My sister cooked for five hours yesterday, making an amazing moussaka. I’d planned to make it; but she just sort of took over and ran with it. This freed me up to do some cleaning and prep last night after dinner. I swept the dining room and washed down the table and the kitchen counters. (That used to be a part of my daily routine but hasn’t been done regularly since my mom left.) I put out the breakfast dishes and the non-perishable breakfast foods. I picked up all the toys and books in the living room so it was neat and tidy when I woke up. Then I turned in at a decent hour. In bed by 10:30.
Ben had an easier night. It still took a while to soothe him back to sleep after his 3:45 snack; but after changing his diaper twice, I swaddled him tight and bounced him in my lap while making hushing noises and silently praying a string of Hail Marys. Eventually his eyes drifted shut and he was out for the rest of the night. Even let me get dressed and get the girls’ breakfast before he woke up demanding his own. A combination of lanolin and Desitin has go his diaper rash under control. Plus I’ve stopped eating blueberries and broccoli, which both seem to irritate him. My current theory is that he’s got some reflux. He’s unhappy when flat on his back and spits up very frequently; but he’s quite cheerful when upright. I realized this weekend that he always sleeps soundly when we’re out and about running errands. So I’ve been putting him to sleep in his carseat, which keeps him at a good angle, and he sleeps for hours that way. I just popped his carseat in the bassinet next to my bed and that way he’s right next to me but at a comfortable angle. It works for now.
Dom gav me a wonderful unprompted pep talk as he kissed me on his way out the door to work. He reminded me how nervous I was the first time he left me alone with Bella to go off to work. And how quickly I adjusted. How soon taking care of both Bella and Sophie became second nature. He told me I’d soon find I could manage just as well with three of them. What a wonderful husband he is!
Anyway, we were done with breakfast and the girls were dressed by 8:30. I said morning prayer with the girls while Ben nursed. Then I packed all three kids into the car and we headed out to Whole Foods Market. I wanted to find some Anaheim chiles, which our local Shaws didn’t have. There’s a green tomato soup I want to try to use some of the tomatoes which fell off the vines too early. A very successful trip. I put Sophie in the shopping cart, Ben in the sling, Bella walked beside the cart as she usually does. Ben slept, the girls were good. I gave them a cookie to split as a thank you. We were home by 10:30 and Bella who is not used to our expeditions coming home so early was at a loss, thinking she’d be heading for a nap and instead told to go outside to play.
The girls played while I nursed Ben, who then fell asleep. Then the girls had lunch, leisurely at 11:00. They ate outside until the flies got to Bella and then they moved inside. We prayed the Angelus and then I read the girls a few stories on our bed. Sophie was looking quite tired, irritably flipping pages so that I couldn’t read a Pooh story, so I carried her off to bed. She was asleep in just a minute as I sang her a litany of saints. Then I went back and read a story to Bella and tucked her in to rest on our bed, listening to a lullaby cd.
Ben’s still sleeping. A quiet break for me to write a bit. I think I’ll go and read and see if I don’t fall asleep, though. I think I could maybe use a nap myself. So I can be well-rested when it comes time to try out my soup recipe. I’ve planned on a simple dinner, though, in case I can’t get to the soup tonight: steak salad with the leftover steak from Saturday. The soup would be a nice side; but not necessary.
I know things could still fall apart. There will be days that don’t flow so well. But so far, today has been a very smooth, lovely day with my three little ones.
