On Messy Houses and Bathroom Visits

The two littlest people in my house were quite busy today. There seemed to be a lot of activity and opportunities for character building... both on their parts and mine as well.

The unseen little one was also busy at work. Growing and kicking and keeping me well informed of what our bathroom looks like and the facilities available.

After airplaning fork fulls of lasagna for 30 minutes over lunch time, Landon and Janae finally finished their food. I'm not sure why it is so hard to get my kids to eat! All the children that come from my family are big eaters and will clean their plates with no promptings. Feeding my two little ones is like pulling rotting teeth on a horse: you have to do it to help the horse but man, they sure don't like it.

Today Landon wanted to eat salad and not lasagna. Of course, being a health conscience mother, I am pleased to see that he would enjoy fresh food over cooked but really, is a bowl of lettuce topped with "ketchup" (ranch dressing) going to be enough calories for his growing body? Especially to last him from lunch time to supper? I don't think so.

I coaxed the tomato lathered noodles and hamburger in his mouth by promising him that he could eat carrots and salad when he was done. It worked.

Thankfully, the pea-in-a-pod doesn't have to be coaxed to eat yet. Hungry or not, the food just keeps that tummy full. At least I don't have to force food into that little mouth too. Not yet, anyway.

As I cleaned up lunch, I heard Landon pipe up from the living room as he cut paper and scattered trains and a camera and semi trucks around the room...

"The house is messy, Mom."

I think he was glad to come to that realization on his own and was smugly pleased to inform me of my "new" task at hand.

A wet bed was found just before nap time and I inwardly wailed at the realization that I will probably never get my laundry done. EVER.

A puddle of what should've been in the diaper was found where a little girl had been sitting. (What is wrong with that diaper?! I just changed her...) Another reason to clean the floor again today.

A broken zipper, a stained white shirt, an unlaced shoe and a pile of tiny cut papers on the floor all are reminders to me that a mother's work is never done -- even if she gets the main house work done like meals, cleaning and laundry.

Nap time entailed another character building process. Both kids were reluctant to go to bed but their tearful reluctance confirmed how tired and weary they were.

After putting them down, I checked on a sleeping Landon awhile later and found his train laying next to him chugging away on it's side. It wasn't getting anywhere but it sure was trying to. I quietly shut it off and looked at Landon's peaceful, sleeping face that just moments before was insisting on not taking a nap.

Janae was another story. She had pulled her turtleneck shirt off and was trying to get it on her legs. I untangled her from her clothes and laid her down as she protested and tried to get her chubby arms around my neck. After I got her all settled and quieted down, she looked up at me and said a simple-to-the-point, "Bye." I guess that was all she needed.

I always enjoy nap time. Sometimes I don't like to spend it resting myself because that's the only time of day when it's "just me" up and around in the house. It's so nice to regroup with myself and prepare for the rest of the day and evening. I can blog, clean, cook and do laundry with no interruptions.

Except when I'm pregnant. Then all my activities are evenly balanced around what happens to be the center room of our house: the bathroom. I'm anxiously waiting for the day when this baby moves higher and I can get more things done than just flushing the toilet several dozen times a day. I thought about keeping a bathroom log but I'm sure I'd run out of pen and ink real fast that it wouldn't be worth it.

Today as I was watching the kids run around and play, it hit me hard that many children the same ages as mine have major health issues, physical problems and terminal illnesses. Yet mine are healthy, strong, smart and growing. All those sweet sick children have moms that had the same dreams and goals for their kids that I do for mine. Yet those poor children sit strapped to a hospital bed with wires and cords and needles sticking to them.

When Landon runs across the room or gets out of his own bed in the morning or decides he's going to go out and play, nothing stops him. He has no physical limitations except for what I implement for him.

Having said all that, when I look at my day and ponder my children and darling husband and feel the little one bouncing around on my bladder, I feel like a very blessed woman. So blessed, that when I see the house is messy again, I'm just thankful that my children are able bodied enough to enjoy life and make a house messy again. And I'm also thankful that the little one inside me is growing strong enough to kick and bounce and poke and send me to the bathroom again.

And again.

And again.