I don’t mean to complain, but life has been hard lately. It mostly centers around parenting. Overall, life has been good, but there have been some doozies over the past 2 weeks. Here are some snap shots:
Like I suspected, my arthritis is flaring. First my left knee, jaw, and left hip, then my other knee. Facing having to pack for our jaunt to Wisconsin and threats of blizzards and single digit temps, I call my rheumatologist. No appointment till June…hmmmm. So I call my primary doc and make an appointment the Thursday before we leave Friday morning. Laura nicely is asleep in her stroller. Sara lets me talk to my doctor with few interruptions. I ask for a steroid shot in my left knee to help me walk around. The doctor goes out to gather supplies, about to return. I notice Sara’s pants are wet. She’s pooped in her underwear. So I put her on the exam table (note the one I’m about to have a shot on!) and try to deal with this. I get her changed before the doctor returns. I try change the paper, the paper dispensor on the table falls off. Have to get someone to fix that. Doctor returns, I get shot, while reading Sara a book and comforting her. Good thing I’m stoic about such things.
Wisconsin was a blast and wonderful. Great fellowship and photos. I’ll blog about that later…
12 hrs traveling with 2 young ones. We know the airport in Minneapolis VERY well.
Evenings in general. Laura is at her fussiest in the evening. She essentially wants to nurse in bed all evening. Wayne has been sick. My knees are swollen. Everyone is hungry and wants food instantly. Sara is whiny in the evenings. Wayne and I try to say a word to each other and it seems like there’s a scream, whine, yell, or request superceding it.
Laura must be sick or something. She was really good about going to sleep, but has gotten very fussy. She cried for an hour at 4am. She almost never does that. She was inconsolable last night to nursing, rocking, walking, bouncing, etc. Tonight I dedicated the even to her to keep it quiet and be available to her. It still took me 3 hrs to get her to sleep. Atleast there was no screaming.
Today…Wayne wanted to go snowboarding for his birthday. Saturday has been chosen as the day. After Mom’s group, I dropped Sara off at daycare and headed up to Costco to shop. I did this sans Wayne to let him snowboard. I figured it was best with only one kid.
It’s been rainy here, but as I drove up to Costco, it was snowing! I parked by the shopping carts so I could load Laura into the cart and push her to the store (so not to stress out my knees carrying a heavy kid and car seat). Prednisone is helping with the knee inflammation some.
So I shopped. It was enjoyable to walk through Costco with some leisure. I got to look at things I don’t normally get to ponder with Sara (more targeted with her). Laura finally woke up after I got the meat and had my cart half full. I ended up nursing her while sitting on a cat litter box and changing her on a cement floor back in the pet supplies (remember this is a weekday so costco is not that crowded). I couldn’t leave the cart with my stuff and I didn’t want to haul Laura in the car seat all the way to the restroom (on the other side of the warehouse where merchandise isn’t allowed). So I took the practical approach and attended to her needs where I was.
I finish my shopping, my cart is overloaded, and I snag a short line. Laura is content. The clerk rings me up and my card doesn’t work. Did I got over the ATM limit? I try to pull out enough stuff to go under my limit. No dice. The clerk has closed her line just to serve me. She offers to watch Laura (attached to the shopping cart full of unpurchased merchandise) while I run to an ATM to get cash. I go. It doesn’t work. I finally realize I am using my credit card, not my debit (Duhhhhhh!) I run back, get rung up again and everything works.
The stuff only fits in 2 carts. I can’t push both and I can’t leave Laura to get the car. So I have to sit for another few minutes to get help. I finally get the car loaded and head home. Knees are swollen. Laura is crying. I pick up Sara. Sara cries, “I want to go home.” Then she cries, “I want to go to a different house.” I can’t solve that one.
Wayne comes home. His sinus infection is still taking it’s toll. He helps me unload the car, but after that is wiped out. I spend the next 3 hrs coddling Laura is a quiet environment to keep her from getting overstimulated and fall asleep.
So why aren’t I sleeping…I’m about to be. This is my catharis. This and lots of prayer. God is a very good listener.
with Laura. I decided to try Postmark Gelato, a panini and creperie lunch spot. It’s a small storefront just behind the statue of Lenin. I settled in trialing Herb’s Club Panini. It was an interesting twist on a club, subbing pepperoni for bacon and using a chutney. The panini wasn’t very crisp and the cheese unmelted (it kinds seems the point of a panini). I was nursing Laura and enjoying the slowness of the day. Then I noticed something wet. She had blown out all over her clothes. So in a small space with no restroom and rain outside I changed her in her stroller. She smiled at me the whole time. We had just talked about how something as mundane and unpleasant as changing diapers can be a calling from God. I guess I got to put my learning into practice.