One more down the hatch

Today was sort of one of those days.

Kurt was insanely busy all day.  We’re right smack dab in the middle of prep week for his students’ final exams next week, so he’s working like a dog to get them ready.  One student is already out of the course, and not in a good way either, but it’s because of his own actions.  It really is surprising some of what happens in his classes, mainly because these are all officers and therefore already have a bachelor’s degree.  You’d think they’d be used to it, having done four years of university, but they still whine and moan and complain more than I can tell you.  It’s truly mind-boggling.

We barely had time to sit down to grab a bite to eat for lunch together before he had to run out to pick up Grace from school.  I wasn’t too keen on taking ME out in this cold.  It was 10º when I dropped Grace off at school, but it felt like -12º!!  Brrr!  I wasn’t really prepared for it, and didn’t even think to grab some gloves — a move I sorely regretted as I carried ME’s infant seat into the building with me.  We got snow a few days ago, just after I got back from California, and what’s on the ground is still in its powdery form.  We’ve got drifts of snow that look like the dunes of the Sahara.

As soon as Kurt went back to work, I knew I wouldn’t see him for several hours.  He had to teach for a couple hours in the afternoon, then head off to class (he’s taking Spanish this semester, so I’m his tutor), and go back to work for late study.  He didn’t get home till after 8pm!  But you know, I’m a military wife!  I can handle this, and more, right?

That’s what I thought, anyhow.

Ugh.

Grace was being very, very good, surprisingly enough.  Lately we’ve been bouncing back and forth from really good to demon child, but it seems to be swinging back towards really good, thankfully.  She did everything she could to help me out with ME, she played quietly and well on her own, and she didn’t fuss when I turned off the tv.

She grabbed me supplies to change ME’s diaper sometime this afternoon, and the Snappi (a plastic piece I use to fasten ME’s cloth diapers instead of diaper pins) somehow caught on her hand and ripped a hole in her thumb.  Poor girl started bleeding rather profusely!  But it was nothing that a few kisses from Mommy and a Band-Aid couldn’t fix.

ME, on the other hand.  I know ME is sick; I know she’s an infant who doesn’t really know any better and can only cry to communicate her needs.  But you know, when she’s got a clean diaper, she’s just been fed, and she’s neither hot nor cold, and she’s still crying, it’s so frustrating.  There was nothing I could do to stop her from crying, other than holding her the entire evening — and while I love to cuddle my baby, it’s just not practical when I have things to do.  I’m so far behind on housework.  I have so much to get done.  There was also a point this afternoon at which I was holding her for a good twenty minutes, and she was still screaming.  It’s like she gets colicky every so often.  It’s not every day or even at the same time when it does happen.  It used to happen without fail after her evening feeding every night, but now who knows?

It got to the point where I just left her in her seat and let her wail.  Yes, I am a horrible mother.  But I had to make dinner!  Both Grace and I were starving, and all I was doing was reheating leftovers.  Grace kept trying to console her, to make sure she had her pacifier, even though ME would spit it right back out again and continue to wail.

Then after dinner I found the perfect way to calm poor ME down.  I was in the midst of clipping coupons when I got the bright idea to give ME one of the pages that I didn’t need.  Oh, she loved it!  She instantly stopped crying and started trying to figure out what this colorful, crinkly piece of paper was in her hands.  It fascinated her for a good thirty minutes.  I just refreshed it with a new page when the old one got too shredded and chewed up.

Now why in the world do I buy toys for my kids???  They are always so much more fascinated by things that aren’t really toys.  I think I’ll clear out Grace’s room this weekend…