Conversation with the doctor:
Him: They’ll need two booster shots on the meningitis….
Daniel: Scream, scream, scream.
Michael: Scream, scream, scream.
Princess (at top of voice): Stop screaming Daniel and Michael.
Me: Sorry, I didn’t catch that.
Him: Has the Princess had a meningitis shot?
Me: No [I’d remember, it’s 68 euros per shot – they’ll each need 3 shots; the doctor charges 40 euros per child per visit so that makes it approx 660 euros for the twins; I think I’d have remembered even half
that expenditure for her Highness].
Him: No, it has been developed since she was a baby.
Me: Actually my brother works for the pharmaceutical company that developed it; I like to think that I am contibuting my mite to his bonus.
Daniel: Scream, scream, scream.
Michael: Scream, scream, scream.
Princess: TALK TO ME!
Him: I’m afraid that I didn’t quite catch that.
Further entertainment was provided by a broken lift which meant that I had to carry Michael and Daniel up and down the stairs while getting herself to join us by powers of persuasion rather than brute force. Needless to say we only discovered the lift was broken by squeezing into it and waiting in vain for it to move. Did I mention that I forgot to bring the boys’ nappy bag? Oh happy morning. Oh yeah and that it snowed on us on the way back to the car.
When we arrived home, it was to discover that the boys had fallen asleep in the car. The Princess instantly remedied this by screaming in their ears. Fab.
on 06 March 2006 at 16:27
How you keep your hands off of them I don’t know. I shall be a very bad mother.
on 06 March 2006 at 22:27
Kristin, how comforting.
Bobble, and who says I keep my hands off them? In fact, these days, I seem to spend half my time physically wrenching herself off her brothers.
Sleeping Arrangements
9.20 Michael stops crying. Most upsetting. Thought we had cracked it when the night before last they only cried for ten minutes but obviously, they’re made of sterner stuff than I had realised. Very traumatised. Mr. Waffle less so “they don’t remember it”. “Well, if that’s so, why do they start to cry when they see their little sleeping bags laid out on the bed. The heartless one started to laugh “clever little boys”.
10.00 Bed
10.30 Mr. Waffle in to tend to screaming child.
11.40 Princess up and crying (yes, still sick, no have not been outside the house since Sunday)
11.45 I take over from Mr. Waffle, he puts herself back to bed.
12.00 – 5.30 Mr. Waffle on Princess duty (up several times) and me on baby duty;D (up constantly as far as I can recall).
5.30 Mr. Waffle on baby duty.
5.50 Princess comes in to our bed.
6.20 Mr. Waffle puts Princess back to her own bed.
6.30 Baby wakes up -am back on baby duty until 7.30 when they fall asleep.
7.30 Mr. Waffle gets up.
8.00 Boys and I get up.
Comments
Minks, all appears to be um improving. Why am I tempting fate this way?
Sarcastic Journalist on 05 March 2006 at 04:35 That’s something like my life, just with one less child. And uh, less of my husband helping.
belgianwaffle
on 06 March 2006 at 22:28 SJ, not really, because your older child is at home with you ALL DAY. Hideous thought, I think I might die, if this happened to me.
Equation
Laundry Basket
Washing machine
Basement
Basket for transporting laundry
Coat stand
And, as our American cousins would say, payback:
on 28 February 2006 at 15:58
Well put. ���
on 28 February 2006 at 18:49
how absolutely wonderful – 1 moment where they aren’t screeching
0Sweetie(s) given ���
on 28 February 2006 at 21:42
Our house looks like a massive washing basket. Your children should be on a washing powder advert. They are beautiful xx
0Sweetie(s) given ���
on 02 March 2006 at 10:08
The boys are looking rather nervous in that pic – and they’re all very, very cute.
0Sweetie(s) given ���
on 02 March 2006 at 22:05
Aw, thank you all very much. Is valium a Class A drug?
0Sweetie(s) given ���
Mid-term Break
This week is mid-term. Who knows whether I will be able to blog any more or not? Just me and the three small children at home. To save my sanity there will be a treat at the end of the week. Mr. Waffle is taking a half day on Friday and we are driving to the Hague where the lovely Dutch Mama and her family will be welcoming us for the weekend.
Last time we went there, the Princess vomited on everything all the time and theyÂ’’re still having us back. How kind and brave. Frankly, itÂ’’s as well that this treat is in store because on the following Monday night, Mr. Waffle is off in the neighbouring Grand Duchy for work and my children and I will be spending our first night alone together in a while.
By the by, for those of you following the sleeping drama, it took the boys an hour to cry themselves to sleep last night but I’m past caring. Myself and Mr. Waffle sat on the sofa and callously turned up the volume on Jamie’s school dinners subtitled in French, while our poor baby boys howled piteously for their parents. They had the last laugh, however, and got us up from midnight to one, three to four, and four thirty to seven fifteen.
The Princess rose at 7.30 and told us solemnly that she was “not very sick, but a little bit sick”. This would appear to be an accurate diagnosis, so no leaving the house for me then. [Manic cackle echoes round the blog].
