February 29

Today was awful.

Unquestionably awful.

I was all ready for a Do-Nothing Monday; I even told the kids they could keep their jammies on, because we would only be doing school and nothing today. My first inkling that it was going to be a terrible day was after breakfast, when I went to change Eli's diaper and get him dressed for the day. I took his diaper off, and found that he was poopy. No big deal, except that I opened the  drawer to get a new cloth diaper... and it was empty. 

So, grumbling the whole way about how the person who uses the last diaper should bring up the clean diapers, or at least warn the other person, I took my naked baby into the living room and set him down to play while I went to the basement and gathered all of the clean diapers from the clothes line and dryer.

Aww... cute naked baby!

Oh, look... cute naked baby (with two darling little teeth!) laughing with his brother! I love how much they love each other!

Seriously. I can't get enough of squishy, creamy baby skin.

Oh, look. You can see where Eli bit the couch and slobbered all over it. I'm telling you, the kid is anxious to try out those new teeth!

Caleb got new jammies, and he calls himself "Speed Man" when he wears them. They go best with the orange socks, obviously.

Also, I have to share this picture just so you can see the awesomeness that is Lily's hair. It is an unbrushed rat's nest from sleep, and then she had applesauce for breakfast and dipped some of her hair in the applesauce, so I gave her a headband to hold her hair back, and she ended up looking like that.

It was right about this time that I discovered that the cute naked baby had actually pooped - again- while he was being cute and naked. And of course he stepped in it. And possibly sat in it. So now there was poop on the floor, poop on his foot, and poop on his cute naked baby leg.
I already hated this day.

Luckily, Eli woke up at 6:30 this morning, so he was ready for his morning nap by 9:30. Except that when I went to put him down, he only wanted to be held. For an hour, I held and rocked and nursed that baby, and he was sound asleep - as long as I held him. When I laid him in his crib, he screamed and screamed, which is really atypical for him.

Finally, I knew I was about to lose it. I could feel myself on the verge of becoming Angry Mom. I don't know why, but babies who won't nap when they need to nap or are supposed to nap are my main trigger. 

So I quit. Checked the weather forecast, and decided that we were going to the Garden today. I threw together lunch for the kids, loaded everyone in the van, and we were off.

I thought for sure this kid would fall asleep in the van on the way to the Garden.

He didn't. 

I thought he would definitely fall asleep if I wore him on my back in the Garden.

He wouldn't. 

He didn't even fall asleep in the van on the way home at 1:30. The child is defective.

But look at sweet Daisy and her dimple. 

And there! All four of my duckies, in a picture with me! And almost all of them are looking at the camera and smiling! They were really happy to be at the Garden, and the sunshine and fresh air did wonders for my grouchiness.

Pretending they're kings and queens, surveying their kingdom.

The sheep! I'm pretty sure this was Eli's first time on a sheep all by himself, and I am confident it is the first of many, MANY pictures of all four kids on the sheep.

You can't tell in this picture, but Eli thought he was pretty hot stuff, sitting on that sheep. I just wanted him to hold on to the sheep's ears/handles, but he wasn't interested. I was pretty terrified that he was about to fall off, but he balanced nicely. (Don't worry, Mom. He wasn't hurt.)

We also stopped for a photo at the entrance to the Chinese Garden. Caleb thought they looked like guards, protecting the garden.

We got home from the garden late, but the girls went down for their naps quickly. I set Caleb to work with math, and put Eli down for his nap. When I came out, I drank tea with Caleb while he finished his math, and then he regaled me with the story of his favorite Lego mini figure's latest adventure.

And then I got a brilliant idea: writing is Caleb's least-favorite thing to do. He hates it. But what if he had a book where he could write down all of the stories he comes up with for Emerald Haroldson? (Yes, that's the mini figure's name.)

It would have to be a special, dedicated notebook, though, where he could write down his stories, a day at a time. Caleb loved the idea, so I found him a notebook. Then we took Emerald Haroldson outside for a photo shoot; I told Caleb I would print a picture for the cover of the book.

I am particularly fond of this image.

And then Eli woke up screaming, so I asked Caleb to get to work writing his first story while I got Eli back down. Except Eli didn't go back down, and Caleb didn't do any writing, and then I seriously lost it. It was ugly, and involved more yelling than I'd like to admit.

And then Chris came home from work late.

I didn't have time to make the dinner I had planned, I didn't have the emotional energy to interact with any of my kids, and I was done. So I pulled out my headphones, put on an audio book, and threw together a quick dinner. Luckily, the kids all ate their tacos or burritos quickly and with gusto, because I would have exploded if they acted the way they did at dinner last night. I think they knew not to push me.

As soon as dinner was over, I threw on my workout clothes and went to the gym. I needed out.

I came home to freshly-bathed children and girls in matching jammies. Except that Lily was screaming and crying because Daisy had stolen her binoculars, but Daisy insisted she didn't steal them. I have found that Lily's tantrums are usually eased when I listen to her, give names to her feelings, and validate her feelings. So that's what I did, and then she was fine. 

And then, without any prompting, Daisy gave the binoculars to Lily. I praised Daisy until she was ready to burst, and then the girls were best friends. Daisy desperately wanted a hug and a picture with Lily.

Lily barely complied.

And now they're in bed. Thank God.