GinaFish.com

I survived, how about you?? Due to the business of last week, I just didn’t get many entries under the belt, did I? I hope to do a little better this week, but this will still be a busy week since I have to undecorate the living room, redecorate with regular ‘pretties’, clean the house, shop for Suzanne’s birthday, bake two cakes, get packed for a weekend away from home, and put away all of the Christmas gifts and goodies we received. Whew! I’m tired! And ready for January 2nd!

Last Friday, I took E to the doctor b/c he had been running a fever of 103 for a few days. Meds would help, but then up it’d go again. He had an ear infection, a respiratory infection, and strep throat. 4 prescriptions later and 5 days, he’s much better. Not that he ever complained or acted sick. He would only complain if he got the chills. One night he slept with so many blankets I thought he might get lost and suffocate!

And what do I do Saturday? I wrapped…and wrapped…and went to the grocery store…and wrapped…and then wrapped some more. Ethan had selected 24 gifts to wrap, Suzanne selected 17, I had bought five gifts to wrap, and after bedtime, Santa had to wrap. Anyone want to massage the knot from between my shoulders? I’m calling it my wrapping knot. Its name is Pete.

I realize that this story was told on Christmas day, but I have to record it in my blog. One day I might file my blog away for my kids to read when I’m old and gray so they will realize their mother doesn’t belong on a pedestal but is a real person.

So it’s Christmas Eve. We’ve baked cookies. We’ve passed gifts out to our neighbors. We’ve read “Twas the night before Christmas”. I’m antsy to wrap Santa’s gifts because I know Christmas day will be a long one.

I just didn’t realize how Christmas Eve was going to go down…

I already knew that Suzanne was scared of Santa. She would not sit on his lap any of the three times she saw him, or speak to him. In fact, she is scared of most adults. Bedtime was 8p.m. Suzanne though was scared shitless. Sorry, gotta cuss…there’s no other way to describe it. She was crying in her bed petrified because Santa was coming to our house that night. He might look in her room. Then she confessed that she wasn’t a good girl and Santa might not leave her any thing. She has hit her brother many times. She was naughty and Santa is going to come in her house and she’s scared. I take her to the loveseat to cuddle with me, hoping she’ll get tired. She just stays upset.

Josh isn’t feeling well so he has taken some cold medicine and is falling asleep on couch so I tell him to go to bed. I take Suzanne to her bed, and I sit on her floor and read waiting for her to fall asleep. She finally goes to sleep at 9.

I turn the air conditioner on so the noise level is up a little because Santa still has to wrap his gifts. On the kitchen table…10 feet away from the doors of sleeping babes…Please oh God. Please don’t let one of them hear me cutting this paper, or open their door to go to the bathroom and see the table with the milk and cookies already disappeared…Please oh please…9:55. I’m finished. All the gifts are under the tree. The cheese is wrapped in the frig. The stockings are filled and resting on the couch. I’m ready to go to bed.

I’m going to carry Santa’s paper to the garage, when my son’s door opens. I freakishly toss the paper roll in between the frig and wall before he can see it, run to him, and push him in his room. “Is it time yet???” He asks, wide-eyed and bushy tailed. “No No! I haven’t even been to bed yet! Get in your bed. Let me set your alarm okay?? When it rings 5:30 you can get out of bed, until then stay in bed so Santa can bring your presents, okay??” “Okay mom, what are you doing?” “Me? Oh, I’m watching TV. Goodnight E”

I close his door; I cover the stockings with pillows, and hide the wrapping paper. I lay on the couch, wondering how long it will take him to fall asleep. I watch the news and give him till 10:16 when the sports comes on. I open his door to look. He’s staring straight at me. “Is it time?”, “No, Ethan. Stay in bed. Until the alarm goes off. I’m going to bed now.”

I lay in bed, listening to Josh snore because of his cold. I set the alarm for 5:30. I get a little sleep when at 1:30, I hear Suz on the monitor. “Mommy, I’m scared,î she says in a little voice. I go into her room. She asks if Santa has been here yet. “I’m not sure, I came straight to your room” I lay on her floor for a minute till she goes back to sleep, and then I go to my bed.

I quickily fall asleep. Then! Our bedroom door is flung wide open! Ethan starts to clap! “It’s time! It’s time! He’s been here! It’s time to open presents!” He announces very authoritatively. I groggily say, “Ethan, did your alarm go off? It’s 2 am!! Get back in bed! It’s still the middle of the night!” (*Note - when I use an exclamation mark, it’s not because I’m using my angry voice, I’m just loud. If I’m screaming, I might use two exclamations…or sometimes that’s just exasperation…)

So he leaves the door wide open, and goes back to his room. I sleep so restlessly. A rain shower has started, my paranoia about Suzanne starting to cry again, Josh’s occasional snoring, knowing that tomorrow is going to be a long day…I’m just trying to sleep people!! But it’s a fitful sleep.

At 4:30 a.m. I hear little feet running. Suzanne makes a leap into bed and says she’s scared, can she sleep with us? Only…she’s not tired any more. “Mommy, can we talk?”, “No, I’m trying to sleep”…she snuggles up to me…Josh rolls over and puts his hand on her..”Daddy, youíre squishing me! Can you open the curtains?”

Right now, our bed has no headboard and is pushed up to a window so in the morning, we can raise the blinds, and look out and watch the animals in the yard while still under the blankets all snuggly.

Josh has decided that since Suzanne is obviously awake, he’ll roll over and lifts the blinds. “Daddy, do you see Santa or Rudolph?” she asks. “I don’t think Santa came to our house, I didn’t see any presents.” He reassures her that Santa came. They talk quietly, and then…

4:45 a.m…Ethan races across the living room to our bedroom. “Is it time, yet???” Josh and I agree. We all get up and the day starts.

I begin to suspect that Ethan actually never slept Christmas Eve, so I ask him. He just gives me a sly grin that tells me all I need to know. That if he slept, it was in short spurts, and in fact, he probably was up most of the night.

I told Josh I felt like I had another child that night I was up and down so much! What an early way to start the Christmas day.
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And Happy Anniversary to me and Ginafish.com! This was my Christmas present last year, and although the other pages haven’t been updated lately, I think I’ve done alright at keeping the blog up to date, so I’d like to pat myself on the back for one year well done. But Pete hurts. Help? Someone??