Daddy’s off at National Guard annual training, and Mommy’s at work. Jacob and Dylan and Zoe are spending this weekend, next weekend, and a weekday at our house. Mommy has been worried about how Zoe would react at our house, particularly since she’s been sick and grouchy. Her brothers come and stay here with us all the time, but Zoe is a Mommy and Daddy’s girl. She does NOT like strangers because they give her shots and stick needles into her. I don’t blame her one bit. She has not stayed with us since last summer and has forgotten that we do not eat (human) babies for breakfast.
Mommy needn’t have worried, though. Zoe’s been happily exploring the house and playing with all the toys that the boys had thought that they’d outgrown until Zoe evinced interest in them. Suddenly the toys became attractive again even though they hadn’t played with them for YEARS.
After a breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs for the boys, scrambled eggs and chopped bananas for Zoe, steak and eggs for Papa, and whatever nobody else wanted for MeeMaw, the boys and Papa went outside. They are doing Man Things like shooting aerosol paint cans, and exploding unshot aerosol paint cans in a burning barrel. These are not things that MeeMaw generally does. MeeMaw has some newly hatched chicks rescued from a duck’s nest in a brooder and an incubator full of eggs that may start hatching as early as tomorrow, so I do have SOME fun things. The boys came in to let me know how much MORE fun I was missing outside, though.
Mommy called to see how Zoe was doing and to let me know she was an hour late for her nap. No sooner than I hung up the phone after assuring Mommy that Zoe was fine than Zoe’s eyes started getting droopy, and she started to cry. Zoe did not want to be held. She screamed and kicked, although she was perfectly fine earlier. Zoe did not want to be rocked. Zoe was one miserable little cookie! I put her in her playpen with her favorite blankies, assorted stuffed toys, and her sippie cup, and told her firmly it was time to go night night. To my surprise, she did.
Now that I look around the house that is wall-to-wall toys (and scrambled eggs), I dunno whether I should hurry up and get some laundry and folding and ironing and cleaning done while I have the chance, or take a nap. I wish somebody would pick me up along with my favorite blankies, pillows, and assorted boys, and put me in a playpen and tell me it is time to go night night.
Ah, well. Zoe suddenly woke up screaming, probably because she had a nightmare that she was at MeeMaw’s house. She was standing up in the playpen screaming when I went in. Imagine her chagrin to find that the nightmare was REAL! She looked at me and resignedly threw herself back down in the playpen, closing her eyes, periodically sobbing and hiccuping in a most pitiful manner designed to melt any but the coldest heart. Unhappily for her, my heart is at about absolute zero when it comes to getting tired, grumpy lil’ babies up from their naptimes when they’re not finished.
