The windows have been left open

It’s been 2 1/2 weeks since baby Ameena joined our family and we became a home  of 5 (although technically a family of  6 with Carla, our grown foster daughter who is now on her own).

Eli and Lucy both adore their little sister and haven’t displayed a shred of jealously, or meanness , or anger……towards her.

Towards each other, and mom and dad is another story.

You can tell that we’re all a little tired and on edge around here.  Our parenting has been reduced to a bunch of, “Stop that” “What are you doing?” “Please don’t” “One, two…..” If you yell one more time.” “Please be nice to…..”   You get the point.

Eli has taken to either hurting his sister (Lucy) or getting  hurt himself.  He is honestly the most dramatic boy I’ve met.  He tried to milk a blister on his heel for dinner on the sofa.  Seriously.  Tonight he got his foot caught in a moving bike tire.  (Ouch)  He limped, but then forgot the act when he was going full speed on his big wheel.   He’s just not his usual self.  I’m hoping it’s a baby phase and not a “I’m 5 and this is how I act” phase.  Please Lord, please.

Lucy  is her usual self, just amped up about 10 levels.  I really didn’t think her voice could go any louder.  It does.  She can also out talk and out question Regis Philbin I think.  The girl has staying power.  My friend Erika reminded me tonight of the time in the car when Lucy was silent for over an hour…her head was covered with her blankie like a parrot at night.  I really need to try that again.  Mostly,the baby brings out curiosity in Lucy…which I try to encourage and indulge.  It’s just that sometimes, especially at 6am, I don’t want to answer questions like if “Do dad’s little bras {nipples} have juice like yours for the baby?”  Where to go that early in the morning with all of those slight misconceptions?  Really???

So, needless to say, tonight in my grumpiness I was fussing about the night guard who came to our door with a question, and then left the door wide open when he left……allowing all of creations’ bugs to swarm into our house.  Curse that malaria harbored by those darn mosquitos!

And then I noticed that the sounds of crickets and that beeping bug were really kind of loud.

And the windows had all been left open.

Ooops.  Guess I can’t blame that on anyone but myself, and I’m just not quite myself these days.  Otherwise, those windows would have been closed at 6pm sharp and those bugs would have been finding their fun in someone else’s house with open windows.

We’ll get back to normal.   Some day.  When having THREE  instead of TWO kids that all melt down at the same time seems normal, and I’m able to use all of those wonderful, loving parenting techniques I know I have stuffed deep down in that part of my brain that is currently buried below sleep deprivation.

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