Survival

I'd like my blog posts to be positive, but I don't want to misrepresent my life or the challenges I sometimes face. So in the interests of being real, here are some 'highlights' from the past 24 hours ...

• Took last of second round of antibiotics for throat infection last night. This morning throat was already sore again.
• Charlotte is on antibiotics for ear and throat infections, and is running high temperatures, particularly at night. On six-hourly baby Panadol. Up every hour settling her until around 1:00am, when she had a longer sleep.
• Grace woke around 12:30am and wanted to go downstairs and play. Didn't let her. Tried a bottle, putting her back in the cot, threats, bribes, sleeping in the spare bed with her, sleeping in our bed with her. Neither of us slept. She finally went down in her cot at 3:00am.
• Spent 15 minutes hand expressing painful, lumpy breast (it is two days since I finished weaning Charlotte) so could lie on my side. Got to bed around 3:20am.
• Charlotte up by 5:00am, and a bit miserable. Spent time settling her and packing for our day.
• Drove two and a half hours in cold, wet and windy conditions to Sale for Neil's aunt's funeral. Sat in the back singing, handing out toys, and otherwise trying to keep the girls occupied until we got there.
• Grace periodically said "Singapore?" as we went through a town. The last time she had to sit still for so long, she ended up somewhere a bit more exciting than a funeral in Sale in the middle of winter!
• Tried to keep hungry six-month-old and energetic two-year-old quiet during funeral mass. Didn't want too much crying, or giggling. Ended up in the foyer for most of it.
• Played in the cemetery car park with Grace while Neil attended the burial. Tried to keep her out of the mud puddles so her clothes wouldn't be ruined before meeting all the relatives at the afternoon tea.
• Stood in the rain making bottles from a thermos and tins of formula in the back of the ute. Changed dirty nappies on the floor in a side room of the cathedral. Worked hard to stop Grace drawing on the wall with the white board markers, or knocking over the statue of Mary.
• Met a lot of Neil's relatives for the first time. Concentrated hard so my sleep-deprived brain would remember their names. Started to get confused when one kept referring to Neil as 'Andrew'.
• Stayed awake talking to Neil on the way home so he wouldn't fall asleep. Thankfully, the girls slept most of the way.
• Quick and easy pasta for dinner. Not enough energy to make a healthier meal.
• Late afternoon sleeps meant girls didn't go down until 9:45pm. Time for a quick blog post then bed!