32 months 22 days

Day 995. Last night I headed to bed just after 11:30 pm. However, it took half an hour before I could actually go to sleep. Emmy came to me, lay down for a few minutes, had milk, and then went back to bed. Later he came a second time for the same routine. In the morning he came an hour earlier than usual, just after 6 am already. Tammy had already been sleeping in our bed for a while at that point. Emmy lay down next to me, but only for a few minutes before he was up. He was playing on his own. Then Sammy started crying, and Randy brought him to our bed, then changed his diaper. He was crying hard, which woke Tammy up, who then joined Emmy playing and messing things up. I didn't want to get up this early and stayed in bed until 7:30.

I emptied the dishwasher, made breakfast, and we sat down to eat. Then I cleaned them up and dressed them and took them downstairs, where we read a Bible story together. Then Sammy played his favorite drum set, Emmy his two Malian drums, and Tammy wanted to continue looking at the Bible. I left them and went upstairs to work. A few minutes later Randy went downstairs to stay with them.

I was still pretty miserable, my nose dripping constantly. I received Tammy's and Randy's Covid test result, and Tammy was negative like her siblings, while Randy was positive but already over it with his CT value so high that he was not contagious. I made good progress working anyway and was glad that I didn't have to cook, as we still had enough soup left over to eat one more time today. Just before noon I put the soup into our bowls, and everyone came upstairs to eat. Tammy ate everything again, while Emmy had to be encouraged to eat more. They had icecream and pudding, and then they all went into the bathtub to get rinsed off while having fun. We got them out and dressed them and took the kids downstairs, where Randy stayed with them. I returned to my computer to work, not feeling up to cleaning up. At 1:25 they came back upstairs and went to bed. Today it worked out much better than yesterday. Emmy having gotten up so early meant that he fell asleep quickly. When I left after about ten minutes, Tammy was the only one not completely asleep, but she didn't protest me leaving.

We enjoy the new nap schedule, especially Randy who gets more of a break. I continued working. At 2:30 Sammy woke up. Five minutes later Emmy walked into the room, and another five minutes later Tammy was up. We started changing their diapers and dressing Tammy and Emmy, while Sammy was having fun exploring what he knows he shouldn't. Tammy is always extremely cranky after she wakes up, making it very hard to dress her. At 3:15 Randy left with Tammy and Emmy to go to their weekly dance class. Now that I'm the only sick and in quarantine, there is no reason they couldn't go to their class. I wished they didn't have to miss their exercise class yesterday, but we hadn't had our results at that time.

After they had left, Sammy and I went downstairs together. I went to work at the computer, while Sammy was playing his beloved drums. I was actually amazed at how well the over two hours the two of us were alone together worked out, as I hear him cry so much when he's with Randy and wants to be held the whole time by him. He was on his own for most of the two hours. I was working and constantly talking to him and giving him feedback or helping him with something. He was playing with a ball at one point, pushing it, then crawling after it, and pushing it again. Sammy was having fun the whole time and did not whine or cry. I was so impressed. I was able to get a lot of work done, and then I had some time and put him into the swing. He does not get to swing much with Randy who's afraid of him falling out, and yet he enjoys it so much. The wilder the better. I told him to lean back so he would not fall out, and because I said that, he leaned forward on purpose. He really likes to do the opposite of what you're asking him to do and then just laughs hysterically, whether you ask him to stop scratching or other stuff he shouldn't do. And so it continued for minutes, and I filmed him having fun in the swing. You can see how he keeps letting go and leaning back, when I intervene, and laughing hysterically.

At 5:30 we went upstairs, so I could make dinner for the kids. I put him on the floor with some toys and told him that Daddy and his siblings would be back any minute. He crawled to the door and stayed there. Thankfully they returned after only a few minutes. He was really excited to see them, especially Daddy. He had only asked for Daddy once early on after they had left and got a little whiny after I told him Daddy wasn't here.

Tammy and Emmy immediately came to me to tell me about dance class. They were excited, and they wanted to go downstairs to watch a video. Randy told me that the class had gone well. I went downstairs with them and turned the puppets on for them. I asked them not to cry once it was over, and told Randy they could come upstairs to eat after it was over. Then I returned to the kitchen to make their food.

It was not long after 6 pm, when they came upstairs to eat. Now that they don't eat in the bathtub any more, they eat so much less, and it's so frustrating to see their full plates after they leave the table. I was still feeding Sammy who eats more slowly, and he definitely eats more at the table now than he did, when they still ate in the bathtub, though it's still not as much as then. Tammy and Emmy went potty after getting up from the table and then went into the water. Then Sammy joined them, and I relieved Randy to stay with them. We were all having fun together. It was hair-washing night, and they do so much better now than they used to. However, tonight Tammy did not want to dunk her hair into the water before I'd apply the shampoo, and so I held the shower head over her head which upset her. And Sammy glided into the water. He wasn't even upset, when I pulled him back out!

Then they came out one after another, and we got them ready for bed. By 7:05 they were already in bed.

They had all slept about an hour at nap time, so I was hoping they'd fall asleep faster tonight. Tammy wanted to be rocked and lay on my chest, but Emmy wanted to as well and was impatient. And Sammy also waited for his turn. Tammy wouldn't go back to bed, and Emmy wanted to be rocked NOW. I told them I would leave if they didn't calm down and lie down. I rocked Emmy briefly, then Sammy, but there was always someone unhappy about it. Finally they were all lying down and happy with holding my hand. However, I only have two hands for three kids, and so Emmy had one and Tammy the other hand for most of the time. At some point I was able to withdraw them. At 7:50 I was able to walk away without anyone protesting. They had definitely fallen asleep faster.

I was feeling a little better and spent the time and effort to make my salad, then went downstairs to eat. After having eaten I went back to work, and hopefully, it will be another earlier-than-usual bedtime tonight.