Owen: “Stop petting me! I’m not an animal!” James: laughing Owen: “I said stop petting me! I’m playing people! I’m a people! NOT AN AMINAL!” James: laughing Owen: “A PEOPLE! WE ARE PLAYING PEOPLE NOW! NOT ANIMALS! STOP PETTING ME!” a moment of silence from both of them James: crying, and then “Mama!” “What strange […]
Sophie (at 9:37pm, after asking for a glass of water, while both boys are screaming for me): “Why are you a little stompy right now?” I guess the hardwood floor in her room did a poor job of hiding tonight’s frustration. “There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get […]
I’m typing this while sitting on the floor in James and Owen’s bedroom. Every minute or so I look up and look them in the eyes—they’re looking at me, waiting. Waiting for me to spend too long looking at my computer. Waiting for me to get up and help Sophie with something. Waiting for their […]
“Dreams are illustrations … from the book your soul is writing about you.” —Marsha Norman
I loved these cribs. In the beginning, I wished they matched. I always envisioned a twin nursery with matching twin cribs. But the white crib was free—thanks to Facebook and a friend of a friend—and that’s what our budget, at the time, allowed. In the end, I loved them. James slept in the painted white […]
Sophie’s scheduled to have surgery tomorrow. She has an inguinal hernia. It’s minor, outpatient surgery—the actual operation only lasts about 45 minutes. I had the same surgery when I was 6. One of the biggest comforts in my life has been my dad always saying he would take on any illness, surgery or procedure for […]
Now that we’ve moved Owen and James to twin beds, they’re no longer napping—but they still need to nap. And I need for them to nap. They’re exhausted. I’m exhausted. It’s been a fight-back-tears and escape-to-my-bedroom-to-hide-underneath-my-down-comforter-as-soon-as-Andy-gets-home two weeks. Today, in particular, was tough. James only spoke in whine. At first I tried to ignore it. […]
After finding James perched on his crib rail, much like a bird on a tree limb, we decided it was time to put the boys in their twin beds. It’s going well. “Without enough sleep, we all become tall two-year-olds.” —JoJo Jensen
I remember the stuffed animals and dolls I slept with, when I was little. I remember making caves for them with my blanket and legs. I remember feeling guilty about who slept next to me, who did not, and who fell to the floor in the middle of the night. My grandma once told me […]
Sophie is: wide awake at 10:53pm watching the all-hours Sprouts channel (so this is why they play children’s shows so late at night) in our bed sweaty but cold rubbing her always-watering eyes endlessly making awful sounds when she breathes. She calms, for a few moments, then sits up, a sobbing mess. She says: “My […]
