Thursday, April 14, 2005

So it was shaping up to be a pretty good day today. A was happy and C went off to school. I found that the three sets of baby clothes I was selling on E-bay, which had each only been at 99 cents four hours before the auctions' closings, had ended up selling for a total of more than $30. (Apparently no one even bothers bidding until right before the end of the auction now.) A took a nap and in the first 20 minutes of her nap (after the first 20 minutes we have to go back to lie down with her or she won't stay asleep) I got the dishwasher filled and running, picked up the kitchen, and got dinner going in the crockpot. She got a good nap in and we walked over to preschool, where the kids were erupting their homemade volcanoes. Normally she starts screaming as soon as we walk in the door there, but she was cheerful and happy the whole time despite the roomful of kids and parents.

Then C had a playdate after school with Daphne, who lives within walking distance of our house so is a friendship we definitely want to cultivate. A's happy inside for about five minutes. Then the kids ride their bikes around for a while outside, and she's happy watching them do that for about 10 minutes. Then we go back inside and nothing will make her happy- in or out, up or down, wrapped up or loose. I put her in the sling and try to get her to sleep. (I haven't successfully gotten her to go to sleep in the sling for two weeks, but it's worth a try, right?) No go. I need to bring her home so at least Daphne's mom doesn't have to hear her shrieks anymore. I'm already frustrated and annoyed (and got no sleep last night, and probably should have eaten more lunch), and then C refuses to stay at Daphne's house if I'm leaving. "Daddy will come pick you up in 20 minutes." "No, I am going with you." So besides rejecting Daphne, leaving now includes getting on the bike helmet, reminding him 20 times to ride to the SIDE of the road, and taking the road the whole way instead of a backyard shortcut. A is screaming the entire time, and spits her preferred pacifier in the dirt, so I have to give her the one she doesn't like. She cries louder. We pass a mom and son walking by and she smiles in sympathy. A screams until I get home and hand her to Dan, and she immediately settles down.

So now I'm annoyed with both kids and it's still only 1:30. Luckily Dan took both of them off my hands so I can recover and convince myself to be a grown-up again. (Do I have to? Will he not notice if I just go to bed for the rest of the day? Will there be a time when taking my kid to see another kid is unlikely to end in disaster?)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I can post comments.

Anonymous said...

I can post comments now too. Sorry a good day went bad. Hope there was another turnaround and it is good again! It happens...it happens....honest!