Occasionally, my youngest child exhibits odd behavior when she gets stressed.
So odd, I usually can't pinpoint what's wrong right away.
Last night, she came into our room, just as we were watching a movie.
She was on the brink of tears (which says a lot because she does everything she can to keep tears at bay.)
We asked her what was wrong and she muttered for a bit and finally said her tummy was hurting. Then she said her throat was hurting.
Images of her running around for the past 4 hours, including outside in the snow, fastforwarded through my mind. Peals of giggles and laughter echoed in my ears as I remembered the bedtime routine she'd just participated in.
Achilles told her to go to the bathroom and try to go to sleep.
Tears welled up and she turned and quietly and sadly went back to her room.
I checked on her about a half hour later and she seemed to be sleeping just fine.
The movie finally ended about 2am... and just as I finally was in a good sleep...
I felt E's little hands tapping me.
"I can't sleep. I feel sick."
I jumped out of bed, dreading a fever.. or worse, the flu.
Achilles didn't move.
I felt her head: nothing.
I got her a drink.
And she begged me to sleep with her.
Something she hasn't done in years.
So, I weighed my options.... it was nearly 3am and I had to get up in 3 hours; I grabbed my duvet and my alarm clock and headed to her bed with her.
She promptly fell asleep and I spent the next 3 hours tossing and turning in a twin bed with WWF daughter in the bed with me.
Achilles was in our bed, sleeping like a baby. He didnt' have to work until 11am today.
I made lunches for the 4 of us working people, went to work, and it was a typical Monday....worked my head off.
When I got home, I started laundry and dinner and put away the dishes in the dishwasher...Helped some kids with schoolwork, rotated the laundry, observed the new snow fort that the kids built over the weekend, and the progress they're making with it...all while inserting the expected "Ah's" and 'ohh's" at all the right places. Rotated the laundry again, served dinner, helped Gma with her pills and cream, and nagged a particular child about getting her dishes started. Talked with her and other daughters, to discover that Gma has been micromanaging E the entire time I'm gone....and Gpa called AJ an 'idiot' over some silly math problems.... Take E & Aj aside and reiterate that G&G don't realize what they say or do to people, and reiterate that E nor AJ is an idiot, nor lazy, despite what Gma says.
Looked back at the little episode with E last night/early morning and realize that E is stressed and isn't dealing well with G&G. Big "AHA" moment.
Achilles came in about 7:30pm...before even a 'hello-kiss' started fussing about someone taking his gloves out of his coat, and fussing about something else someone had 'done'...so I calmed the stormy sea, then warmed his dinner, hurried children to get ready for a trip to the airport to see one of our friends flying in from Germany, get them home, help with jammies, initiate prayers and sit down to blog.
Achilles came in just now and had the nerve to tell me how tired HE was.
Seriously?
So odd, I usually can't pinpoint what's wrong right away.
Last night, she came into our room, just as we were watching a movie.
She was on the brink of tears (which says a lot because she does everything she can to keep tears at bay.)
We asked her what was wrong and she muttered for a bit and finally said her tummy was hurting. Then she said her throat was hurting.
Images of her running around for the past 4 hours, including outside in the snow, fastforwarded through my mind. Peals of giggles and laughter echoed in my ears as I remembered the bedtime routine she'd just participated in.
Achilles told her to go to the bathroom and try to go to sleep.
Tears welled up and she turned and quietly and sadly went back to her room.
I checked on her about a half hour later and she seemed to be sleeping just fine.
The movie finally ended about 2am... and just as I finally was in a good sleep...
I felt E's little hands tapping me.
"I can't sleep. I feel sick."
I jumped out of bed, dreading a fever.. or worse, the flu.
Achilles didn't move.
I felt her head: nothing.
I got her a drink.
And she begged me to sleep with her.
Something she hasn't done in years.
So, I weighed my options.... it was nearly 3am and I had to get up in 3 hours; I grabbed my duvet and my alarm clock and headed to her bed with her.
She promptly fell asleep and I spent the next 3 hours tossing and turning in a twin bed with WWF daughter in the bed with me.
Achilles was in our bed, sleeping like a baby. He didnt' have to work until 11am today.
I made lunches for the 4 of us working people, went to work, and it was a typical Monday....worked my head off.
When I got home, I started laundry and dinner and put away the dishes in the dishwasher...Helped some kids with schoolwork, rotated the laundry, observed the new snow fort that the kids built over the weekend, and the progress they're making with it...all while inserting the expected "Ah's" and 'ohh's" at all the right places. Rotated the laundry again, served dinner, helped Gma with her pills and cream, and nagged a particular child about getting her dishes started. Talked with her and other daughters, to discover that Gma has been micromanaging E the entire time I'm gone....and Gpa called AJ an 'idiot' over some silly math problems.... Take E & Aj aside and reiterate that G&G don't realize what they say or do to people, and reiterate that E nor AJ is an idiot, nor lazy, despite what Gma says.
Looked back at the little episode with E last night/early morning and realize that E is stressed and isn't dealing well with G&G. Big "AHA" moment.
Achilles came in about 7:30pm...before even a 'hello-kiss' started fussing about someone taking his gloves out of his coat, and fussing about something else someone had 'done'...so I calmed the stormy sea, then warmed his dinner, hurried children to get ready for a trip to the airport to see one of our friends flying in from Germany, get them home, help with jammies, initiate prayers and sit down to blog.
Achilles came in just now and had the nerve to tell me how tired HE was.
Seriously?
Comments
*grin*
Melessa
I am leaving comments on blogs of people, I know she is good friends with, so you can all pray for her. He said, under doctors orders, she is not to have any visitors or phone calls.
If you have any other questions, feel free to email me. Oh, and I know she will probably kill me...but I SO don't care...she needs all the prayers she can get!
Good thing you have such a flexible neck! Give kisses to all (especially Eli) from us! Lub you!