I had a baby yesterday. Just for a visit, of course, while her daddy took her brothers to the dentist. Daughter was so excited that the baby was coming! Until the baby got here, or to be honest, until five minutes after she got here. It started off subtle, she had to have a sippy cup (a sippy cup! she outgrew those a while ago) filled with warm milk. As soon as that was gone, and it was gone quick, she started stamping around, tossing her hair, arms akimbo "THAT baby is so annoying", "Isn't she annoying Mom?", etc. etc... while the baby just sat in my arms and gurgled and cooed.
We brought the baby back home together and daughter brightened considerably to see the boys, she's right in between the two agewise. It's a single dad household so jumping on the furniture is okay. It's so okay that at one point that dad jumped on his own furniture, daughter riding along, barely holding on, hanging off his shoulders. I continued to hold the baby, who, as far as I know, guffawed her first guffaw watching the antics of her brothers and daughter.
Fifteen minutes into their wild & crazy play that dad looked at me, slightly demented gleam to his eye, and stated he didn't like it with three. He was getting blind-sided. I immediately thought of the raptors in Jurassic Park and how they hunt in packs, very similar to kids under 6. I laughed and pointed out that he had three kids, and he looked at his daughter in my lap and the light dawned.
I remember when my boys were little. They were a pack of raptors too. The things they'd do. I could fill page after page after page. I'm wondering how I survived, just like I'm sure that dad is wondering how he will survive. I've woken up to snakes curled up next to me; "look what I found!" I've fished slugs & snails out of pockets before washing clothes. I've found dead mini-frogs, or are they baby frogs, under the couch when I finally moved said couch to vacuum under it.
Just so you know, I do usually move the couch more frequently but that was the first time moving it after giving birth to squareboy so it had been awhile. Where did the dead mini-frog come from? Well, it's tiring having a baby. One day I was extra tired. I asked the boys if they could please play quietly, and not get into trouble, so I could nap with squareboy... just "the baby" way back then. They solemnly nodded their little raptor heads and I went to nap. I had a great nap! They were quiet. I came down, so proud of my little men, squareboy tucked in my arm. I came down the stairs, through the hall and stepped into the family room, mouth open ready to praise.
Only to witness the eldest angrily shaking his Chevron Car and yelling: "Get out of the backseat! You can't drive the car from the backseat!" Before I could ask who he was yelling at. Who would fit in the backseat of a Chevron Car? Some random movement caught my eye. Believe me, I lost my cool when I realized that the random movement was at least 12 mini-frogs hopping around my family room! My lovely trio had gone outside, it had recently rained, and collected all the mini-frogs gathering on our patio. And brought them in to chauffeur their Chevron Cars.
While at the time I thought I yelled enough, and they worked diligently enough, to rid my house of mini-frogs, obviously, weeks later, it turned out that wasn't true. Hence the dead mini-frog under my couch. I'm sitting here reminiscing and my heart goes out to that dad. Hmmmm, gonna have to borrow that baby more.
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