6.09.2006

Day Six

My blog has multiple personalities...one is dotty and one is floweredy, but the dotty one is more comfortable while blogger is going through his own major instabilities...We're all codependent here. Or enmeshed. Or maybe just sick and tired...Therapist, anyone?

Anyway, it's Day Six without Dad. (For new readers, he's "just" out of the country for the summer...)D always says he has the hardest time sleeping when he is away from home. I usually sleep better, for whatever reason. But this time, I think he left his separation insomnia behind. My coca-cola consumption is way down and I still can't sleep.

The boys are starting to do all the things I knew they would to express the things they can't verbalize. Cal falls apart at the slightest change. (We moved the furniture around today and it was thirty minutes before he calmed down enough to say that he hated the "new" couch and that he wasn't going to sit on it.) Henry is whiney, whiney, whiney - which is partly a function of things being different and partly a function of being nearly two.

Mostly, things are a lot like they are when D is only going to be gone for a week or ten days, except the knowing that it is going to be much longer. That's the hard part.

And trying to think of someone who would run to 7-11 and pick me up a soda and something crunchy/salty at 10 p.m. on a Thursday night, since the boys are in bed already.

I went ahead and posted my Thursday Thirteen, even though the day is all but over. It's part of the plan for sanity this summer. I also found a friend at church who is going to watch the boys on afternoons - she has a little "preschool" activity program that she will do with them as well. And last but not least, we made plane reservations for a trip to Colorado to see the extended family, and we were invited by Auntie S to come to the beach for a week or two in August with her family. So we're pretty booked up. Hope it keeps us busy and happy.

8 comments:

someone else said...

You just sound like such a fun mommy for the little guys. Do you realize that what you've just posted really shows how you understand what's different for them while your husband is away. So many moms would just be impatient and expect the little ones to cope like the big people do. Good for you!

I love to read the things you write.

Gabriela said...

I'm sorry you can't sleep. That's the worst! Just when you need to be well rested to deal with all the changes. Hope you sleep better soon.

That's great you have so many things planned. And CO is always a great place to go!

Momma G said...

Hang in there....!!!

Nettie said...

I'm sorry you aren't sleeping well and the boys aren't coping as well as you would like. It sounds like you plan on keeping you all busy. Hopefully, that helps!

Katherine@Raising Five said...

Woo-hoo - let's see if blogger will work today.

Isn't that funny that he thought it was a new couch! Kids are such creatures of habit. It's how they manage their world. My 4yo still asks me to move her bad "back by the window" the way we had it about 2 years ago.

Don't worry about accomplishing everything on The Plan. My kids are sometimes MORE upset when we are overly busy. You'll find a rhythm that works for you.

Unknown said...

I hope that you do enjoy your time on your own. My husband used to travel, but never at extended stretches. That's tough.

These were the things I came to appreciate when he was gone:
Cereal for dinner (for me and the kid)
Not being as vigilant about housekeeping.
Doing something special with my daughter or friends--like going out after 4pm, which I never did, because I was "waiting" for him to get home.
Reading or watching my TV in bed.
Entertaining friends who are single, divorced, or also with husbands on the road.
Missing him and him missing me--absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Millie said...

Wow, I move my furniture all the time. No wonder my kids are so screwed up. ;)

Poor little guys, missing their dad. I feel for you, trying to keep things normal for them on not much sleep. Best wishes to you and your little family while Daddy's gone.

Gina Conroy said...

I just got caught up on the story. I'm praying for you. I had a friend who's husbqand was in te Reserve and was called up 2x in a row for 9 months at a time with only 3 months between. They had two little kids as well.

The best advice I could give you is to take advantage of your support system and friends who want to help. Don't feel like you're burdening anyone. If they offer to help, that means they really want to.

And don't be afraid to take advantage of the time you can't sleep. Spend time reading, writing, crying, praying, etc. Whatever it takes to get you through another day!