Good evening! I'm being somewhat devious here. I know Allan will try to connect at some point later tonight or very early in the morning to send/receive church bulletin information; so I am writing a note and putting it in the outbox to just go. Please pardon all grammatical, logical and other errors. It's quite late and my wrist got strained quite badly the other day so typing is difficult. Also my glasses are in the room where some tired person sleeps, so I am without them at the moment.
I am up with Michael. Everyone else is sleeping. Allan had decided to "nap" for a while before finishing the bulletin and is out quite soundly. I was just drifting off when SOMEONE decided that it was time to be AWAKE! Michael woke up at 10.30 tonight, so at least it is getting earlier again. The time change really helped. He used to wake up fussy every evening around 11.30pm!
Today has been a very interesting and different (not to mention adrenaline packed) day. We have a new schedule for the happy baboo. We got tired of having her up until midnight (and beyond) during Michael's fussy times. It was just a lot of work with both of them. This morning I got up when Allan did, around 6am, I think. Usually I try to sleep as long as possible, but this time I turned on lights and the radio in the living room and kitchen and then opened Melissa's door. Two bright eyes stared back at me. The baboo was right behind the door and really excited to be let out. She was also very happy to see "DADA" before he left for work. She was plunked into her high chair and fed breakfast. Then she played while I fed Michael (who went right back to sleep!). Then we read some stories and put her back to bed. She, Michael, and I all slept in until almost 11am. Then I kept her up ALL day long!
Yesterday, for those who might not know, I heard a strangly SQUACK and went running. I thought Melissa had gotten herself stuck! Well, she had, but it was Michael who was gasping for help.
Melissa had climbed into the baby swing, put both legs through the appropriate holes, and was leaning back swinging herself. The only problem was that Michael was already in the swing and she was SQUASHING HIM!
ACK! Panic! Get Melissa out!
"Melissa you don't go in the swing when Michael is in it! You take turns!"
Poor Michael gasped at me, cried a while, and then sighed and went to sleep in my lap.
Yesterday Melissa also managed once again to climb into his crib with him, so last night we rearranged our room and moved his crib in with us. He will have to stay there until he is big enough to fend for himself. The poor baby was so traumatized after these incidents that he would cry anytime he was put down.
Here are some of the things Melissa got to do today OTHER than being a threat to her brother's physical safety and emotional well-being. I read "Burnie's Hill" to her at least 10 times today. It's her favorite book as of yesterday, not even the "Animal Sounds" book or "The Wheels on the Bus" book would do; only "Burnie's Hill". Sigh.
I gave Melissa a bath this morning and added BUBBLES! Melissa loved her first ever bubble bath! She put bubbles on her arms and laughed at them.
Melissa got to sit at the table and color with crayons on paper until she started eating them. Hmmm... Someone is hungry. So we had lunch: left over soup and pizza buns from last night with lemonade.
We took the stroller out today and went for a walk around the neighborhood for the first time since moving here. It was a lovely walk, though cut short by a small boy's loud demands for an early meal.
Boo played with her bus on the floor (the bus actually GOES on the lino in the kitchen) and her big bouncy ball while I made a mock chicken loaf. Then she emptied Cheerios and Treasure Bars (store brand Capt'n Crunch-type cereal) on the floor.
Melissa likes to get her own snacks. She will expend great effort to locate, get, and access the snack of her choice. Her favorites: dry cereal (esp the sugar variety, but any will do), raisins, chocolate chips, cookies, pears, cooked cold carrots, nutri-grain bars, plain sugar, and (if she can't find anything else) prunes or whatever is on the floor or in the trash. Ugh!
Next she was up to the table for some cereal snacks with a sippy cup of formula and then off to draw on an empty cereal box with washable markers while I fought with the squash. I won and the squash was chopped, peeled, steamed, mixed, and baked with sugar, eggs, and spices. Unfortunatley the squash did some damage to my already sore right wrist. :-(
A STORY
I had such a lovely dinner planned: Mock chicken loaf, rice, steamed carrots and green beans, squash "pie", fresh salad... that I got a bit neglectful. In my rush back to the stove from the bathroom, I left the door open. A few moments later, I heard a door slam and realized my mistake.
Melissa had shut herself in the bathroom -- which was still devoid of cupboard and drawer locks and home to that fascinating and forbidden piece of plumbing: the toilet!
I tried to open the door: CLUNK!
It only opened approx 1/4 in.
Uh, oh! Through the very tiny slit, I could see the problem: the baboo had opened the bathroom drawer, thus blocking the door from opening. I tried to remain calm.
"Melissa, can you please shut the drawer?"
Pause. Thump.
"No!" said the Baboo.
"Melissa, if you don't shut the drawer, you will be stuck because I cannot open the door. You will not be able to get out of there."
Thunk. Thunk. THUNK!
"Nooooo!" (offended tone)
....Increasing panic.
"Melissa shut the drawer!"
....Silence.
"Shut the drawer Melissa; just push back on what you pulled out. PLEASE! You can do it. Come on shut the drawer. MELISSA YOU SHUT THAT DRAWER SO I CAN GET YOU OUT OF THERE!"
...Panicked thoughts.
"What if she doesn't know HOW to shut that drawer? What if something is stuck and it won't shut? What did I have in there.... red flannels, make-up, lotion, hair spray, deodorant, no cleaning stuff there... What else? What else? Allan's razor is on the counter! ...DID SHE JUST OPEN THE TOILET LID? ...Allan. Call Allan. Maybe he can get the door off."
Allan receives a panicked phone call. Leaves work immediately (about 5 min early); rushes home. Cheryl heads back to the bathroom to keep vigil.
Meanwhile the Baboo has emptied the cupboard and drawer. The bathroom expedition is complete. It's time to get out and have a snack. The Baboo shuts the bathroom cupboard door and the bathroom drawer and then knocks on the door to be let out!
Cheryl cleans up the bathroom and shuts the door; tries to call Allan who has already left. Allan arrives home. Relieved to discover a safe Baboo, he picks her up and gives her a hug. He resolves to install drawer locks in the immediate future....
THE END
Supper was then eaten and cleaned up after. Melissa got to play with her Daddy (who read her a story in French!). Then it was 8pm: time for Melissa (who had been up since 11am) to go to bed. Teeth brushed, diaper changed, and another two stories later, the tired Baboo was in bed (8.30pm). Allan went to work on the bulletin. Cheryl fielded a couple of phone calls then fed Michael who went to sleep (around 9.30pm). Michael went into his crib and Cheryl went for a shower, then headed to bed (now just after 10pm). At 10:30... WAAAAAAAAA!!!
So off to the office to get the crying baby away from the sleeping, tired people. I am bouncing the gassy baby on my lap as I write. The bouncing is not really working anymore. He's probably getting ready to eat again: it's 11.40pm. Michael much fussy, so I must go.
Cheryl
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