Spilt Milk

Aaron is on this rotation currently.

While he enjoys his dinners of scalloped potatoes (just kidding... he was born under a lucky star and is being fed more normal dinners like bratwurst and sauerkraut with a side of scalloped potatoes) and his super posh room, I'm back home in the trenches.

I got up at 6 last Wednesday to get ready for work and get Julia ready to go to my parents' house. We left the house a little after 7, then I made the traffic-ridden drive to the clinic. Work was supposed to be from 8 to 5, but I didn't finish until 5:30 or so.

I drove the traffic-ridden highway back to my parents' house to pick up Julia. (Have I mentioned lately that my parents and sisters are awesome and take such wonderful care of Julia while we're working? Because they are and they do.)

We were about out of milk at our house, so we stopped by Target on the way home. Julia was cranky since she hadn't napped well, and was hungry because it was dinner time.Thus, the tantrum threshold was very low, and I trod lightly. Julia kept asking for milk and carrots, so I grabbed a bag of shredded carrots, ripped it open, and handed her some as I pushed her in the cart through the store. I also grabbed a small bottle of milk as I got the larger gallon. I'd grabbed a straw from the Starbuck's at the front of the store when I'd entered, anticipating that I might need it. The small milk bottle had a plastic cap and a metal film underneath that. I poked the straw through it, and gave it to Julia to drink. Julia kept yelling "out" and trying to stand up in the cart and was on the verge of tears. While near the milk, I had to grab some ice cream because 1) we were out and Isleys need ice cream like bears need honey or horses need hay, and 2) I could already tell it was going to end up being an ice cream kind of night.

I grabbed some Voila! for dinner, because I didn't have time or energy for anything much more involved. I also grabbed a bag of grapes. Julia began whining for the grapes.

I had several other items on the list, but decided to leave before Julia had a meltdown.

I hurriedly paid for the groceries and got the heck out of dodge. I took Julia and the groceries out to the car and buckled her into her seat.

To placate my grape hungry toddler, I got a small bunch of grapes out of the bag and poured the remaining water from my water bottle over the grapes onto the parking lot below to clean them. Then, since she still wanted the milk, I put the milk in my now empty water bottle, and gave it to her and drove home.

When I arrived home, I went to get Julia out of her carseat. She had spilled milk everywhere. My waterbottle is a cheapo Walmart knock-off of a CamelBak... and I'd forgotten that there's nothing antigravity about the build-in straw, she was able to just pour it out. She was rubbing her legs with milk and the carseat was drenched. I got Julia out, put her inside the house, and closed the door. I got the carseat disassembled, then brought the liner in to wash.  I threw the Voila! on the stove and got my car and plastic part of the carseat wiped up.

After Julia ate dinner, I put her in the bath. I was waiting to eat even though it was nearly 8 pm because I wanted to run (aka walk/jog). I had my running shoes on and everything. Then, Julia poured a large cup of water out of the tub into my shoe. I had to change my sock and tried to dry the shoe with a towel. We got Julia' dried up too, and into pajamas, and I got her some milk to drink while I read to her.

We went out to run (aka walk/jog) and Julia enjoyed it until we got to the farthest away point, at which she decided she, of course, unhappily wanted "out."

When we finally got home, I brushed Julia's teeth and attempted putting her to bed. Attempted being the key word. She freaked out and started crying, hard. I left her, sad to hear her crying, but figuring she'd fall asleep very shortly. She didn't. After about twenty minutes of heart rending screaming for "Mommy!" I finally caved and rescued her from her wooden prison. We video chatted with Aaron, which seemed to make her feel better, and I put her back to bed and she finally fell asleep, much more easily this time around.

Several thoughts:

1) I miss my Aaron. I've said it before and I'll say it again: he is such a blessing! He is an awesome husband and father, and I'm so glad we're a team. I wouldn't want to do this alone because...

2) I am SO not cut out to be a single mother. I am in awe of what single mothers do every. single. day. Talk about difficult.

3) I didn't cry over spilt milk. I wish I could say I had a good laugh, but the most I managed was a wan smile, I think, or maybe an abbreviated chortle.