearing about their day, with Elise following me around crying and screaming. We accomplished this mighty feat, five minutes late. I was frustrated with Anabelle for her lack of initiative and obedience.
I can't watch Anabelle play because she is across the street. Lila is mostly people watching, she's moving with the crowd but you can tell she is just so tired. Running around in the hot sun is about the last place her exhausted body wants to be. Maisey is also doing plenty of people watching but is generally doing a pretty good job of keeping up. I have half conversations with several parents but I keep having to run off to rescue Elise from bleachers or traffic. I gave up trying to return to adult conversations and decided just to follow her around and watch her move piles of dirt and wave at dogs.
After practice the girls all took a bath. Another argument with Anabelle over washing her hair. It's an honesty issue. They flood the bathroom as they always so. I have ravioli ready for them, which they actually eat, amazingly. I put Elise to bed- on the way she waves and says "nigh nigh" to her sisters, then gives them all snotty kisses on the mouth- which they all love. She is eating up the attention of all the girls loving her and is being a total ham, talking and waving and blowing kisses and laughing. I snuggle her in her room. I try to put her in her crib but she points to the chair. I go to the chair and try to sing her a song. She starts to dance and won't snuggle me. I put her in her bed where she chatters and plays for a long while before going to sleep.
Lila and I sit on the couch to read her homework book. We are interrupted repeatedly by Maisey and Anabelle fighting. I try to talk them through it but after several attempts I send them both to bed. Anabelle goes crazy with all pitches of terrible screaming and crying. Lila is reading better every day. Today was the first time I didn't underline each word with my finger. I was so proud of her hard work. She falls asleep on my shoulder trying to read. I tell her we'll finish it in the morning but she insists we do it tonight. After she is finally done it is almost eight and I am glad I have finished in perfect time to talk to Braden. Lila and I say her prayers out by the couch. I tell her that she should start asking Heavenly Father to help her sleep all night long so she can feel better. She said she will. I go in to tuck Lila in and Anabelle and I start talking about the situation. She is arguing so I start walking out. She begs me to stay and finish the conversation saying that she will listen and that she wants to change. I go back to her bedside where we spend the next 15 minutes talking about accountability and kindness. She cried a little and laughed a little and it ended up being a good talk.
Then I had just a few minutes to call and chat with Braden while he got dressed for work.
I watched the new Mormon message about a Mom who spends her day doing seemingly small and meaningless things. In the end she realizes that those things are actually what Heavenly Father wanted her to do that day- she is humbled to realize that those were the things that actually mattered.
It struck a cord in my heart.
It made me hopeful.
That was today at our house.
