Sunday, April 27, 2008

April is so mine now.

Ben has a T-ball game every Saturday morning at 8:20. This information came as a very unpleasant surprise to The Man, whose typical bedtime is between 2:00 and 3:00AM. He even went as far as to say that they should have put a disclaimer with this information on the registration form.

Because of the early hour and Clara's less than accommodating to game-watching personality The Man and I have been alternating taking Ben to his games. I love the early games myself, the sneaking out of the house at 7:30 before the rest of the house awakens, and the one-on-one time with Ben. Clara usually wakes up around 8:00AM and it is of utmost importance that we don't wake her getting out the door or chaos ensues. We just leave the monitor on for The Man and make a break for it. It's amazing how just having one child with me can feel so liberating.

Yesterday was my morning and we made it out the door in peace and attended the game. Three-year-olds playing any organized sport is a lesson in comedy and this time was no different. Ben and I chatted it up on the way home about his wonderful t-ball playing skills (he managed to run the actual bases this time instead of just randomly around the infield) and he decided he wanted to forgo our regular stop for coffee & muffins. His aunt had brought him a movie he was itching to get home and watch. I was really disappointed. Sitting across the table from my boy, listening to him prattle on and marveling at how he can seem so big and still so small, is my favorite part. I figured, however, it would lose some of it's charm if he was whining the whole time, we headed home.

When we walked in the door, I knew there was a problem. The house was dark and no, "Hi Mama!" greeted me from the living room. In fact, no one was IN the living room. I walked into the bedroom and found Shane snoozing away in bed, and my heart sank. I must have turned the monitor off when I woke up that morning out of habit. It was 9:45AM. Clara had probably been screaming her head off for nearly two hours. I ran to her room and heard nothing. I went in and found her, red-faced and tear-stained and passed-out. She must have eventually cried herself back to sleep. It's been bothering me all weekend, thinking of how confused and mad (the girl has a temper) she must have been. And I have been feeling, uncharacteristically, guilty. And thankful that we didn't stop for muffins.

And even more thankful that she is never going to remember this particular screw-up.

7 comments:

emmay said...

oh that broke my heart!! I did something like that to one of mine once. Someone reminded me that she won't remember it. But I felt like crap too.
+1 WMP

Unknown said...

on the bright side, at least she was safely contained ?

karen said...

No Alison? No Brandon? Poor Clara! Leaving her in care of a sleeping father (alone)? Next time, stick a bottle and a book in the corner of her crib...

+1 WMP for leaving your toddler alone.

*pal said...

I feel your guilt. I cannot stand leaving Z to cry...he just looks at me, so pathetic and sad, as if to say, "why won't you help me??"

Ginger Johnson said...

You say you think you turned the monitor off...I think it was mischievous elves. Or Shane. :)

But I'll still give you a point.

RAY AND TINA said...

OH JOY, I HAD NO IDEA YOU HAD WENT THRU ALL THAT SAT MORNING. I HOPE ALL WENT WELL AFTER WE LEFT. I WANTED YOU TO KNOW WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME. IT WAS NICE TO JUST SIT AND TALK WITH YALL. WE HAVE NEVER GOT TO DO THAT BEFORE AND I THINK IT WAS GREAT. I REALLY THINK BEN AND TY HAD FUN RUNNING ALL OVER THE PLACE. I ALSO THINK IT WAS GOOD FOR ALLIE AND BRITTNEE TO HAVE SOME TIME TO THIERSELVES TOO. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US OVER AND I AM SORRY I WAS LATE AS USUAL. I LOVE YOU GUYS. LOVE YA!!!

Kevin said...

You guys are way too easy on the father! I don't see anything wrong by the mother. If T-Ball is ever Saturday, father should know better than to be still sleeping at 9:30AM, monitor on or not. I can't remember the last time I slept till 9:30. Man, Ashley needs to hang out with you guys more as I know she wouldn't give me this much slack! Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect. If you guys gave points by the fathers screwing up, I'm sure Ashley would have more than enough points. I'm just saying, a better story would be if mom was suppose to take the baby with her so dad could keep sleeping but forgot all the while still turning montior off so dad would have no clue baby was still in the house. That would be at least a 5 pointer for mom!