It Can Only Go Up From Here

That’s what she said…

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.  So inappropriate…

It’s been a morning.  Said morning began at 1:00 am when Landon woke up crying for the second night in a row due to a nasty cold.  I gently nudged Lee out of bed to deal with it (read gave him a shove and a grunt) since I was on middle of the night duty the night before. 

But I might as well have gotten up with him myself because all I did was lay in bed wide awake for an hour listening to him cry and cough on Lee’s shoulder in the other room.  And pray that God would give him some sweet rest.

Then I got hot so I turned the fan up.  Then I got cold so I turned it down.  Then I just felt like I was going to explode out of my skin from being so tired yet unable to sleep.

I finally slept.  And I had weird dreams that I had trouble distinguishing from reality when I woke up.  I hate when that happens.

I am observing in Tia’s preschool class today, so when Lee got up at 6:00 this morning, I rolled around in bed for a few minutes trying to convince myself that it would be fine to go with wrinkled clothes and bed hair.  I even wondered if I was careful not too stand too close to anyone I could get away with not brushing my teeth.  Ultimately I decidede that might be a little extreme. 

Then I heard the older kids up wandering around and Landon crying again so I dragged myself out of bed and took a shower.  I thought Lee was out there with them.

I took my time getting ready because I assumed my husband was holding down the fort.  A half hour later when I finally emerged clean and with makeup firmly packed over the bags under my eyes, I was surprised to find Landon still in bed and Sloan sitting in front of my laptop at the island.

I assumed Lee was working in his office in the basement and didn’t hear the kids upstairs destroying the house.  I fought back frustration.  I got out clothes and started on breakfast then went to check my email only to find that whatever Sloan was doing on my laptop messed it up.

It won’t start.  And the error box tells me it’s not going to start then gives me some big long code that is apparently supposed to tell me why it won’t start – either that or it’s the key to the universe.  Blast!  Why don’t I speak computer! 

I consider tarring and feathering my first born.

I call down the stairs to Lee that I need him to be my hero and fix the computer.  He doesn’t answer.  I yell a bit louder.  He still doesn’t answer.  I mutter under my breath as I exert the effort to actually walk down the stairs (oh the horror!) only to discover he’s not there.  He left early this morning.  That would have been nice to know…

At this point, Landon is crying from fatigue; Tia is absolutely sure, positive from the very fiber of her core, that she is going to starve to death before I finish the oatmeal and Sloan swears up one side and down the other that his shoes are nowhere to be found.

And there is an odd odor beginning to permeate the house.  I soon discover it’s Landon.  His system doesn’t handle cold medicine well.  Then I discover the wet sheets and pajamas on the floor from a certain someone who had an accident.  They’re lying in the hallway, so the hallway smells.

When I fetch Landon’s diaper I notice that the medicine cup has fallen on the floor and the residue Sudafed has left a lovely pink stain on the carpet.  I dab it with a wipe then pull his bear blanket over it.

I finally send off the 6 year old, still considering whether or not tarring and feathering him would constitute as child abuse then exercise my motherly awesomeness by setting the younger two up with the Disney Channel. 

I look one more time at my useless laptop and wish again I spoke computer before settling back at the desktop that now feels sooo 2009.

*sigh* It’s only 8:00.

How was your morning?