First day back to work

So yesterday, Mike went back to work. He wasn't thrilled about this-who would be after two weeks of being with family and not having to wake up early and go to work-but he went. To be honest, I was concerned. I have taken care of kids my entire life so I knew I could handle four, at the same time, I knew I could handle childbirth, broken bones, betrayal, and many other not so pleasant things. I knew we would survive, I just had no idea how wonderful or terrible it would be.

Well...the morning started out just fine. The girls started out dressing up, Abby was a giraffe and Aine was a Care Bear, a yellow care bear she would correct me. Aine got quite excited half way through playing because she realized she, just like the real care bears, had a heart on her butt. She went around telling everyone, "look, Karl/Abby/Mommy/Sam, I have a heart on my butt!" giggle, giggle and then she would stick her butt in our faces. Probably not the sweetest, most appropriate thing for a little girl to do, but it sure was funny.

That is about when the fun stopped and the demons within our angelic child, a.k.a. Aine, unleashed their wrath upon our household. In the next two hours, the little, yellow, giggling Care Bear hit, slapped, kicked, screamed and even spit (yes, she seriously spit) at her older siblings. She purposely (I KNOW it was on purpose - her smile before, during, and after gave it away) spilled tea all over the floor. She grabbed and knocked over toys/games the kids were playing with, ran and tumbled through the whites I was separating and folding on the floor, spoke back to me AND even hit me. Well, I had enough. I was doing counting exercises in my head and saying silent little patience prayers to keep my cool. I dealt with each incident as I thought best and then didn't even have time to hold my breath before the next occurrence. Finally it was nap time. Ahhh...peace...or not. Abby went upstairs to put something away and noticed that Aine had pooped on her bed. Yes, I kid you not, she pooped on her sister's bed. My prayers were louder now as I stripped Abby's bed and went to the laundry room before dealing with Aine.

After nap time, a sitter of ours, Kristin, came over to see the kids and take them to the pool. Now obviously any parent would agree that Aine should NOT be allowed to go to the pool. At the same time, any parent would also agree that after a morning like mine I deserved a break and this would give me one. Plus, Aine is only 2 and doesn't fully understand consequences for non-immediate actions (yes I am rationalizing with myself here) so...they went to the pool and I recharged a bit.

After the pool the girls came home and Abby, who had that morning turned this huge zucchini my dad brought, into a baby (marked on a face, put on a diaper, bib, and baby hat-thought it looked like Larry the cucumber) started playing with her "baby cucumber Sonja". Of course Aine wanted it too - so they fought over it for the next hour. I am not sure why I didn't just take it away (obviously I hadn't recharged long enough) but even Kristin was amazed at the scene. I don't yell a lot, and I never yell in front of people, but I must admit it took all of my energy not to catapult that stupid zucchini into smithereens and scream and holler before sending my girls with Kristin for the summer - of course after their display with the vegetable baby I doubt she'd take them around the block.

The sitter left, I yelled, separated the girls until dinner, had a private talk with Aine, brought them down stairs for dinner, they went to bed after dinner, and I collapsed in bed with a pointless, laugh out loud book and waited for Mike to get home.

Mike was amazed, in disbelief-not only about the details of my day but that I hadn't pulled my hair out, was sane, and smiling. How can all this happen in one day? You just can't make this stuff up...sometimes reality is crazier than fiction - and when you get through it - you just have to let out a big breath and laugh...or cry, and I didn't feel much like crying. Tomorrow couldn't be any where near as bad-could it?

This my friends is an example of why Mike secretly calls Aine Lucy. It is a cute name and would be a cute nickname...if it wasn't short for Lucifer.