23 months 4 days

Day 704. Last night I went to bed at 12:15 am. This morning it was Tammy who was whining until I went to pick her up, before Emmy even came to me. It was just before 6 am. Just after 6:30 we already sat down to feed them breakfast. After cleaning them up and dressing them, I took them downstairs, where we turned worship music on, and they wanted the instruments right away. A little later I also got the Bibles out. Once Randy came, I went upstairs to clean up, and then lay down as I was very tired. It was 7:30, and I could sleep until 9 am, so I set my timer. I woke up before that because of the noise Randy made. He always starts getting ready to leave super early. At 9:15 Sonja arrived, which was a great blessing, and that's when Randy left with Sammy to go to the private physiotherapy session.

Tammy and Emmy had a great time with Sonja. Even while I was downstairs with them, Emmy already asked to look at photobooks, which they love doing, and I told him he could do that with Sonja once she got her. Then he wanted to do some drawing, and I gave him the same answer. They got to do both with Sonja.

While they were having fun, I was working. Until 10:30, which is when I started cooking. It took me longer than expected, so it was already after 11 am, when we sat down to eat. We had steak today, which they don't eat often, and Tammy ate hers really quickly, and I gave her some of Emmy's. Then they had their icecream, and after that yoghurt with pear sauce. They were already pretty tired. I cleaned them up, dressed them, and put Emmy to bed right away, while Sonja went downstairs with Tammy.

I had just put Emmy to bed, when Randy and Sammy returned. Emmy had aready been asking for them, and so he was happy to see his Daddy, and fell asleep not long after. Randy sat down to feed Sammy, and then he went to bed as well. At noon I put Tammy to bed, who needed quite a while, as always, to fall asleep. She always takes the sheet off now, crawling under, and then falls asleep on the mattress with the sheet next to her. Maybe it's time to get them pillows and comforters.

Sammy was the first one to wake up, as always, and I took him downstairs. When Emmy woke up, Randy sat down with him, but he didn't go back to sleep, and so I took him downstairs as well. Then Tammy woke up and lay on Daddy's chest instead of her brother, but not for very long. And so we called the others upstairs at about 2:30, so they could all have their afternoon snack.

I opened the balcony door, and Sonja went outside with their jar, while Randy sat right inside with Sammy. I also gave her the bubbles to blow, and then went to get some fruit for them. After they were done eating and Randy had gotten off his chair for some reason, Tammy sat down on it. She's put food into her brothers' mouths before. Then they all went downstairs to play, while I went back to work. I'm still setting up my new computer, which is just so time-consuming.

I was also working on planning our 3-week ministry trip through Austria, and when I wanted to rent a car, there was none available anywhere. Great. It's also frustrating, when you write people and they ignore your messages. I guess that's life. So everything is up in the air right now. I'm still praying we'll have our own car some time; it would sure make life easier. (A Seat Alhambra would be nice.)

With my mounting frustration and dead ends everywhere, I finally quit and went downstairs to be with my sunshines. Randy had left to pick something up from the store (which was out of stock anyway). I had one hour of fun with them. I took down all their shoes with me, already knowing they would want to go outside, which they did. They wanted the cars out, and Tammy enjoys the sandbox. Sammy was rather cranky and wouldn't just be by himself.

Tammy was throwing sand out of the sandbox, and I asked her not to do that. She continued doing it. I again told her to keep the sand inside the box, and that if she did it again, she'd go into the chair. After a short time she did it again, and so I put her into a high chair she can't get out off that I had set outside. She was alright, and after a few minutes it seemed that she agreed not to throw sand, and I got her back out. It wasn't long before she did it again, and so she went into the chair again that I had already moved back inside. This time she was screaming at the top of her lungs and trying to keep me from getting her in. She kept screaming. After a few minutes I got her out, and she immediately melted into my arms and got quiet. I could tell she was pretty tired. I talked to her, asking her not to throw sand ever again.

Now I was upstairs with her clinging to me, when I was supposed to be making their dinner. And then Emmy came up the stairs all by himself. There was no way I could do anything. Finally everyone came upstairs, and Tammy was willing to go be with Daddy instead of me. I finally started making their food, and it wasn't long before Emmy started coming by for some of it. Before I was done getting it all ready, they sat down, and I gave them what I had, while continuing to cut fruit. Once they stopped eating, I combined their food on one plate, and they finished most of it in the bathtub.

As is the case, when I'm not in the bathtub with them and blocking the faucet, they immediately start turning the water on and off. Sammy is very determined to do so, and I hold him up while he stands there. Unfortunately I have the sink in my way, so it's extremely uncomfortable for me to hold him like that, while kneeling on the floor. At some point I couldn't do it any more, and he started screaming because he wanted to be there so bad. We had to get him out, and he was upset for a while. Tammy wasn't that interested in it today, as I turned the showerhead on early on, and she stayed away after. I turned it on repeatedly to try to keep Emmy away as well, but that didn't work that well. And Sammy couldn't care less. After they were done eating and drinking the cereal with milk, we got them out.

They were in bed before 7 pm, but nobody fell asleep right away. They all waved to Sonja, who was leaving, and said "baba" (bye bye). And Emmy said "Sonja" instead of "Sasa" for the very first time. After she had left, he kept saying "Sonja", and I kept saying that she had gone home. He can now pronounce her name correctly!

After a while of them moving and talking, I finally had enough and just left. I was surprised when there was not more protest coming from them, and I was actually able to sit down and eat and get back to work, with them falling asleep. Now it's time to do all the cleanup and try go to bed at a decent time.