Night Terrors

Last night, 1 a.m., and the house is quiet. The windows are open to let the evening breeze cool the 2nd floor where we sleep. I am half awake, and I hear a little electronic "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" from across the hall. I wonder if Alex is awake and playing with Fredbird or if he somehow hit the stuffed animal by accident. Then I hear footsteps in the hallway. "Alex?" I say.

He is standing next to the vacuum cleaner when somewhere outside, someone sets off a bunch of noisemakers. Pop! Pop! Pop! Popopopopopopopop!

Alex wails. It is unbelievably loud in the quiet house. Christian rises up roaring--and I mean roaring. "It's okay, it's okay!" I say, trying to keep my voice down, but they can't hear me. They're both completely freaked out, and feeding each others' terror. Christian and I both fly out of bed to comfort Alex, who apparently thinks the vacuum cleaner has come to life and is going to eat him. Christian gets there first and won't let me have Alex, because he's terrified, too, and he wants to cling to Alex for comfort. But Alex is having none of it. He wants the parent that didn't scare him! He lurches into my arms, and we lie on the bed together, his toddler heart doing a veritable drumroll against my chest.

I spend the next hour lying in Alex's bed so he's not scared to go back to sleep. But I can't get close to going to sleep myself.

Who needs sleep anyway?

Empty House, Cluttered House

So tonight is our first, official, “we’re-moved-in” night here at our new house. We slept here last night, but today we spent most of the day at the old house cleaning. It was a weird experience, cleaning my way through that hollow, echo-y space that had all the right paint colors, all the right contours, but somehow seemed suddenly not home anymore.

When it was all over, we somehow managed to smoosh all four of us into the van—Alex with his legs hanging over a full-length mirror, me with a 3-foot jade plant on my lap—and crisscrossed town for the last time, to bring home the last of our Stuff (including the crib sheet that we couldn’t find last night at bedtime!).

And tonight, Alex christened our new house by spilling root beer on the floor under the table (and chicken, and cheerios, and raisins) and then crowned it all by running away from me (naked, of course) and making the most horrific chocolate handprint on the wall right inside the front door.

After cleaning THAT up, I sat down to blog. Then Alex promptly picked his sister up by the dress—a big honkin’ fistful of spring green in that little hand—and dragged her across the floor and ran her into the spindles of the staircase railing!

After sorting out THAT mess, I brought Julianna safely back beside me and the next thing I know, I hear water running. NOW he decides it’s time to wash his hands.

You can’t write stuff this good.

(Written 6/14/07, but posted 6/15 b/c we don’t have internet service yet!!!!!)

8 things you never knew about me

I've been tagged by Michelle Chambers to tell you 8 things about me you never knew before. (Check out Michlle at miwi-carpediem.blogspot.com!)

So, here goes:

1. I teach Natural Family Planning.

2. I am the only scrapbooker I know who is caught up with her pictures.

3. I actually enjoy action movies. And superhero movies.

4. I have played my flute on Circular Quay across from the Sydney Opera House.

5. My grandparents know Madonna’s parents.

6. I have 34 first cousins, and we actually visit each other fairly regularly.

7. I can drive a tractor and back up a livestock trailer. I worked for my dad as a farmhand for two summers in college. Best summers I ever spent.

8. It’s hard to come up with 8 things you never knew about me, because I tell everyone everything about me all the time.

I'm supposed to tag 8 people, but I don't think I know 8 people with blogs, so I tag: Cecelia Sander!