Mommy Time

Each day, I try to get all of the kids down for a nap at a similar time so that I can have a few moments to myself. Unfortunately, I don't usually use these few moments for anything exciting... mostly just laundry, cooking, dishes, or some other necessary task like showering.

Yesterday I was able to get the Joey down for his nap somewhere around 1:00. The babies went in for their afternoon nap about an hour after that. I was optimistically hoping for at least an hour to myself where I could clean up the house, shower, get dressed, and make myself look decent enough for a job interview (more on that later...). I even started to think that maybe I'd be able to catch up on a DVR'd episode of Oprah. I quickly picked up the toys, tossed the laundry in the dryer, and headed for the shower.

As soon as I turned the water off and opened the shower curtain I heard the dreaded sound. It was coming from Child #1: "Moooommmmmmyyyyyy!!!!" it yelled over and over and over again. As if that wasn't enough notification that nap time was over for my dear 2 year old, he then continued with, "My done mommy! My done night night!" I threw on my clothes, wrapped up my hair, and ventured down the hallway to retrieve him. I glanced at the clock at this point and it was exactly 2:19. Boy was I disappointed to discover that the napping overlap was a mere 19 minutes. 19 minutes of peace and quiet. 19 minutes where no one asked for anything, spilled something, spit up on me, or made a big mess.

Today has proved to be no different. Except for the 19 minute part. I think I got 7 minutes. Maybe less than that. Katelyn went first. Drank a bottle, fell sound asleep, and went straight to bed. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. It was 12:26. Ron took Joey for a walk to the park to burn off a little energy, then he brought him in, washed him up and put him down at about 1:00. Olivia was next. I quietly sat and nursed her, she fell asleep, and went down surprisingly easily. Time check: 1:11.

On my way out of the room, I peek in on Katelyn in her crib. She had flipped herself over and was looking right at me. With a great big "I'm awake now," look on her face. "Crap," I thought to myself. Being spotted is the first mistake. She let out a little squeal of delight followed by arm flailing and a HUGE smile. "Oh no, little one," I whispered. "It's still nap time for you." I plugged her binkie back in, gave her her blankie, and said a little prayer that she'd go back to sleep. I left the room, switched over the laundry (what else is new?!?) and heard her squealing away. Loudly. It was as if she was saying, "My done mommy! My done night night!" The time was 1:18. I had to go back in to get her, because Miss Olivia is a pretty light sleeper and if she wakes up too early all Hell breaks loose.

So here we are. 2 down, 1 up. I guess that's better than the alternatives: 1 down, 2 up. Or 0 down, all up. But I'm still left wondering why. Why is this happening to me? Why won't all of my children sleep at the same time? Don't they understand that Mommy has things that she would like to do too? Like shower, check my email, and maybe even close my eyes for 12 minutes. They totally understand. And they are doing this to torture me. I'm sure of it.