My Sidekick is Down!

You never realize how much you appreciate someone's help until you don't have it.

Chris was sick yesterday. I mean REALLY sick! I've never seen him like this. He had some kind of stomach virus. Chris is one of those people who NEVER misses work, so when he got up yesterday morning and told me, 'I've got to go back to bed', I knew he was sick.

Chris and I truly do split the work down the middle. If I'm feeding Ann Catherine, he feeds Lily. If I'm giving Lily a bath, he gives Ann Catherine one. When you have 2 children under the age or 2, you HAVE to do that. Neither are able to help themselves much, so you have to be there to help.

Usually if Chris has to work late, or he's not going to be home in the evening, my mom and dad come over to help. But they went out of town yesterday for my niece's birthday.

So, last night I had them all to myself. Chris felt so bad he couldn't move. To Ann Catherine's credit, she was so good! It was as if she understood that daddy didn't feel well, and mommy needed her to cooperate. She played in her playroom and was an angel. But Lily didn't feel well. Her tummy was bothering her so I had to hold her all night.

The kicker came at bathtime! I had to try and put Lily down so I could bath Ann Catherine. I took her bouncy seat into the bathroom and put her in it, but she screamed bloody murder! I'm thinking, 'Oh, this is going to be a pleasant bath for Ann Catherine.' I'm trying to figure out what to do, when it hits me! Lily LOVES the sound of the hair dryer! So, I plug the hair dryer in and put it on the counter. All of a sudden she stops crying. It was like magic.

Once I got Ann Catherine down, it was time to feed Lily and put her to bed. And believe me, she was hungry and letting me know about it - screaming at the top of her lungs! I popped that bottle in - and all was well with the world.

Once I got her down at 8:30, it was time to wash bottles and get their clothes laid out and bags packed for the next day. Once I finally finished, it was 10:15 pm. I went to bed exhausted and praying for strength because my alarm goes off at 5am - and we start all over again.

So to all you single moms and military wives, you have my undying admiration. I CANNOT imagine how you do it everyday. I only had all of the responsibility for one night and it was one of the hardest things I've done in a while. The only thing that kept me going was knowing Chris would be up and at 'em by the next day.

So if you have a friend who is a single mom or whose husband is serving away from home, give her the greatest gift she could ask for. Go over one night and offer to take care of the kids. Or let her go to the mall while you watch the children.

Because everybody needs a break sometimes.