30 months 12 days

Day 926. Last night I went to bed at 12:10 am, knowing I needed to go to bed earlier really bad. However, Sammy was crying. Randy got up to give him a suppository. He then soon fell asleep.

This morning it was Emmy who came way too early, at 6:10 am. After a few minutes he got up, but Randy did not want him to wake the others up. He walked him to his bed and sat down by him, but only moments later Sammy was up and crying, and so he and Randy came back to our bed. Then Tammy and Emmy both came to us, and soon all three were up playing. I still managed to stay in bed until 7:40. When I got up, they had put on the Christmas hats that were lying in a corner and asked me to put Sammy's hat on as well and to then take a picture. That's how that cute picture came to be.

I made breakfast and we sat down to eat. Then I cleaned them up and dressed them, and we went downstairs, where we read a Bible story together. They had found the litte Peppa Pigs booklets upstairs and took them downstairs with them, and so they wanted me to read them to them. I'd read four of them before Randy came with his breakfast. Then I grabbed my computer and went upstairs to work.

At 11:30 I stopped and went to the kitchen to cook. Randy and the kids came upstairs before noon, and just after noon everyone sat down at the table to eat. Randy has been frustrated about feeding Sammy, and the other day when I fed him, it went really well, so we switched today. I had no problem feeding Sammy. They had all pudding, and then I cleaned them all up and started dressing them. Randy took Tammy downstairs, and the boys went to bed at 12:45. Ten minutes later Emmy was asleep, Sammy before then. Tammy came upstairs at 1:10. I took her to bed, then walked away. We still had to do our Covid test. I did mine, then it was Randy's turn. Then I heard Tammy calling me to come rock her. I picked her up and sat down with her. Now she was the one whose body was warm. So far she'd been spared side-effects of the vaccination yesterday ( meningitis and FMSE). She immediately lay still, and it did not take long for me to be able to put her to bed, where she continued sleeping. Then I returned to my computer to work.

Randy left to hand in our tests and buy some groceries. At 2 pm Emmy walked into the room. They just don't sleep long anymore. I picked him up and lay down with him for a few minutes. Then Sammy started crying, so we got up, and I went downstairs with both of them. We had lots of fun together, as I've not spent much time on the floor like that with them recently. Emmy wanted to swing, and Sammy to be swung, and we also read some books together. One book had different sounds, including a bee sound, and Emmy kept pushing it, while I pretended to be scared that there was a bee and looking around for it. Emmy laughed every single time and kept pushing it. He also wanted to look at picture books, and we looked at two. One was from when they were just a few weeks old.

Just before 3 pm Randy finally returned. And then Tammy woke up and came running to him. I came to get her and to take her downstairs, where she joined the fun until Randy was done putting the groceries away, which seemed to take a long time. I was finally able to return upstairs to work on my computer.

I was very tired and closed my eyes for a few minutes. After I opened them again, I could already hear Emmy calling for me to come downstairs. And so I took my computer and my tea and moved everything downstairs to my office.

It wasn't long before Emmy asked to watch a service/worship time, which he thinks I'll let him do more easily than watch Peppa Pig or Paw Patrol, and then he asks for those once he's watching the service. After a few minutes I turned Paw Patrol on for them to watch. They sat right next to me, while I was doing work where concentration is not required.

But Sammy was pretty cranky all day, still effects from the vaccinations, and Randy went upstairs to do stuff and so I had him with me, holding him with one arm, while working with the other, but some work requires both hands. He was happy for a while, then I put him back on the floor to play. Once Randy returned, he was able to cheer him up again.

After a few episodes I ended the watching session. Then Emmy wanted to watch worship, as he loves to watch the guitar players. He stayed for a little time before he left to do more interesting things.

We hang up our laundry to dry downstairs and their new Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol bedding was hanging there after it was washed before using it the first time. Emmy spotted it right away, and they were both excited to look at it - again.

I had just finished a task but had a few minutes left before it was time to go upstairs. Emmy was with me, and as I was posting some videos from the last two days, he got to see them. I ended up having both Tammy and Emmy with me watching those videos of themselves from dance class and with Grandma yesterday full-screen. Then we left to go upstairs for dinner.

They pulled up chairs to the kitchen counter and started eating what I was putting on their plates in front of them. Once it was mostly done, we moved to the dining room table. After a while they got up to go into the bathtub. Emmy gets in by  himself, while Tammy asks for help. Sammy hadn't eaten ANYthing at the table tonight, but thankfully he was eating in the water. Not so his siblings who hardly ate anything. But they were having fun playing dance class being the teachers for the rubber duckies and other animals in the water.

They came out one after another and by 7 pm they were all in bed. I sat down by them, and Tammy lay down on my chest. We talked a little bit, then I started singing to them, as always. Emmy wanted me to sing to him a second time, and so Tammy wanted the same. I even sang a third time for Emmy. Tammy finally returned to her bed, but then Emmy wanted to come lie on my chest, so I agreed. That upset Tammy who sat up. She was jealous, when she's the one lying on me every day and Emmy hardly ever! I held Emmy for a while, not even long, then he was ready to go back to bed. Tammy wanted to come back but I said no. Emmy was holding my hand and putting his face on it to fall asleep. I pulled my hand away at some point to use my phone. He demanded my hand back, but I said no. He got upset and wanted me gone and Daddy to take my place. So I got up and left. It was the usual 7:40 pm. Randy sat down with him, and he soon fell asleep.

Instead of getting something to eat I went downstairs to work. While working, Sammy started crying and cried on and off for a long time. By 9:10 I got so hungry I finally took a break to eat. But first I give Sammy some milk and stroked his head, and then he finally fell asleep for good without any more crying. I finally went downstairs to eat, and then back to work, getting stuff ready for the missions conference in Upper Austria next week. Once again I'm hoping it won't get too late tonight.