Suffer Silently, Talk Later

What a blur this spring has been! 

Today my husband returns home from Virginia where he has been for the past five weeks.  That’s right, folks, in the post-partum period when I was still dumping hormones left and right my grandfather died and my husband went to school on the other side of the country for five weeks.

The reasons he had only two GEs and a language exam remaining are complicated and irrelevant.  The reason he couldn’t finish up out here is simple: the math class was a hybrid that to complete at any other school would require three different math classes (and have I mentioned that he hates math?)  Being so close to the degree and not having it has been looming over our heads and has been a major stumbling block for us.  Finally this spring he declared, “my diploma’s going to say 2007 no matter what it takes.” 

It was around the birth of Early Bird that he discovered that finally the classes he needed were being offered in the same term, and a short, summer term at that.  He knew instantly that it was the right thing to do, and signed up.  Everything else fell into place: his boss gave him a 5-week leave of absence and even made Paul keep the company cell phone so they could stay in contact, which they have, Paul got an apartment with a family we knew back then who has fed him several times while he was out there and has allowed him the use of their car when he needed, and the Easter Bunny and my inheritance have covered the financial void of taking a 5-week leave of absence. 

We talked on the phone several times a day, and I posted flickr photos almost every day to keep him updated on the boys’ growth.  My stepmum came out for an extended visit (9 days as opposed to the usual 3 or 4) and my local friends did their part to keep us busy the rest of the time.  With all that, the days were still long, the nights were longer, and the weekends were nearly unbearable.  I did my best to hold it together to maintain normality in our home but will confess to a few midnight tears.

He passed his math class and got an A in the theatre history class.  We don’t have the grade on the Italian test but I know he did well on that, too.  He got a lot of laughs and compliments in the play.  He was also awarded the Presidential Scholar, a rare accolade for that school.   The boys and I won no honours, but have fared well.

He lands in an hour and a half in Long Beach and he’ll be home in about three hours (oddly, coming in on the same flight as our neighbours, who will give him a ride.)  Already, as I’ve gone about my Saturday chores I feel like those five weeks are peeling off me.  Already I’m forgetting that he was gone so long.  We’ll be back to normal in no time, and the rest will be just a memory (and a stepping-off point for bigger and better things.)

Tales of a Naptime Nothing

It was 11 am when Little Red announced to me that he wanted to wear his naptime underwear.  It’s been two days since he declared he was wearing big boy underwear, but if you’re wondering, no, he doesn’t eliminate in the toilet yet.  No sooner did I dress him in his plastic pants did he hop into my bed and cover up.  We haven’t napped so early since I stopped working and had Early Bird, but as I stayed up late (again) last night I obliged.

An hour later it was clear neither boy was really interested in sleeping, just goofing around, so we went downstairs for lunch.  We tried naptime again at 1.  After nursing Early Bird, changing Little Red’s underwear, and changing Early Bird’s diaper, (and possibly uttering a few threats), Little Red finally went to sleep at 2.  Early Bird was still playing around.  I put him in his bassinet and he still wouldn’t sleep.

So we trotted downstairs and he bounced contentedly while I cleaned two bathrooms (leaving only mine, but I didn’t want to risk waking Little Red.)  While blogging I bounced him gently with my foot and he has finally started to doze, at 2:40 pm.  Of course by now it’s too late for me to try to get a satisfying nap, and I’m wondering if we’ll still have time to go to the store before supper.  Bring on the cookies, I’ve already blown the diet today, anyway.

I find it ironic that the only one who wanted to nap can’t, and that it was my toddler, and not my newborn, who went to sleep first.  Oh well, maybe I’ll sleep better tonight.  In the meantime I’ll channel my inner Judy Blume.

***Edit: they slept for three hours!  I should have napped after all, instead of wasting my time on youtube, thank you Timber.