Failure and Success

Sometimes people make comments that they are worried their future children will turn out like mine. Like when Maya is splayed out on the ground outside, sucking stagnant water out of a puddle...

On Tuesday Maya drizzled olive oil all over the kitchen floor. I still can't figure out how she managed to get it off the shelf. Finn watched Lego Pirates for an hour on my iPhone. At the end of that hour not only did he lose my phone, but he had an "accident" because he didn't want to take a break to go potty. That was his first accident during the day ever. Then I discovered that my kitchen sink had been leaking for who knows how long. I had to throw almost everything under there away, because it was soggy and putrefied. Ironically, I had to throw away all the trash bags. So we no longer had trash bags to throw out any more messes. And believe me when I say there were more messes.

I walked into the dining room to find this egg carton torn to itsy bitsy bits all over the train table and dining room. Finn had helped Maya deposit alphabet, number, and shape puzzle pieces over every square inch of the living room. Carpet confetti.

I didn't shower all day due to the fact that Maya refused to nap. And I can't leave her alone to shower when she's awake, because she will probably have escaped out of the mail slot in the front door by the time I am finished. And forget putting her in the crib for 10 minutes. Finn climbs in there and tries to reenact episodes of WWF. But I decided to risk it. It was the end of a long day, and I was grubby (remember the olive oil?). So I put Maya in her crib and hopped in the shower. Soon I heard Finn join her in the crib. Then, SCREAMING. Jumping out of the shower, soapy and wet, I ran (slipping and sliding on our wood floor) into their room. No real problems, just Finn annoying Maya. So I snatched Finn out of the crib, and headed back to the shower. Finn howled.

As I got back in, the shower curtain rod (which is an odd curved shape, and is bolted into the wall), fell OUT of the wall, and the curtains went with it (we need two to cover that odd curving shape). I just said screw it, and kept showering sans shower curtains. Then I heard more screaming. This time it sounded serious. Finn ran in yelling about Maya and blood in her mouth. I turned off the shower, ran in (soapy and wet again). Maya's mouth was totally bleeding. I always worry that teeth have been damaged, which makes me go all woozy. But really she probably just busted her lip on the side of the crib in protest of being in there in the first place. I cleaned her up. She refused to let me comfort her.

I sat down in front of both of them (betoweled), not moving from my guard post, until Wes got home an hour later. He was supposed to come home and take us all out to dinner. But of course that wasn't going to happen. He watched the kids briefly so I could get cleaned up. I finished my shower and just opted for PJs by that point. Separate dinners were made, and eaten at random times and places. We got ready for bed. Finn threw a fit about wanting to sleep with Dada in the big bed. Taking Maya into her room, I shut the door, leaving Finn to Wes.

I rocked Maya to bed that night in the orange rocking chair I recovered days before Finn was born. She squirmed and pushed against me. I started singing our "Sweetest Little Angel" song. Relaxing, she put her head on my shoulder, and started to doze. I turned her over to hold her like I did when she was a baby. She let me rock her for half an hour that way, her long 19-month legs hanging down over the side. She clutched my thumb with her small dimpled hand. I placed her in the crib. She gave a happy sigh, staring up at me sleepily while holding her baby doll. Walking into the bedroom, I found Finn and Wes asleep on the same pillow. My beautiful boys.

Personally, I hope all of my future children turn out just like Finn and Maya.