One of THOSE weeks

I think, cumulatively, over the last four nights I've gotten about 6-7 hours sleep. Maybe. And that, I honestly believe, is a generous estimate. Seriously, I'm sleeping less this week than I was when Little Miss was a newborn, I swear. 'Cause at least then she'd nap and I'd nap....I wouldn't get oodles of sleep at night, but gosh darn it I could sneak SOME sleep in SOME time. Not this week.

No, this week we've experienced a whole new ball game when it comes to parenthood. And let me tell you, I want out of this inning. I am SO tired and SO finished with the whining and the I want I want I want I want and the SCREAMING and the pushing and throwing....

My new two least favourite words: ear infection

Yes, finally, we got to the doctor today. Who took one look in poor also-hasn't-slept-in-three-nights Little Miss' one ear and said "yup, it's an ear infection," then looked in the other and said "wow, this side's even worse."

Okay, so I KNOW ear infections are relatively common ailments for children and we are NOT the first. And I think the fact we've got off not experiencing this lovely...um...state of affairs until she's 2+ years old is fantastic - I have often thought this and count it a blessing.

But let me tell you my latest discovery: ear infections are NOT blessings.

Usually if she can't sleep for a night or two because of a cold or something it almost guarantees us a REALLY REALLY REALLY good sleep the 'next' night because her poor little body is so desperate for the rest. THIS thing...two nights ago should have been our 'miracle' sleep-perfectly-and-soundly-and-catch-up night, and it just keeps getting worse.....

But I have to tell you about last night, which I really only think can be properly explained if I start on Monday.

Monday morning rolls around. We three are more or less awake at all varying unheard of hours of the morning with a fussy, upset, and obviously ill Little Miss. But I had class at 8 and another at noon so was planning to spend a good chunk of the day at school - professors don't really let you take a day off to tend your sick children like you can do in some workplaces, you know? Stupid school just keeps RIGHT on truckin'! So DEAR DEAR Mr. Man arranges to work from home on Monday so he can be home with el-sicko and I can get to my classes. Fine and dandy. BUT to do THAT he offered to switch his regular work-at-home day from Wednesday.

Which, actually, is a problem. Mr. Man's work is about 1.5 hours away, and he works from 10-6. He gets home around 7:30. Well, Wednesday I have class at 7. So...he works at home so we don't have to worry about me getting to class!

But don't worry, don't worry - he had it all figured out. He was switching work-at-home day from Wednesday to Monday and working at the office Wednesday from 9-5 instead of 10-6 so he'd be home by 6:30, in time for me to go to class. Fantastic!!

Monday went off without much of a hitch. Except we were a little fatigued from not sleeping much Sunday night.

Monday night, still no sleeping. I brought Little Miss to bed with us so I wouldn't have to get up every half hour when she started coughing and crying for me.

Tuesday, more tired. Mr. Man must have already been fighting something off because with the two nights of not sleeping he was a wreck Tuesday morning, so SICK DAY for him, and he and Little Miss curled up on the couch to watch movies while I ran around working and keeping up after my sick family.

Tuesday night, put Little Miss to bed. Went to bed AT 8:00. Watched some t.v. Turned out lights. Too tired to sleep for a while. Played bejeweled on my phone until start dozing off around 10. CUE SCREAMING 2-YEAR-OLD: MOMMY! MOMMY!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH it's like I'm DYING, MOMMY!!

And all the rest of Tuesday night. Literally, every single time I start to doze she starts to scream. Can't keep her in bed with us 'cause she's been kicking Mr. Man in the back and HE can't sleep and he's sick... ugh.

Wednesday, Mr. Man heads to work for 9. To leave at 5 so I can go to class. Little Miss visits the babysitter for a few hours in the afternoon for nap and so Mommy can go to class. Little Miss is so happy to be out of the house she seems to not remember how miserable she's been the rest of the week. Huh.

