Saturday, December 01, 2007

Christmas Craziness!

So, for those of you who don't know, I don't really have very many boundaries. By that I mean, I often think that I am superwoman and can do it all. Last night is a perfect example of this. At the beginning of the week, Ralph let me know that he would be videoing the UD Women's Volleyball team last night (Friday). I thought this would be a perfect night to have Amanda over and bake Christmas cookies while watching cheesy Christmas movies. Then Ralph gets the flu--not a cold, the REAL flu. He's stay-home-from-work-for-several-days-go-to-the-doctor-sick. This is HIGHLY unusual--for those of you who know my husband or are self-employed you KNOW he NEVER stays home sick! Also, he NEVER voluntarily goes to the doctor and he informed ME this time around he was going. So, what do I do when one of my favorite docs at work asks if I babysit and needs one for this Friday night? I say, "Sure I do, but I have plans--you can just drop him off, I'll take care of him at my house." Now, in my defense, Ralph never gets this sick and I had NO IDEA he'd still feel under the weather come Friday. So to top it all off, I ask Amanda to bring her new Boston Terrier, Lucy, over to play with Kenya while we bake/watch movies/watch the little guy. Does anybody see where this is going?
Well, Friday rolls around. Ralph is still sick, but getting better. I have a runny nose. Ralph can't find anybody to take the game for him so he heads out. I figure I'm not too sick as I have tackled a mountain of laundry, the dishes and removed the second carpet on my floor (also known as dog hair). Amanda arrives and my first inkling of "maybe I have taken on too much tonight" starts niggling in my brain. Lucy and Kenya do not hit it off so well. Lucy seems defensive and Kenya thinks she's an overgrown cat to chase for fun. Amanda and I try to let them sort this out and start making dinner in my minuscule kitchen (two people and you're crowded). Well, the dogs think they need to help and join us. So now we have two women, a beast and an overgrown cat in my itsy-bitsy kitchen, when the dogs decide to play chase in this infinitesimal small space. Then Ralph calls to say no one left him credentials so he can't get in to video the game and he's coming home. Well, by this time Amanda has managed to throw our dinner in the crock pot and I'm wrangling the dogs into some outdoor playtime, so we say "the more the merrier!" Ralph gets home, decides he can't work with this mayhem and plans to move upstairs. Then the door bell rings. "Little L" is here to play. He's so cute! White blond hair, big blue eyes, waving as his daddy carries him up the stairs. My poor doc friend and his wife have never left him at someone else's house before and this is a little scary for them all. Kenya thinks babies are terrific and that this 18 month old is a new lollipop that must be licked. "Little L" only has cats at his house, no monsters, so we put the beast outside and the little beast in Kenya's kennel inside. This brings momentary peace. The little guy wants to be friends with Ralph, who is afraid to get near him lest he give him the plague, so Ralph high-tails it upstairs to work. Amanda and I settle the little guy in the living room with his toys and books and we start to make the most amazing cookies! They were a PROJECT but WELL worth it. In the midst to this project, Amanda and I kept trying to see if we could interest the dogs in being friends and keep the little man entertained. Around nine or so we got the little guy to sleep with a minor bit of effort--less than one would expect being as the he didn't have a bed here and was in a strange place. We also discovered that babies crying causes Kenya to come unglued. She was NOT pleased with Amanda and I for distressing this little one and not fixing it faster. It was cute. When it was all said and done, we had fun, watched "Mom for Christmas" (one of my all time favs) and "Grandpa for Christmas," baked wonderful cookies, and handed off the "Little Man" back to his parents (sleeping) in one piece. Whew! What a night!

3 comments:

  1. WOW! That was one crazy night!!!! Hey, at least it all worked out great!!!:0) Good story!

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  2. WOW!!! I am wore out just READING about your night!!! Cookies are very pretty. Do they freeze well? We will let you know if we get buried in snow. (:

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  3. That is craziness!!!!

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