Tucker Reek

In my last six weeks of being great with child, I've had to search for extra energy. I wake up, eat, feed and change the kids and then BAM. I hit a wall. I don't want to cook. I don't want to clean. I don't want to pay bills. I don't want to make phone calls. I don't want to do anything. All I want to do is sit and sit and sit. And once I sit, it's an entire process just to get back up again.

At about 3am, both Avery and Tucker came downstairs saying they were sick. They didn't feel feverish but I let them sleep on the couch, not in the mood to argue. Fifteen minutes later, Avery requested a drink. I hefted myself out of bed and got her a drink. I layed back down and heard this most annoying beeping sound. Chet heard it before he went to bed but I didn't and told him he was crazy. I hired a hoyer lift to get me back out of bed and went in search of this noise. I turned off a surge strip that hooks up all of Chet's technology and the noise stopped. Genius. I crawled back in bed and struggled to get comfy as Percy thought this would be an opportune time to kick Mom in the stomach and roll around as if he were on fire. Just as I drifted off to sleep, Tucker came over to my side of the bed. (Why don't they ever go to Chet's side?)

"Mom. Tucker reek."

Sure enough, he did. I changed him, gave him a drink and a pat on the head, and dove into bed. About a half hour later, Avery came over to my side and said she needed more water. She was clearly congested and had a large toad in her throat. I called the local crane company and they lifted me out of bed. As I was filling up her water bottle, I heard Piper wailing from her room upstairs. Thinking ignoring her crying would make it go away, I beelined for the bed. The wailing persisted, and I realized it was 7:30am. I kicked Chet. No response. I pinched him. No response. I punched him in the wrist. No response. Great. Now I have a dead husband and three sick kids.

He miraculously recovered from being dead and did get out of bed and tended to them while I slept. I heard a rumbling about someone throwing up and him telling someone else to lay down on the couch. I slept on.

He woke me up at 8:30am, reminding me of my chiropractor appointment. My head was about to explode. I cancelled the appointment and instead made an appointment for Avery at the clinic. This was day 4 of congestion and now a temp of 100.4.

We left the clinic with a prescription for Amoxicillin for an ear infection and sinus infection.

We arrived back home to find Tucker sitting at the table, not touching his food.

"Mom. I sick."

Off to the couch he went with a spoonful of Motrin. Avery snuggled into her spot on the couch and Piper came running over to greet her.

"Hey, Mom. Can you please wash Piper's face? She's getting me all dirty."

Now that all three kids were settled and washed and fed and medicated, I looked around the house. I looked at the stack of bills. I hear that they pay themselves. Somebody had colored on the wall recently, because that wasn't there yesterday. And what is that stuck to the refrigerator?

I decided to sit down and blog about it instead. I hear that writing about it makes it all go away.

"Mom. Tucker reek."

Sure enough, he does. These are the best years, I hear. Work will have to do without me today, because today, my babies need me.