What a Wednesday

I seem to be about a week behind in my blogging... which I suppose isn't as bad as how behind I am in other things. =] So this post is actually about LAST Wednesday. I posted about my decision to go to park day instead of staying home and cleaning house, but what I neglected to mention was that I also had a meeting at my house that night that I needed to get ready for. We were in the process of re-arranging the family room, so there were piles of toys and random things everywhere.

We went to park day and had a fabulous time. We stayed for hours until finally I could drag the kids away. This park had a huge slide (like a huge hill with steps on one side and a slide on the other) that kids would slide down using cardboard pieces. Jared asked someone to go down with him on the slide and at the bottom they landed on his hand. Jared didn't complain too much at the park, but as we were leaving he started to pick up the complaining: "Mommmmmm, my hand hurts. I think I broke it." Being the compassionate mother that I am, I told him to just ignore it and it would go away in a few minutes. We had invited some friends to come home with us and play for the afternoon, so finally I told Jared that if his hand hurt so very much, we wouldn't have his friend over and we could go to the doctor instead. I didn't hear another peep.

We went home and the kids happily played. You would think that I would have used this opportune time to clean the house, but I was exhausted so I just relaxed. When the friends went home it was almost dinner time, so I told the kids were going to have to really work hard to clean house, then we would eat dinner and then the babysitter would come to play with them during my meeting. I tried to sit Jackson up in his high chair and was greeted with extreme screams and flailing arms (someone did not get enough nap...). I was too tired to fight it, so I came up with plan B... if we were quick, we could use the kids' free kids' meal coupons at Red Robin for dinner (they had gotten from their check-up at the dentist). Then I wouldn't dirty the kitchen or have dishes to clean and we could just come back and pick up the family room. Perfect.

Off we went to Red Robin. Jackson was good and ate most of his food, but Jared, uncharacteristically, wasn't eating much. Then he started to complain that his hand was still hurting, in fact it was REALLY hurting. He said it was hurting so much that he didn't feel like eating. (That's VERY unusual coming from Jared.) So even this un-compassionate mother thought that maybe I should play the safe side and get it checked out. So we threw the remainder of our dinners in doggy bags and went to the doctor.

Jackson was entranced with his balloon from Red Robin so he screamed when he had to leave it in the car. We didn't have an appointment, so of course we had to wait. Jackson finally started to play happily with the toys in the waiting room when they called us in to the doctor's office. Jackson screamed at having to leave the toys. We took a toy with us for him, which he politely hurled across the room. After waiting yet longer, the doctor came in and ascertained that Jared's arm was indeed hurt. He sent us upstairs to get an x-ray. Jackson screamed again at having to move to yet another place. Luckily he found the elevator quite fascinating and was quiet-- until we had to exit the elevator, which provoked yet more screaming.

At the radiology lab we had to fill out paperwork, give insurance cards and sign forms yet again. I made the mistake of setting Jackson down to sign something. A few moments later I noticed he was gone. I excused myself, ran out of the room and by the time I caught him he was in the elevator with the doors starting to close. I grabbed him and came back to the waiting room. "Hmmm, you have your hands full," the lady at the desk sagely observed. (You think? I suppose she was looking at my pregnant belly and concluding that I must be some kind of glutton for punishment to be asking for more....) I finally finished the paperwork and was greeted by, "Mommy, I have to go to the bathroom." I collapsed in a chair and pointed the direction down the hall. Then my next child decided that they too had to go to the bathroom. I pointed them down the hall and waited.

I knew something was wrong when I heard a loud: "You're taking too long! Open up!!" followed by a scream and "It's your fault! You took too long!" I raced down the hall, dragging Jackson, to find one of my older children (I'm purposely not saying which one-- both of them are WAY too old to be wetting their pants. They probably hadn't gone potty since before park day.) standing in a puddle of pee, crying and yelling, "It's their fault! They took too long!" Luckily, this child was still wearing their swimsuit, so I told them to go in the bathroom and clean themselves off with paper towels. Back to the desk... "Um, one of my children had an accident. Do you have a janitor who can clean it up?" I probably should have offered to clean it myself, but visions of Jackson walking through the peepee and trying to ride the elevator while I cleaned convinced me that I should let it go.

More waiting. Jared had his x-ray. About this time I look at my watch and realize that the meeting at my house is going to start in 10 minutes. I call my friend on her cell phone and tell her I will probably be late and to just use the garage code to get in and start the meeting without me.

Back downstairs back to the main waiting room. Into the office and more waiting there. The doctor comes back and after examining the x-ray decides that Jared's hand is not broken, it is just sprained. We get a splint for it and some stickers and are off to the car.

I got home 30 minutes after the meeting started to find the meeting in progress (after stepping over the toys that never got picked up so I could get in the house), right next to the disastrously messy family room. Oh joy. Everyone gets to see my house au naturel, with no clean-up. Our babysitter had arrived and been sitting and waiting for half an hour. I gave her some directions and joined my meeting.

Some days just don't go like you plan.