It’s bedtime.
However, I still have one child sitting at my feet eating steamed carrots and the other child, well she is laying in bed, screeching her demands. It’s a good thing she doesn’t have any hostages in there, as the situation is escalating.
I NEEEEED an APPPLE!
No. You don’t. It’s bedtime.
I walk away again, before the next demand comes.
MUMMMEEEE! I lost my DRINK!
Back down the hallway I go, to point out to her that her drink is still next to her pillow.
But I need cordial and water!
Not for bedtime. For bedtime you get water.
OOOOOOH.
And the meltdown begins. Again.
I can hear her now, demands silenced in the face of my No. Go to sleep. attitude, playing with the toys. It’s meant to be bedtime, but Amy is Three! and Three! doesn’t cave to the demands of sleep and how your body is tired. Not tonight.
Isaac is crawling around, a late nap in the car has stuffed his bedtime up. As much as he enjoys playing, for him, it’s suicide hour and I’m not sure if my legs will survive anymore biting. We won’t talk about my nipples.
I chase him around the lounge room, trying to change his bum. The little bugger is getting faster and he giggles as I pin him down. Until he realises that I am putting a nappy back on him and then he fights me, like I’m trying to murder him.
Stop that! You need a nappy on.
AIEIEIEIIEEEE.
He twists and turns and it’s like wrestling an octopus.
An octopus that someone has covered in oil.
He’s faster, but I’m bigger and stronger and I confuse him with kisses for the 10 seconds it takes to get the nappy done up.
Exhausted, I let him run away to play.
It’s almost his bedtime, and today, almost mine as well.
I love my children, so very much. But my favourite part of the day? That comes when they’re both tucked up in bed, asleep and I can breathe again, without any short and loud people throwing themselves at my front in a huff.
I like the evenings.
Me too!
Children seem to run your life but you wouldn’t have it any other way 😉
Thats full on. Where do we get the strength? I guess we just keep going because we have to. No question. Ýou’re doing a great job, keep going.
That’s my favorite time of the day too. It’s literally like the air opens up and flows to the areas of my brain that were starting to atrophy.
PS:I can’t tell you how many times either me or my youngest daughter wound up with poo somewhere on our person because of how she’d flip when it was time for a diaper change. She still does it. It still pisses me off. (And I so wish I could call them “nappies.” I love the sound of that word!)
I miss the fights over nappies! Such a cute age!
LOL! I remember too well – and it was a long time ago for me! I miss those days! I also remember looking forward to them all tucked up, bed-time story read and a little bit of me time!
I know exactly what you mean – and sometimes bedtime is so close, you can almost feel your muscles start to relax in anticipation, when the demands start. Such a sinking feeling!!! My daughter is also three and I must say that everyone warned me about the terrible two’s which I didn’t find that bad at all, but OMW the THREE’s!!!!! Some days it’s like having a wild animal in the house – are we supposed to keep our sanity through all of that??
I know *exactly* what you mean hun. Bedtime is on countdown for me today as I’m feeling more than a little icky. Thank god for nursery or zack would constantly do my head in!! >_<
There are times when mothers should be equipped with a whip and a chair – like lion tamers of old. But I suppose you’d look funny in a pith helmet, eh?
19h30 is my favourite time of the day. The calm, the quiet – its heaven! Its the little bit of me time I need each day!
Amen to the evenings. After bedtime, I always feel like “Now where was I?”, like my grown-up life is a good book I’d put down since the previous evening (or before).
I plan on calling Darren an oil-covered octopus the next time I have to fight him for a diaper change.
The “nappy wrestle” – I totally know what you mean! It is insane. I am sure the neighbours think I am seriously harming Darcy. He screams, writhes, flips over, cries and then sits up and smiles as soon as it is finished. I even tried nappy pants but they are worse as he keeps kicking his legs and won’t let me put them on at all!!
I know how you feel ,I love my kids but boy am I happy when they are all sleeping !
I agree with Karin – it’s not the two’s, but the three’s. Come to think of it the seven’s are proving to be a bit of a challenge, too. I think they’re the new teens. No matter how tired we are, Jim and I always seem to get our second wind when the children go to bed!
Me too. I feel like I’m going to suffocate when they are having bad sleep issues and I get zero time on my own. At the moment Grub has decided sleep is for suckers. I’ve very nearly had to just turn around and walk out of the house on a couple of nights. I thought I might just lose it if I didn’t.
Ahhh yes. The peace, the quiet, the child-free body occasionally accompanied by a functioning brain! The unqualified bliss of sleeping children 😉
Aaah, that sweet, sweet moment when you realise that they are both asleep at last. I love the oil-covered nappy-wearing octopus image now in my brain. Ha Ha.
Bwahahahaha – oil covered octupus. That is exactly right. I hate it when they realise that having a nappy on saps their strength (or whatever the hell the problem with wearing a nappy is).
Some days, after bedtime is the best time. It’s nice to have a conversation with someone who’s default response is either “why” or “why not” – which I’m getting from both of mine now. Sigh.
I can’t even tell you how often I glance at the clock in the evenings and think to myself, “Is 6:30 too early to put them to bed? What if I get them dinner at 5? Can I put them down at 6?”
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