It's a Shock Top kind of night...eh?

Let's just say Mommy deserves this beer.  Tonight Landon decided to scream for hours on end and Ava decided that she would like to start potty-training. Right. Now. My mommy senses tell me that Landon is going through a growth-spurt, hard to believe since the kid is already growing out of his 9 month old clothing at 3 months. And Ava, on her part, finds my attention being finely divided between her and Landon, which is maddening to a two-year old, I am sure.

What better way to get Mommy's attention, then to do something as monumental as peeing in a potty for the first time ever!? But peeing in the potty and being celebrated just doesn't cut it when baby brother is hogging all the attention with his screams. Ava wanted to go pee again, and again, and again, or at least try.  And so there I am, trying to calm down a screaming baby while my two year old runs around naked yelling, "Mommy, pee in potty!", (while she sticks her hands and face into her potty chair, cue the mommy meltdown).  Luckily, I was able to intervene just in time to stop a potty disaster, but good grief, can't we just all go to bed like calm, normal people? 

So I looked in the potty. Yes, it was there! She had gone pee in the potty!  I screeched with delirium, as I have been told that I am supposed to do, by some article I read somewhere on some website, to encourage the behavior.  But I am sure my happy screams and celebrating were lost amongst the lung wrenching screams of my youngest little angel.

Why does it seem like the world is falling apart when Roger is working a night shift?  It never fails.  I am stuck juggling two kids through dinner, diaper changes, cleaning, feedings, bath time, stories, songs, prayers...the whole routine which should normally take an hour, takes a torturous two to three hours and by the end of it all, I am exhausted and cursing Roger for every day of every year that he has ever had to work or be in a "meeting" or study at night.  I know it's not his fault, but come on!  Even when he's on "vacation", he's working.  He's putting together presentations, giving lectures, reading articles, attending meetings, dinners, socials, taking extra shifts...I am just so ready for all of this to be over. 

So yes, after reading two books through incessant crying and whining, and saying prayers, while being climbed on and tickled, and singing umpteen lullabies while nursing and being screeched at, I am going to drink a beer.  It is definitely a Shock Top kind of night.