Today Was One Of Those Days....

....and I'm sure most of you reading this blog can relate! I was awake by 5:00 a.m. (nature was calling). When I returned to bed, I had lost my spot to two sleeping beauties (no, Jasper was not one of them!). They had rolled together while I was gone and filled my spot. MaryAlyce was running some fever last night and complaining of a sore throat, so she gravitated our way in the wee morning hours. And Esther Marie ended up in bed with us at some point also which seems to be the norm now. To an outsider, it would probably have been comical. To someone who likes to sleep, not so funny! First, I tried laying across the bed (a queen size) at everyone's feet. That didn't work....Jasper is too long! Frustrated, I threw my pillow on the floor and curled up there. (Ouch...too hard!) Last ditch effort was to make Jasper get up to let me back in. I sucked in my breath so I would fit, breathed a sigh of relief, closed my eyes......as if on que, Emmie pops up her bobbing little head, blinks and starts to coo and smile. So that's how my day started....

Around 6:00, I stumbled downstairs half asleep and made Cream of Wheat while Esther Marie watched and wailed, coffee was brewing, and mini bagels were popping up in the toaster. I made all the kids get up by 7:00 so we could eat together. No, I am not crazy...LOL...just tired of them sleeping in when I can't and then I am passing out by 8 p.m. while they are running circles around me. (Picture hostage tied up with little Indians dancing around!) Anyway, I think Hannah's face ended up in her bowl of cream of wheat as she tried to sleep at the table. (She's my kid who wants to sleep until noon because she sneaks and stays up late reading.) Jasper got to join us this morning and headed out the door about 7:30 to his consultant job downtown. He was gone most of the day working, doing errands and then had a business meeting tonight at 8:00.

In the meantime, by mid-morning, I was dealing with "distant", "pouty", "whiny" and "wailing". Those are my children I am referring to! Throw in "overwhelmed" as my description and you can imagine how things were going. I spent most of my day giving pep talks and putting out small fires, so to speak. It never fails that when we add another sibling to the pot, emotions soar off the scale and everyone needs even more individual attention, affirmation and love. But then Mom and Dad seem to get lost in the shuffle of it all. I look forward to a few weeks down the line when Emmie has acclimated to the family brood and the others feel less threatened. Ahhhhh.....

Until then, we would appreciate your continued prayer for our family as everyone gets used to the changes in our household.....and bonding works it's magic for little Esther Marie.

Blessings to all! Hope you get a good night's rest!