Our weekend

I do not feel like Mother of the Year this weekend. We miss Rob for sure, but I didn't do a bang-up job of keeping Sam industriously occupied while passing the time.

What I thought were bug bites are most likely shingles, so I've been itchy and cranky. My back is also hurting like crazy. My sympathies to anyone who deals with that regularly. Ouch. Seriously. Now I know why a spinal fusion must seem like a worthwhile option to people.

Anyway, I wish I'd been able to do something constructive with Sam, but I just haven't been able to. He's trying (I think) to cooperate, but the kid is nonstop energy. Combine that with a grouchy mommy and a drizzly, chilly weekend, and you have a recipe for chaos. I swear it's taking everything I have to stay calm... and the antihistamine for itching is supposed to make you totally calm. I can't imagine what condition my nerves would be in without it!

I had a major case of the guilts when I put Sam down for bed last night. He was in one of his spinning-top episodes and I was so frustrated by the time I left his room. I kept kicking myself for not having the patience to lay there with him to help calm him down. Luckily, he did that himself and went to sleep fairly quickly. That was not the case the night before or at naptime. It took him nearly two hours both times to settle down. He made up for it by waking up at 5:15 this morning.

The good news is that we got some good snuggle time in on the couch yesterday and seem to have found a new movie Sam enjoys: Ice Age: Meltdown. It's hilarious to hear Sam giggle when one of the characters gets totally filled up with water and goes buzzing all over the glacier like a balloon that is losing air. We also had a few rousing rounds of Chutes and Ladders throughout the day. Sam kicked my rear each time! He's all ladders... I'm nothing but chutes.

One random story that I'm not sure how to interpret: Sam, as I've previously reported, is quite curious about the whole new baby thing. He seems to be adjusting, but still asks if we're going to keep him. We've dealt with that to some degree by turning that question on him (as well as reassurances every single time he asks). He has asked where our baby is growing and didn't quite buy the response that God was in charge of that part. He gets that there's a belly with a baby in it somewhere, and understandably can't figure out why it's not mine.

He's apparently decided to step in for me. I've seen him on multiple occasions with his blankie stuffed up his shirt. He even woke up that way from nap yesterday. I ask why he's wearing his blanket in such a manner and he tells me simply that "it's my baby." I've decided not to make too much of it at all. It makes me kind of sad to know he's doing that when he's alone and trying to fall asleep. I'm guessing he's laying there thinking about the whole thing. I just hope that all of the discussions about how important he is to our family are starting to stick with him. I like to think that they are since his behavior over all has improved, but there's no doubt that there's a lot going on in that little head.