Is it Wednesday yet?

Today when I dropped Isaac off at pre-school, I had a fantasy that I wouldn't have to pick him up--for a long time.

Isaac is a very sweet boy, well-behaved on occasion, sweet to his sister and friends, but sometimes he DRIVES ME CRAZY. For the last 4 days he has been on my last nerve: openly defying my orders, breaking well-known rules for no apparent reason, sitting on his sister and laughing when she cries, refusing to get dressed, eat lunch, get in the car, or do anything else I ask. Lance was away this weekend, and pre-school was closed on Friday, which means it has just been the two of us and Vivian for the past 60 hours, with a small respite when Heidi came over to visit on Sunday. (Thank you, Jesus, for that small respite.)

He has also taken to waking up before 6am and wandering out to the playroom to play. Our house is small, so the playroom is mere steps from our bedroom, and--if you weren't aware--children's toys are LOUD. VERY LOUD. I cannot insist that he stay in his room, because his room is also Vivian's room, and he will wake her up. So I just lie in my bed cursing his Little People animal farm and the Old MacDonald song it plays at decibels loud enough to break glass, wondering if I will ever sleep past 5:30am again.

Some mornings, in the last week, he has actually awoken (waken? awoke?) at 4am. Yes, 4 in the morning. In his defense, this is generally because he has peed through his overnight diaper, but it does not make me any happier to have to get up, clean him up and then have him sleep with us, or change his sheets. He refuses to sleep on a towel if I try to cover the wet spot.

My mother-in-law just called to tell me what a wonderful weekend they had in Virginia, and to ask how the SC game was. The SC game was at Cal, in the Bay Area. Lance was there, so he probably knows all about it. I, however, was here, with the kids, by myself, all weekend. And WHY was I here by myself all weekend? Oh, yeah--because my mother-in-law offered to babysit for us this weekend so we booked flights to go to the Cal game but then she forgot she had offered and made her own plans to go away. So instead of a weekend away, I get a weekend alone with the kids. I am not bitter at all. Still, I do not think it is good form for her to call me, all happy and chipper, to talk about her fabulous weekend, and Lance's fabulous weekend, both of which happened at my expense.

Let's talk about my husband now, too. He returned from the weekend tired and hungover. Poor man. It is so difficult to go away for the weekend after having so much fun and then return to reality. In fact, now that it is Tuesday, he is STILL so tired, oh how will he ever recover? Isaac waking up so early has really been tough on him too. Not that he actually gets up with him, but still--you know, the noise of me getting out of bed to deal with the children really interrupts his sleep, the poor dear. Oh, and last night it was especially difficult because he stayed up watching CSI with me for two hours and then had to catch up on some work, so he was up past midnight. Nevermind that I told him repeatedly during the viewing to go ahead and get his work done now, so he could get some sleep, so he wouldn't be so pathetic the next day, and after all, the TV show will be there tomorrow, it's TiVo'd for christs sake. And while I'm bitching about him, don't let me forget to mention the stuffed shells I made for dinner which were actually quite good but which he barely ate and only gave a cursory, "Oh, yeah, of course, babe. Thanks for dinner", after prodding. But then he was just too damn tired to help clean up the kitchen. You know, because he's had such a tiring weekend AWAY FROM THE CHILDREN, where he could sleep in as late as he wanted, and didn't have to wipe anyone's ass, or nose, or pick pieces of rice off the floor and instead got to party with old friends. Old friends of mine, that is. You know, that I haven't seen in years. I lived in San Francisco way longer than he did!

Did I mention Vivian's sick? And cannot sleep because she can't breathe through her nose but insists on sleeping with a pacifer? So that when I am not up in the night dealing with Isaac I am up trying to administer medicine to Vivian, which really requires two people--BUT SINCE MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN OUT OF TOWN AND NOW THAT HE IS HOME HE IS SO SO TIRED, POOR POOR MAN--I have to wrestle her myself, getting medicine all over the crib and her clothes and me but none in her mouth?

Wow. I didn't realize I had so much pent up frustration there. Almost good enough for a whine at Phantom's.