Home Alone

I know I've been out of touch for a few days, but there's a good reason for that.  I became a single parent on Thursday afternoon.  Not to worry-it's only temporary.  Andy went home to RI for a few days.  He went to go see the Red Sox play in the American League Championship Series.  But unfortunately, they didn't make it that far this year, so he just went to visit people he hasn't seen in a long time instead like his family and high school friends.  So, I was left here to do what I do every day, only with no help anywhere in sight for FIVE AND A HALF DAYS.  I'm okay, really.  The twitch in my eye is bound to go away when he gets back right?  He has been gone before, but not for this long.  I honestly don't know how other moms do it when their husbands have long business trips.  My mom was left alone with us quite often when my father was in the military.  He would go away for a week here or there.  Then there was the time she was left alone with us for NINE MONTHS when he went to Saudi Arabia, but at least two of us were in high school then.  No, being left alone for almost six days with 3 kids under five, is a bit exhausting, to say the least.  We've all been handling it well, though.  I don't have anything major that has happened, but I  do have a little story from each girl I thought you might enjoy, so here goes.

LANA

Saturday we went to a little fall festival.  It was geared towards kids five and under so it was perfect.  Well aside from the fact that it was supposed to be a fall festival and it was 93 DEGREES that day, but whatever, I've gotten past it.  We were having a good time and despite the fact that my legs were sweating in the jeans I stupidly wore, I was killing a couple hours without the aide of the television.  The girls decided to play a couple of the carnival type games they had there.  They were all geared toward little kids and even if they didn't win they still got a "consolation" prize.  There was that one game you see at every fair with the rubber ducks in a pool.  You have to pick the duck with the dot on the bottom to win a prize.  Sonya and Lana both played this and neither won, but they did get to choose a little prize.  Sonya picked her prize and walked over to show me, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Lana choose a little notepad shaped like a fish.  She pulled it out of the prize bag, looked at it, looked down at the little pool the ducks were floating in and promptly threw it down into the water.  The lady running the game quickly pulled it out of the water and apologized.  I laughed and assured her it was fine.  I mean it was a fish, so where else was it supposed to go? Oh Lana!

SONYA

All weekend I've been telling Sonya she has to be my big helper because she's the oldest.  Ah, the pressure we put on our oldest kids.  I don't feel that bad though, because I AM the oldest so I've been there.  Plus there are some perks to being the oldest too, so it evens out.  Anyway, Saturday night I was trying to get the girls fed and bathed in a bit of a rush, because I was actually getting out for the night.  (You didn't think I was going to be here for almost six days with NO relief did you?  HELL to the NO!)  Sonya had been walking around pushing the vacuum cleaner.  I don't know why.  Sometimes it's better to not ask questions.  I had seen her directing Lana to hold the cord and walk behind her while she pushed it in front.  Again-I don't know.  Dinner was ready and I called for them to no avail.  Finally, I heard them arguing in the hallway and then Lana appeared in the kitchen.  Sonya was in the hallway yelling and screaming about something.  When she finally showed up in the kitchen with the vacuum I asked her what all the craziness was about. She picked up an attachment that had fallen off the vacuum threw it on the ground, and informed me, 

"This fell off and Lana wouldn't pick it up!!"  Then she turned to Lana and said or more screamed, "Lana you have to listen to me!! You were supposed to pick this up, next time you're getting a time out!" 

I think I may have gone to far with encouraging her to help me out this weekend.  After I told her that she wasn't in charge of things like that and I was indeed still the mom, she relaxed a bit, hopped up in her chair for dinner, and went back to chatting nicely with her sister.

GEORGIA 

G surprised us this weekend with a milestone.  No, not walking, but close!  Saturday evening I was getting dinner ready and she was in the kitchen frustrated about something.  She started getting mad and going into her downward dog position.  Then she put her feet apart, much like a squat position, and the more frustrated she got the closer she got to standing.  Then she was standing in the middle of the kitchen, all on her own with  no furniture to hold on to.  When she first did it, she surprised herself as much as the rest of us.  The older girls and I clapped and cheered wildly for her and she loved the attention, so she proceeded to try standing again for the next twenty minutes.  Every time she made it upright she'd clap and cheer for herself.  It was the cutest damn thing.  It's now become her favorite thing to do.  She still won't take a step forward, but at least she can stand in the middle of the room all on her own, so her legs DO actually work!

Andy's scheduled to come home tomorrow evening.  I can't wait!  No really, I can't wait. This was just to long without him, and I know he had fun in RI, but he feels the same.  Kids don't get the concept of time and to them he might as well have been gone for three months.  They ask me every day when he's coming back.  Sonya understands it a bit more, but still, I remember at her age Christmas seemed to take 5 years to get to.  I'm sure she feels Daddy has been gone for a looong time.  I feel I must commend all the single moms and dads out there as well as those who have a husband or wife away for long periods of time, for whatever reason.  You are the unsung heroes, because even though I do a lot of this by myself most days, having Andy here on a regular basis makes a huge difference in the "much easier" category.  Doing this completely alone, well, it sucks ass.  Plain and simple.