That's about how much uninterrupted sleep I got last night. The rest was in ten or fifteen minute naps on the couch, whenever Julia stopped crying and crying and sobbing and sobbing long enough to doze off for a few minutes. And all this with the background of Dora-the-Slora running in endless loops on the TV.
And as I was watching Dora's Mami and Papi kiss Dora and Boots goodnight in the living room so Dora and Boots could wait up for Santa and give him a present on Christmas (I know...it's May...) it occurred to me that Dora must have been a really difficult delivery for Mami. I mean, take a look at this family portrait:
(sorry for the blur - I don't think their photographer was using a tripod.) Notice Mami's normally proportioned hips. And noticed Dora's freak head. And I thought my kids' heads hurt!
It's also possible that Dora was adopted by Mami and Papi...after, you know...the unspeakable tragedy....
Anyway, that's the sort of stuff that drifts around in my head when I'm tired and trapped on a couch by a child who won't stop crying. Bawling. Sobbing. Wailing. Out of breath gaspy trying-to-talk-but-completely-incoherent crying.
Sometimes she'd say her belly hurt. Other times she'd say her mouth hurt. I had a sore throat not too long ago, so I thought maybe she had one...gave her some tylenol at some point once she finally consented to take it, and that helped a tiny bit, but for the most part it was a non-stop ride of crying, wanting juice, wanting to lie down on the couch on top of mommy and watch Mowgli, wanting to go back in her crib, wanting to go downstairs again and lie down with/on mommy and watch DoratheSlora, wanting to go potty, wanting more juice, wanting to writhe around on the floor speaking in tongues and the occasional bit of American Toddler English, wanting to be held, not wanting to be held, wanting to go back in her crib, wanting to lie down on mommy's bed, wanting to go back in her crib, wanting to go downstairs again, wanting to go upstairs again, wanting to watch Diego Saves Christmas, and on and on and on.
Both my sister and a friend of mine suggested this morning that maybe she's teething.
Aha. Hadn't thought of that - I was only thinking ILLNESS. But a little while ago I looked in her mouth with the flashlight again - and by the way, for someone who can yell really really loud and stuff an awful lot of lo mein noodles and shrimp in her mouth, she won't open wide for flashlight exams. But anyway - throat was normal color - but AHA - yep, there we are. I could see the new teeth coming up on her lower gums. I could feel them too, so they're not that far down and that really explains the misery and the pain. I'm lucky she didn't bite my finger off.
So anyway, we are home, the kids and I. And I can't say I'm unhappy about it - I have pink irises opening up on the front walkway and I got to run out there and take pictures several times already this morning as they open. And the peonies are opening, and Mr. Lincoln (the rose) is opening...it's an exciting day in the land of flora here.
But for now, this is all. I'm going to go downstairs and have the kids help me clean up the mess of toys and maybe even GET RID OF SOME!!! I know. I'm getting giddy. Must be the lack of sleep.
And if I'm very lucky, when Julia takes a nap, I'll be able to take one too. Alex won't, but he'll let me sleep on the couch if he's got a good movie to watch.
That's a few hours away, though. Maybe some more coffee would be good first....
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