After the chaos that comprised the entirety of last week (George got home from Vegas Wednesday and then worked all day and into the evening on both Thursday and Friday and then from 2:30 to 8:30 on Saturday), this week is looking blessedly slower.

It’s throwing George all out of sorts after working all hours for the last few weeks, but I’m getting to catch up on some atrociously overdue rest. Plus, Henry’s cold is finally getting better after two weeks and counting, and his nighttime sleep habits have started to improve again the last few days. Naturally, this makes a humongous difference in my nighttime sleep habits as well. A few more days and I might feel like some rough approximation of a normal person. I’m looking forward to that!

Since I’ve been in a giant, sleep- and husband-deprived fog for the last two weeks, my children have gotten all behaviorally sloppy again. Georgie has taken to pouting every time we ask him to do something, Trinity has mysteriously gone deaf under the same circumstances, and Faith has turned into a total maniac. She spends half the day crying that she’s not getting her way and the other half fighting with the bigger kids (usually this is at her instigation).

Plus, as soon as I sit down to nurse or mess with Henry, she makes a beeline for the pantry or whatever is on the counter that she’s not supposed to be in (such as Angel Food Cake or cookies) and starts wolfing it down before one of her parents or siblings discovers her malfeasance. Argh! She’s driving me (and every one else) nuts!!!

The only one I’m not contemplating jettisoning from the house is Kyra. Considering that only a year ago she was the biggest troublemaker in the abode, this is quite the surprise. Plus, she keeps her bedroom clean (she’s three! What three year old is obsessive about keeping their room picked up??), amuses me with virtually everything she says or does, and obeys and helps out immediately and cheerfully upon request. She seems to be wearing this age well. At least somebody is charming to be around.

On the other hand, now that Daddy is back and Mommy is shedding her zombiness and returning to human form, it shouldn’t take more than a few days to get all these other kids straightened back out except for Faith, who will probably take about a year of sitting on. I think the only reason that children survive being two without their parents choking their little heads off is because they come with those cute chubby cheeks attached. Cuteness. Pretty good safety feature as those things go. Anyway, this will probably be another long week, but overall a tremendous improvement over the last two. As my favorite saying goes, “The Beatings Will Continue UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES.” Hehe.

Hmmm, I need to take some more pictures of Mr. Henry. He’ll be a month old on Thursday. I’m fairly sure there’s been some sort of rift in the space-time continuum or something, which is obviously the only logical explanation for how fast the last month went. Don’t you just hate those? I’ll see if I can’t get some pics taken and up in the next day or two.

Rachel

Written by Rachel Shubin ~ Fiendish friend for effusive fun!