A Day of Surprises

2-7-11

The college semester has commenced, and Ted’s back to work full time, which means I have the boys three full days and nights (till 10 ish) a week all on my own.  Today was my first day back in it solo, and, well, let’s just say it was full of surprises.

AM: Cooper and I made muffins from scratch. It was a great time. While cooking, Riley took a bubble bath and thoroughly enjoyed blowing bubbles, soaping himself with them, and splashing around. I got him out of the tub and then convinced Cooper to take a shower before the muffins were done. He agreed. After some tub drainage time had passed, I went back into the bathroom, only to find that Riley had pooped in the tub. Surprise! You see, the bubbles had covered it up, so I never knew. I had a huge mess to clean up and disinfecting to do. Cooper, by the way, thoroughly enjoyed the process of clean up and commented on Riley’s poop: “There’s a carrot.” Gross! I doubt Riley will get e-coli poisoning, but I'll be watching him closely for the next 3 days.

PM: We had the best trip to Costco in a long time! The boys sat together and hugged rather than pinched, kissed rather than hit, smiled rather than yelled. We met our budget, ordered lunch, and were on our way home. As soon as I got Riley in the car, Cooper said, “I have to go pee.” Okay. I told him to just let me get all the groceries in and get Riley out of the car. He was semi-patient, hopping all about, saying, "I can just go here on this island." "No. Not in the Costco parking lot!" I rushed the boys back in, and Cooper made it, as I knew he would. Upon returning to the car, I went to open the door, and, surprise, my keys were sitting on my seat, the doors locked, and my groceries baking away in green house temperatures. I became cranky, and my Costco experience was demoted from "the best ever" to "what a pain in my...."

As I reflect back, I find the humor in it all. I’m blessed and thoroughly privileged to live this life.  Cooper’s sleeping in my bed right now. Our last words: “I love you Cooper.” “I love you, too. I love you a lot!” And then he gave me a giant hug. Sweet.