My wife asked me to stay home yesterday and take care of the kids for her. She was in pretty bad shape from the flu, and headed to bed for most of the day, accompanied by her feline heating pads.
The kids were fabulous, really. Walter whined a bit about missing his mom, but other than that, we all came through in decent shape. By dinner time Terhi was feeling a little better (or else felt obligated to get up anyway), and got up in time to eat and help keep the kids entertained until bed time.
The experience helped me realize a few things. One, of course, is just how rough it is to take care of three kids all day. I felt like I was running flat out all day, and like I said, the kids were being GOOD! Fixing meals for five vegetarians--three of which are lactose intolerant, two that can't have nuts, one with no functional teeth--with wildly divergent palates is akin to arranging seating at an international diplomatic banquet. And my wife does this day after day!
It also showed me just how wonderful it is to have me home after work. Even though Terhi was still feeling pretty lousy and couldn't help with much, it was wonderful to have a) another adult to talk to, b) someone who can feed themself without complaining, c) another target for the kids' demands for attention, and d) whatever help she could manage. I'll hopefully be able to play my role a little better now.
The baby is the one that keeps us sane, I think. He's a crackup. He loves to make big, dramatic, totally incomprehensible speeches at the kitchen table, complete with grand gestures and vocal inflections. Then he'll grin ear to ear and collapse into a cute little "aw shucks" slouch. And all the while still pack away as much food as his older brother and sister combined.
I wrapped up the day with a grocery shopping expedition. And a fruitless hunt for pink and purple balloons. Tomorrow, assuming everyone is healthy again, is Emma's "Fairy" birthday party. If I know anything about my daughter, we'll be able to hook her up to a capacitor, place solar panels about the house and collect enough energy and glow to power the house for the next week.
My mission? To keep her two-year-old brother from dying of jealousy. Dum...dum...Da DA, dum...dum...Da DA, dum...dum...Da DA, dum...dum...Da DA,...dweedle-deeeeeeee...dweedle-deeeeee...dweedle-deeeeeeeeeee-DA da!
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