Home at Last!
After a long, wonderful Labor Day weekend in Cleveland we headed back to NJ and I immediately had to turn around and head to Florida for a 3-day business trip. I was really unhappy about having to be away from everyone for so long, but I think Hari was dreading it much more since he was going to be solo with the boys for three days... his first time being on his own for that long!
He did a great job, and the kids clearly enjoyed daddy time, but as I feared a lot happened while I was gone. I was utterly floored when I heard that while Ryan was supposed to be transitioning from Infants to Toddlers at school, on Wednesday he effectively declared himself a big boy! He had gone for his "visit" to Toddlers, and when it was time for him to head back to Infants instead he ran away from the teachers and refused to go back. AND Hari was letting him completely feed himself at mealtimes - extra messy, but he was happy and was doing just fine. I go away for 3 days and suddenly Ryan has proclaimed he's no longer a baby!!
My trip home on Thursday night was pretty uneventful, and I got home around 11:00PM and walked into the house to find Hari on the sofa with one boy in each arm, floppy and asleep! Colin had tried to stay awake, but dozed off about 10 minutes before I got home.
I first said a big hello to Sydney who was over-wagging, clearly thrilled to see me, and wouldn't let me take 2 steps into the house until I gave her a thorough greeting (girly!!!). Then I waded through a sea of toys and books, took poor Colin in my arms, and walked my little guy upstairs where I laid him in bed and snuggled briefly with him before heading back downstairs. Ryan was still zonked, but I grabbed him and leaned back on the sofa, and just enjoyed being home with my three guys.
But relaxation wasn't my destiny as I started looking around the house. I decided to ignore it, and try to relax. The next morning it all sank in. Toys and books were covering the floor of every room downstairs, dinosaurs were all over the floor of their bedroom, the dishwasher was half-full of clean dishes (I ran it before I left, and they just used the dishes one by one), and the sink was very full of dirty dishes. The kitchen table hadn't been wiped down, there were crumbs on the table and floor... it was a total disaster!
While Ryan at his breakfast I started picking up some of the toys, but there just wasn't time to get to everything. When Colin came down for his breakfast I started teasing him that Daddy broke all the rules. Colin immediately came to his father's defense, assuring me that Daddy hadn't broken any rules. Oh really???
Did daddy let you eat in front of the TV?
Yes.
Did daddy give you pizza for dinner?
Yes.
Did daddy let you stay up late?
Yeeees.
Did daddy ask you to put your toys away?
Noooo. (giant grin)
Did daddy let you watch a lot of TV?
Yeeeees.
So daddy did break all the rules.
(silence and a grin) SIGH!
My next effort was at lunch. After visiting the boys I zoomed briefly home, threw in a load of laundry, put the remaining clean dishes away, loaded the dishwasher and started it. After picking up the boys on my way home we stopped at the store to pick up a part for the shower (the door handle broke off) we headed home and arrived at the house at the same time as Hari. After dinner I reminded Colin to put his toys away before bed, and threw in another load of laundry. Finally, the house was starting to gain some semblance of order.
Now, this isn't a total castigation of Hari. He had his hands full with the boys and Sydney - I know from experience that it isn't easy having to find a way to get Syd to go potty with two little guys at home. And I know intimately how hard it is when Ryan wakes up in the middle of the night (and with 4 molars coming in at the same time I know he wasn't sleeping well!). And how challenging it can be to try and get the boys fed and off to school in the morning. And how early Hari had to leave work every day to make the hour (plus!) trip home in time to pick the boys before the school closed.
Frankly, I came home to what I was expecting... two safe, happy healthy little boys, one exhausted husband, a happy dog, and an exceedingly messy house. And while I would love to have come home to a clean house as well, it was just good to be back with my boys and our darling Sydney. Right where I belong!
He did a great job, and the kids clearly enjoyed daddy time, but as I feared a lot happened while I was gone. I was utterly floored when I heard that while Ryan was supposed to be transitioning from Infants to Toddlers at school, on Wednesday he effectively declared himself a big boy! He had gone for his "visit" to Toddlers, and when it was time for him to head back to Infants instead he ran away from the teachers and refused to go back. AND Hari was letting him completely feed himself at mealtimes - extra messy, but he was happy and was doing just fine. I go away for 3 days and suddenly Ryan has proclaimed he's no longer a baby!!
My trip home on Thursday night was pretty uneventful, and I got home around 11:00PM and walked into the house to find Hari on the sofa with one boy in each arm, floppy and asleep! Colin had tried to stay awake, but dozed off about 10 minutes before I got home.
I first said a big hello to Sydney who was over-wagging, clearly thrilled to see me, and wouldn't let me take 2 steps into the house until I gave her a thorough greeting (girly!!!). Then I waded through a sea of toys and books, took poor Colin in my arms, and walked my little guy upstairs where I laid him in bed and snuggled briefly with him before heading back downstairs. Ryan was still zonked, but I grabbed him and leaned back on the sofa, and just enjoyed being home with my three guys.
But relaxation wasn't my destiny as I started looking around the house. I decided to ignore it, and try to relax. The next morning it all sank in. Toys and books were covering the floor of every room downstairs, dinosaurs were all over the floor of their bedroom, the dishwasher was half-full of clean dishes (I ran it before I left, and they just used the dishes one by one), and the sink was very full of dirty dishes. The kitchen table hadn't been wiped down, there were crumbs on the table and floor... it was a total disaster!
While Ryan at his breakfast I started picking up some of the toys, but there just wasn't time to get to everything. When Colin came down for his breakfast I started teasing him that Daddy broke all the rules. Colin immediately came to his father's defense, assuring me that Daddy hadn't broken any rules. Oh really???
Did daddy let you eat in front of the TV?
Yes.
Did daddy give you pizza for dinner?
Yes.
Did daddy let you stay up late?
Yeeees.
Did daddy ask you to put your toys away?
Noooo. (giant grin)
Did daddy let you watch a lot of TV?
Yeeeees.
So daddy did break all the rules.
(silence and a grin) SIGH!
My next effort was at lunch. After visiting the boys I zoomed briefly home, threw in a load of laundry, put the remaining clean dishes away, loaded the dishwasher and started it. After picking up the boys on my way home we stopped at the store to pick up a part for the shower (the door handle broke off) we headed home and arrived at the house at the same time as Hari. After dinner I reminded Colin to put his toys away before bed, and threw in another load of laundry. Finally, the house was starting to gain some semblance of order.
Now, this isn't a total castigation of Hari. He had his hands full with the boys and Sydney - I know from experience that it isn't easy having to find a way to get Syd to go potty with two little guys at home. And I know intimately how hard it is when Ryan wakes up in the middle of the night (and with 4 molars coming in at the same time I know he wasn't sleeping well!). And how challenging it can be to try and get the boys fed and off to school in the morning. And how early Hari had to leave work every day to make the hour (plus!) trip home in time to pick the boys before the school closed.
Frankly, I came home to what I was expecting... two safe, happy healthy little boys, one exhausted husband, a happy dog, and an exceedingly messy house. And while I would love to have come home to a clean house as well, it was just good to be back with my boys and our darling Sydney. Right where I belong!
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