Mother's Day 2011

 Well, it has come and gone.

Thank. God.

Halfway through Sunday, Josh asked Evie to stop whining at Mommy because it was MY day and I told him no it wasn't. I didn't want it.

Sunday was awful. Not because it was Mother's Day. It was just a horrible day. And the fact that it was Mother's Day and therefore supposed to be a good day for me was just salt in the wound. A lot of salt.

Evie was in the absolute worst mood I have seen her in ever. She started by waking up early, then demanding her pacifier. Which of course she gave up last week and I had to deny her. So the rest of the morning was one continuous tantrum. Evie was throwing things, hitting her sister, climbing onto the kitchen table, trying to climb the entertainment center, climbing on the back of the couch, slamming doors, screaming, wailing, whining, flailing, tearing books...okay, you probably get the idea. If you have a toddler, this scene may be familiar.

Needless to say, I spent the morning wondering how awful of parent I was for my child to act this way. I put her in time out. I told her no. I gave her other things to do. I ignored her. I spanked her. I yelled at her. I cried. And I cried. And I cried. I just didn't know what to do. Nothing worked!

I have been told and I have read that toddlers test boundaries. And that the terrible two's and terrible three's are all about testing boundaries over and over and over. Well, Sunday was a marathon run of testing those boundaries. Josh got up around 10 a.m. (he had to work late Saturday night and didn't get home til after 2 a.m.) and that was when I finally got to eat my breakfast.

All I wanted to eat was a brie and bacon quiche and I was able to make it in the midst of the screaming and thrashing but two hours later I still hadn't gotten to eat it. So in tears, I ate my quiche. It was delicious. Super delicious. And I got to drink my coffee. Which, while also cold, was no worse for the microwaving and was scrumptious as well. I felt a little better after breakfast, but it was short-lived because I had to make brownie cupcakes and icing for the Mother's Day lunch at my grandparents and get myself and the babies dressed.

Elly, bless her heart, mostly slept through the whole disastrous morning.

The interlude of driving, lunch, watching cows with Evie and driving back was a little refreshing. But we got home, Josh left for work, and the tantrum resumed. I finally got Evie down for a nap and Elly spent most of that time eating or fussing because she couldn't decide if she was full or not. So no quiet time for me.

Then Evie was up and it was supper time and time to get ready for bed. That involved more screaming and crying and throwing things. More time outs and spankings. We did a conference call with my in-laws since my father-in-law hasn't seen the grandbabies in awhile. That actually went fairly well. But it didn't last. As soon as the video chat was over the tantrum resumed and I was so happy that it was bed time. Of course, Elly refused to go to sleep til nearly 11:30. So it was midnight before I got to bed. I was so tired that I literally hurt all over.

Really, it was an awful, awful day. But even in the middle of the screaming and crying, I squeezed Elly (Evie was sitting in time out at the time) and thought how grateful I was to be blessed with two beautiful and healthy baby girls. I thought of all the women who weren't able to have children or whose circumstances just hadn't allowed babies and thanked God for the screaming and spit-up and tears. Because while some days the bad times outnumber the good, when you take in the overall, my girls are way worth the bad days. The good times, the times when Evie brings me a dandelion she picked or Elly tries to say "momma," those little things are just the most incredibly wonderful things. I simply love them!

But Sunday was still awful.

And my present, while super-duper unbelievably awesome, still isn't here. It's supposed to be here on Thursday, according to the FedEx shipment tracker. It's in Anchorage, Alaska now.

Man I wish it were Thursday!

I hope everyone else had a much better Mother's Day than I did.