When you have four or five kids, there are just going to be some wild days sometimes.
I started out the evening mad at JB. He finally had the day off on Sunday, and he told me that if I'd let him sleep all day, that he'd get up and spend some time with the family before he went out to see his friends. I got him up at 8:30PM (yes PM not AM) and instead of doing what he told me he'd do, he stayed long enough to make a mess in the kitchen and left. So he knew when he left that I was not pleased with him.
I was tired that night and decided to go to bed early. So I was in bed shortly after 9pm. The phone rings at 10pm. Our phone hardly ever rings that late, so it scared me. My niece Arlena was on the phone. She is 26 and lives with my in-laws. Libby has been there with them all week visiting during Spring Break. Lena tells me that she doesn't want to alarm me, but she thinks Libby has started her period. Now Libby is 8 and has shown no signs of development whatsoever. Lena said she'd told Libby that she might be starting her period, and Libby didn't know what that meant (because I've not had "the talk" with her yet.)
So I talk to my Mother-In-Law on the phone, and decide from the symptoms that Libby probably has a bladder infection. Then I talk to Libby and tell her that I'll explain all about periods to her when she gets home.
So by now, its close to 11pm. Bob and Frank have been downstairs playing PlayStation together. Frank comes upstairs crying like someone has died. It is the most gut wrenching, pitiful crying I've ever heard from him. Bob and I talk to him and try to soothe him, and he tells us he's crying because Bob beat him at PlayStation. Frank hates to lose at anything.
It's close to midnight by the time we get him settled down. I had just drifted off to sleep again when the dog starts barking at 12:30am when JB comes back home.
I roll over and punch the pillow. It was only a few minutes later when I hear little feet running into our bedroom and that sound that all mothers instantly know. Someone is going to hurl. I sit up in bed right at the same time that Madi throws up all over the bedroom floor. I look at the clock and its 1:34am.
She'd already thrown up all over her bed and bedroom floor. So I run a bath for her, wash her hair, clean up the floors. I decide that I'd be better off sleeping with her on the couch, because I don't want her to throw up in my bed.
We'd just gotten settled on the couch, when JB comes up the stairs. (Note: Bob has conveniently slept through all of this so far). He goes into the kitchen (its after 2am by now) and proceeds to cook ham and srambled eggs. As the smell goes through the living room, Madi goes pale and proceeds to start gagging again.
I go back into the kitchen and start hunting through the cabinets for some nausea medicine. JB knows I was mad at him earlier, so he's trying to win some brownie points back (I guess) by being extra helpful. So he's looking over my shoulder at the stuff in the cabinets and is giving me advice about what kind of medicine to give her. I look over my shoulder and give him "the glare" that only a Mom who's been up all night can give and he backs slowly away and returns to his cooking.
I give Madi the medicine, and she wants some water so I fix her a cup. JB is again trying to be extra "helpful" and offers to come get her medicine spoon and glass and take them to the sink. I tell him "She's PUKING. Do you really want to handle the stuff she's been drinking out of get it too?" He snatches his hand back with a look of horror and says "GOD, NO!!!" I imagine with the chemo that he went through, he's puked enough to last him a life time.
I had JUST gotten settled back on the couch yet again, when JB starts hollering in the kitchen. I raise my head up and he goes "It's a spider. A REALLY BIG spider." And then in a really quiet voice "Will you come kill it for me???" Uh that would be a big "NO!!!"
I finally got Madi to sleep, and then woke Bob up to sit with her for a while to make sure she didn't throw up any more. It was 3:30am the last time I looked at a clock!!!
At 6:15am the alarm went off and I got up and got ready for work. Singing to myself "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan...and never, ever let you forget your a Man.....'cause I'm a woooommmmaaannnn!!"
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