A Day of Labor

Yes it was.  I suppose I should really read about what Labor Day is really all about.  But I'd have to say, like many moms do, that I have my own definition of what it means to labor.  Of course, there's the actual bearing of children that is a huge labor of love...but (as I've found) the real laboring comes in raising children.  And I have a new appreciation for single moms and all they do.  And my mom hasn't even left yet.  But my eyes are being opened for the future.  This evening's hours of tantrums leave my ears still ringing.

Today's Labor Day activities included my dad's making of his famous french toast for breakfast (my fav), I started the daunting task of cleaning/organizing my bedroom, learning how to use the external hard drive that I insisted Adam buy to backup our computer, learning how to clean up viruses on my computer, took a good two hour nap (haven't had one of those in a long time, and it was just what I needed) after my dad and Matthew left to drive back home to IL, changed 3 poopy diapers of Spencer's in addition to many other diaper changes between he and Carson, raided the freezer to use up some really old things in there for dinner so my mom and I can get cooking in the next couple weeks making some ready-to-eat frozen homemade goodness, listened to stereo tantrums from my two youngest sons for the entire dinnertime hours--in particular, listened to Spencer freak out about his cast itching and hurting, and then the most un-fun thing of the day....

Somehow Spencer peed out of his diapers.  Yes, I said diapers--plural.  And it wasn't just a little old man dribble pee.  It was like buckets. So how this whole spica cast that he's in works is that they make a little a cutout area at his (what we call in nurse speak) "peri area."  So I have to take an infant diaper and fold it and tuck it in just-so, and then put a giant diaper over everything.  I knew in looking at him when I noticed his puddle pad (also nurse speak) underneath him was wet that something bad had happened.  I pulled back his diapers and was then very confused.  He was SOAKED.  Had I not changed him?  No, both my mom and I had several times.  Hmm, how did this happen?  We still don't get it.  He hasn't had that much to drink?  But the main problem was that his cast got soaked.  Everything else did too.  So I cleaned him up the best I could, got out my blowdryer, intermittantly using the "cold shot" button to blow cool air on him.  EEEWWW.  So I'll make a call in the morning to the ortho doc to see what they want to do with this icky cast.  Yuck.  And it SMELLS.  BAD.  My mom mentioned that all of Spencer's friends won't want to come visit him now.  For sure! :)

He's so itchy, I just wish there was something I could do.  But there's not.  I try to distract him from time to time with the blowdryer, trying to alleviate his itching (and just plain distracting him) but it's rough.  Been a hard day.  I can't wait for this cast to be off, but I'm also imagining how freaked out I'm going to be when he starts trying to get around.  Kind of how I worry everytime I watch Justin wandering around the house, hoping he won't trip or something and make his clavicle worse.  UGH.

But I got a good nap.  Midwest thunderstorms are good for that.  And an angel baby that slept for 3 hours so I could do so.  Ahh.  That never happens, so I pray it'll continue.  So I focus on those little blessings.  And try to hold it together while I work on cleaning my bedroom tonight so we can have home repairs done in there.  Reminders of Adam are everywhere, especially in our bedroom.  It's just so tough.  But one minute at a time.