My Hearty Pirate Yell
Christmas is coming and I've reached the stage of "in a week, this will all be over." That always comforts me. I think I'm done shopping. I sort of have Christmas dinner planned. I probably have to go buy more things to stuff in stockings, but all in all, I'm ready. I hope. My Christmas tree looks more and more ragged as the days go by, thanks to the cats and the toddlers.
I feel the burden of making this The Best Christmas Ever for my children. I want their eyes to shine, I want them to smile and laugh, I want them to remember forever what a great Christmas this was. That's no easy feat. It's so much more difficult being a mother than I ever imagined. I didn't really see past the fog of having a baby to cuddle when I dreamed of motherhood. I didn't see this distant Christmas when the entire event depended on me.
Today, I rounded up the twins and we did a music lesson, which involved listening to a few songs and using our hands to beat out the rhythm. Babygirl and DaycareKid sat right on the floor with us, slapping their knees in glee. When we finished that, we moved on to a craft--creating igloos from sugar cubes and royal icing. The igloos are half-finished now. They have to dry so the boys can finish constructing the walls without collapsing them.
I left the boys sitting at the table, frosting and sugar cubes all around, while I went upstairs to put the babies to bed. Babygirl has been falling asleep in fifteen minutes or less these days, even though she cries when I tell her we're going to sleep. Today, just as she was settling down, one of my boys knocked at the door. TwinBoyA said, "The neighbor boys are here." I said, "Tell them to go home."
Just as Babygirl was settling down a few minutes later, another knock at the door. This time it was YoungestBoy, "Mom, can the neighbor boys stay?" I said, "Yes, but they have to be very, very quiet."
Then, a while later, just as Babygirl was settling down, another knock at the door. YoungestBoy again, reporting, "Mom, I was putting frosting around my igloo for snow and it collapsed." I told him to fix it.
Then, just as Babygirl was settling down again, another knock at the door. This time it was the neighbor boy. "Mrs. X, my mom is here with something for you." I said, "Tell her I can't come downstairs. I am trying to get the baby to sleep."
As Babygirl finally settled down, I thought about how rude that was of me. But I didn't want to disrupt the nap any more than it had already been disrupted.
Still, Babygirl wouldn't settle down. Finally, I said, "Babygirl! GO TO SLEEP!" And then I gave a hearty pirate yell, "ARRRRRRG!"
Right after that, she went to sleep. I'd been upstairs with her for almost an hour and a half.
When I came downstairs, I found a humongous platter of cookies, courtesy of the neighbor boys' mom. That explains why I have no appetite for dinner.
So, my house is a wreck. Half-built and much-licked sugarcube igloos sit on the kitchen table. But isn't it festive? I wonder what's for dinner? Yesterday, I completely forgot to feed YoungestBoy lunch and my husband told him at 3:00 p.m., "That's okay! Today is National Cookies for Lunch Day!"
Half an hour until dinner time. Where's Alice when I need her?
I feel the burden of making this The Best Christmas Ever for my children. I want their eyes to shine, I want them to smile and laugh, I want them to remember forever what a great Christmas this was. That's no easy feat. It's so much more difficult being a mother than I ever imagined. I didn't really see past the fog of having a baby to cuddle when I dreamed of motherhood. I didn't see this distant Christmas when the entire event depended on me.
Today, I rounded up the twins and we did a music lesson, which involved listening to a few songs and using our hands to beat out the rhythm. Babygirl and DaycareKid sat right on the floor with us, slapping their knees in glee. When we finished that, we moved on to a craft--creating igloos from sugar cubes and royal icing. The igloos are half-finished now. They have to dry so the boys can finish constructing the walls without collapsing them.
I left the boys sitting at the table, frosting and sugar cubes all around, while I went upstairs to put the babies to bed. Babygirl has been falling asleep in fifteen minutes or less these days, even though she cries when I tell her we're going to sleep. Today, just as she was settling down, one of my boys knocked at the door. TwinBoyA said, "The neighbor boys are here." I said, "Tell them to go home."
Just as Babygirl was settling down a few minutes later, another knock at the door. This time it was YoungestBoy, "Mom, can the neighbor boys stay?" I said, "Yes, but they have to be very, very quiet."
Then, a while later, just as Babygirl was settling down, another knock at the door. YoungestBoy again, reporting, "Mom, I was putting frosting around my igloo for snow and it collapsed." I told him to fix it.
Then, just as Babygirl was settling down again, another knock at the door. This time it was the neighbor boy. "Mrs. X, my mom is here with something for you." I said, "Tell her I can't come downstairs. I am trying to get the baby to sleep."
As Babygirl finally settled down, I thought about how rude that was of me. But I didn't want to disrupt the nap any more than it had already been disrupted.
Still, Babygirl wouldn't settle down. Finally, I said, "Babygirl! GO TO SLEEP!" And then I gave a hearty pirate yell, "ARRRRRRG!"
Right after that, she went to sleep. I'd been upstairs with her for almost an hour and a half.
When I came downstairs, I found a humongous platter of cookies, courtesy of the neighbor boys' mom. That explains why I have no appetite for dinner.
So, my house is a wreck. Half-built and much-licked sugarcube igloos sit on the kitchen table. But isn't it festive? I wonder what's for dinner? Yesterday, I completely forgot to feed YoungestBoy lunch and my husband told him at 3:00 p.m., "That's okay! Today is National Cookies for Lunch Day!"
Half an hour until dinner time. Where's Alice when I need her?
posted by Melodee at Tuesday, December 21, 2004
4 Comments:
National Day for cookies for lunch! That cracks me up!
I feel your pain. Our house is a mess. Tomorrow I have 3 extra kids coming over and Christmas Eve for the family is here. They are used to "grannie" doing it and of course she has perfected the art of having a clean nice house, coupled with no children running around her! I feel a lot of pressure! LOL!
ooo I want to make sugar igloos too! Sounds like fun!
And hey you're talking to the girl who ate 1/2 a pie for two meals. Cookies are just a variation on that theme which I am in favor of.
M
Today is cookie day at work. There are only seven people who work in my office. Each has brought a plate full of cookies.
It's 9:30 in the morning and I've sampled one of each.... so far. Is today National Cookies for Breakfast Day? Why yes, evidently it is!
Oh argh! I like it. I'll have to use that on Audrey. She never wants to take naps on the weekends.
You should put up crime scene tape around Babygirl's room when you go up to put her down to prevent such disturbances. I would have no patience with that...would be saying argh to the boys instead. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home