Wednesday night, 6:15. Little Miss is driving Mommy NUTS. And I KNOW she's sick and not feeling well but the CONSTANT CONSTANT unintelligible whining which I have zero-to-no patience for regularly then coupled with the incredible amounts of rest I've had this week...yeah, made for a happy Mommy.

Little Miss whines out a request for a bath. Mommy is only too happy to oblige to just about anything to shut that noise off for a few moments. Bath runs. Little Miss is happy and excited. Mommy is watching the clock, trying to get ready to go to school so when Little Miss is in bath and Daddy walks in the door Mommy can go to school. Little Miss pulls up the shower-tab in the tub while water is running. Mommy gets SOAKED. SOAKED. Mommy towels off, puts Little Miss in the tub, and calls Daddy to see if he's almost home because suddenly Mommy needs to blow-dry her hair (it was COLD last night!)

It's 6:24pm. The phone rings. "Hello?"

"Hi, Mr. Man. Are you almost here because I have to blow dry my hair and change clothes and I can't leave her in the tub-"

"What? I'm in - uh oh. Ohmigosh."

"What? Where are you?"

"OHmigosh."

"You're not almost here?"

"I worked until 6."

(I'm sure I was a little shrill at this point) "WHAT?!"

"I forgot I was supposed to leave at 5. I worked until 6."

I don't even remember the rest of the conversation...I was a little bit furious at the time. (Don't worry, it didn't last long. I was pretty much over it by the time he got home. I mean, I had JUST had one of those days, too, you know?)

So fine. So I had to miss class. I e-mailed my bud in class to tell him what happened and beg for the night's notes (he agreed to bail me out, by the way - thanks a MILLION!) Once I got my head around it I was almost GLAD because in all the sick this week I hadn't had chance to really start the prep for my work-party I'm hosting at my place tomorrow night. Suddenly I'm looking at putting Little Miss to bed (she HAS to sleep tonight, right?) and having some extra 'free' time I hadn't expected.

So I put her down. And sit down to work.

And don't finish a single project before I'm back on Mommy duty. She didn't even sleep a straight HOUR!! And THEN, ohmigosh, I've NEVER seen anything like it. It was like she was posessed. She just screamed and screamed and screamed and SCREAMED. She wanted NOTHING to do with either of us but wouldn't go to sleep. She RAN out of her room around 10pm and dove into her "princess bed" (one of those fold-out mini couches) and lay there and screamed, whined, whimpered, and cried until about 11:20. If we touched her she screamed louder. If we talked to her she threw whatever she could get her hands on. If we tried to tuck her in she grabbed the blanket and threw it away, and screamed and screamed and screamed.

FINALLY I got her to calm down, and we lay down together on the (big) couch to watch "Up" (WHAT a great movie!) Then when she'd be calm for a bit we relocated her, us, and the movie to our room so maybe by being in bed she'd fall asleep (goodness knew I needed to!) Then finally it was time to turn the movie off (ummm...like, before we even STARTED it?? Who puts a movie on for their kid at 11:30 at night?!) and THEN for the next few hours she wouldn't settle down, whining that she wanted to watch "Up"!!

So I took her back to her room. It's BED time.

Same thing. Back and forth. Up and down. LOTS of screaming. I've NEVER seen her like this for a prolonged period of time - I mean, she'll scream at us good when she doesn't get her way, which is fine and dandy; she can scream until the cows come home then!! But THIS was just...seriously like she was possessed. And during the DAY I can't put her DOWN!!

Let me tell you, my new FAVOURITE word is ANTIBIOTICS!

Mr. Man was finishing off putting her down to bed when I started typing out my frustration...and she's not screaming yet. So fingers crossed night FIVE is our magic, miracle, please PLEASE PLEASE let her sleep so we can ALL catch up on our sleep, night.

Huh. I hear her now. May have wished that too soon.

Wish us luck, and if I'm snippy with you in the next few days...SORRY!!!

(OH, by the way...haven't exercised in....what feels like ages. Seriously, just been one of those weeks. ARGH! Is it over yet?!)