Chaos is a daily adventure

I've always had respect for mothers who have more than one child. For me I've always had that kind of awe and wondered how they made it through their day.

Now I know. Mothers of more than one child make it through the day powered by caffeine, the knowledge that Dad will be home eventually, and the hope that these days will pass.

For some reason the days that Dan is home seem to be our easiest days. Days that Daddy works are the days the kids raise hell. Today was a perfect example of what every day is like for me with two kids:

This morning I was to meet my family at Home Depot. I got the kids ready and a crying baby in her carseat and turned off the lights and was heading out the door when my phone rang. It was my mom calling to tell me that some of my family was going to be 30 minutes late. I was upset because I already had a cranky baby loaded up and ready to go, so I decided I would just meet my mom there and we'd sit and visit and wait for the rest of the family. We get there and we go in so my mom can use the bathroom, and I asked Isaac if he had to go. He said no. We get back outside and Isaac starts grabbing his bottom. I ask him if he has to go. He said no. I reminded him of the new rule that if he poops his pants he'll lose his movie priviledge for the day. I asked him if he had to go. He said no. A couple minutes later he informed me that he pooped his pants. I pass the baby off to my mom and proceed to take Isaac into the store restroom while informing him that he's lost his movie priviledge for the day. He's upset and wants to earn the movies back and I told him no. Also, I didn't bring a change of underwear or anything for him, so the only thing I could do was dump the poop in the toilet and put him back in his underwear. Finally when it was time to head home I had Brooke crying and Isaac throwing a hissy fit and kicking the back of my seat. He had a time-out when we got home.

The majority of my day is spent holding Brooke, and occasionally being able to set her down to sleep, which she did for about 10 minutes each time before she realized I wasn't holding her anymore and she'd wake up crying. A gold star for me today that I actually got dishes done! We had PB & J sandwiches for dinner.

Then this evening I'm feeding Brooke a bottle and having Isaac pick up his toys to start getting ready for bed. He's grabbing his bottom and I ask if he has to use the bathroom. He said no. I told him if he pooped his pants he'd lose his morning movie priviledge. I asked him if he had to go. He said no. Then Brooke pooped so I put the bottle down and changed her pants. She was still hungry so I sat down with the bottle again. Then Isaac told me he'd peed his pants. I'm busy feeding Brooke so I send him upstairs and tell him he's lost his priviledges again. I told him to take off his wet clothes and sit on the toilet. A minute later he calls down for me that he went pee and poo in the toilet! He wants to know if he's earned back his movie time for doing that, so I said fine. He came to the top of the stairs naked from the waist down, so I told him to get back in the bathroom and make sure he wiped and washed his hands. Then I needed him to get clothes on. I'm finishing feeding Brooke and I'm impressed she's eaten so much, just as Isaac comes downstairs still naked from the waist down. As he comes streaking into the living room Brooke projectile vomitted her entire bottle all over herself and me! I quickly grab a change of clothes from the huge pile of clean laundry that's been sitting in our livingroom that I never get around to putting away, and I herd the kids upstairs. Up there, I go ahead and wipe Isaac's bottom again because I knew he wouldn't have really gotten it well (he didn't). I give him a pull-up and his pj's and send him into the hall to get dressed. I get down on the bathroom floor and strip Brooke down and give her a quick sponge bath to wash all the formula off and get her in her pj's. I get both kids downstairs and Isaac reminds me I forgot to brush his teeth. I go back upstairs with both kids and let Isaac brush first. Because he doesn't have good hand coordination, I also have to brush his teeth for him, so I set Brooke down in the hall and she's crying and I'm brushing Isaac's teeth. We get that done and get back downstairs where I lay Brooke down in her basinett and then run back upstairs so I can change my clothes since they were still covered with formula slime. Run back downstairs and pick up the crying Brooke and go in the kitchen to find a bedtime snack for Isaac to eat while we read bedtime stories. Dan walks through the door at that moment (about 8:30pm) after being gone for work nearly 12 hours (long work days, short work week). I shoo him upstairs to quickly use the bathroom and then pass Brooke off to him. Between the two of us we get Isaac to bed, he takes over holding Brooke and I start laundry and start the prep for tomorrow's dinner.

Dan has been home for an hour and a half and holding a crying Brooke he looks at me and asks me if I want a turn with her?

Um.

No.

The day I had today? Repeat that every day, and welcome to my life now that I have two kids!