Comments
Oh lord – stir crazy already!
I like UC’s idea. After all we are always trying to teach our children about sharing. Can’t you share your children around all your neighbours for the week?
I hope you realize that you are ruining my fantasies about the unmitigated bliss of conjugal life!
I love it when the Friar talks dirty …
please try to keep on blogging 🙂
UC, GPM, yes it is a great idea…thanks fo r the sweetie GPM, I really needed it yesterday.
Pog, stir crazy doesn’t begin to describe it.
FT, pog, quite.
Negrito, blogging is the only thing that keeps me sane. I can now blog with a baby on my lap while reciting nursery rhymes to a toddler. Two awake babies is a killer though..
Worse things happen at sea
Last night we put the boys to bed at 7.00 and the pair of us alternately and together rocked them and soothed them until 10.20 when we gave up the ghost. Neither of them had slept for more than a few minutes and all four of us were exhausted. We decided to let them cry it out. Michael cried for 20 minutes and then stopped. Daniel cried lustily for a full 45 minutes. At 11.05 all was silent. It is very miserable to listen to your children cry and not to do anything about it. And then, I was cruelly awoken at 11.23 by the sound of howling. I suppose that we will look back at this some day and laugh. Hollowly.
Comments
on 26 February 2006 at 16:18
oh poor mr and mrs waffle. i ~do~ sympathise. (see, i’m even doing it non-american style.)
xo
Have you considered an exorcism? Perhaps this kind can only be driven out by prayer.
They say I cried a lot as a child. I only found out years later that I was plied with whiskey and milk on such occasions. All a bit Pavlovian, I?d say… 🙂
belgianwaffleon 27 February 2006 at 13:05
Mike, that is such a lovely idea. I would pretty much pay anything for borrowed sleep.
Kristin, am touched and spelling variation too.
FT, I like that.
JD, is that illegal now? I suppose no one would have to know..
I’d go for whiskey and an exorcism – you may even want to try witchcraft too.
DMTS, perhaps the nightmare is ending. No howling so far tonight.
Sleeping
The no sleep regime continues unabated. Daniel is like a briar. I suppose Michael has never really slept at night, so heÂ’’s used to it, but Daniel is finding the regular waking every bit as trying as his parents.
Today, I decided to go out and buy various things. Just to get out in the car where, I hoped, my cranky Daniel would sleep. I have just moved them to a double buggy which is wonderful etc. but despite being, you would think, an old hand at buggy folding and unfolding, I have found it just a tad challenging. This morning, I had the two boys sitting in their car seats in the hall and I tried to fold the buggy to get it into the car. No joy. Then discovered that the sling had become enmeshed with it and began trying to wrestle it out. Michael gurgled mirthfully at the sight of his mother becoming flushed and unhappy. Daniel began to howl. That boy can howl. I dislodged the sling and discovered that because the seats were still reclining when I tried to fold the wretched thing, that it was stuck half open, half closed. I wrestled some more. Daniel howled some more. The people who work in an office on the ground floor tried to ignore us. I gave a muffled howl of frustration. Daniel didn’Â’t bother muffling his howls. I stamped my foot. Still, the wretched thing wouldnÂ’’t yield. I put screaming Daniel in the garage where he screamed some more; Michael was enjoying the show so much that I let him stay put. I eventually managed to reopen the buggy but I fear that its canopy is fatally injured.
Did young Daniel fall asleep in the car? No he did not. As I type he sits gurgling in my lap looking as though butter wouldnÂ’t melt in his mouth.
Meanwhile, saintly Michael sleeps.
Comments
Lilo
on 24 February 2006 at 19:58 Having read this and your other sleep post I must say how impressed I am about how sane you’re sounding. We introduced the baby girl into the little boy’s room earlier this week, despite complaining of headaches when she cries and a bed-wetting incident which resulted in the little boy coming in to sleep with us, things seem to be going fairly smoothly. I’m only getting up 3 times a night now instead of every 2 hours – sorry this must sound like a luxury to you, but I’m sure things will smooth themselves out soon
kristin
on 25 February 2006 at 21:18
why is it that the stroller only malfunctions during moments of stress, like trying to board a plane or pack the munchkins into the car? the stroller gods are evil, methinks.
belgianwaffle
on 27 February 2006 at 13:02
FT, um, probably…
Lilo, I dunno, I am slightly despairing.
Kristin, the stroller gods are evil and cruel.
Minkleberry
on 27 February 2006 at 16:11
I hate it when people offer useless advice when you’re quite literally at the end of your tether- however, the end of my tether was what prompted me to read http://www.babywhisperer.com/ No crying out necessary xxx
belgianwaffle
on 02 March 2006 at 22:01
Minks, thanks for the sweeties and the advice…in fact, I don’t want to tempt fate here, but tonight they went straight to sleep at 7.30 and here I am (most foolishly) still up at 11.00 and not a peep out of them.
