A Typical Morning

A typical morning Monday-Friday at our house starts at 5:30am, IF we all are lucky and Timmy has slept through the night. I get out of bed, splash my face with cold water to wake myself up, grab my cell phone and head downstairs. I get Timmy's medications and breakfast ready. By this time Emily has woken up and is demanding to watch cartoons. I explain to her for the millionth time that there will be no cartoons until she is dressed for the day. She starts crying and goes running to her dad, whom she knows will give in and turn on the T.V for her. I go in and change Timmy's diaper and check his blood glucose level. At about 6:15am Floyd finally comes downstairs. Sometimes Floyd will feed Timmy and I'll dress Emily and other times I'll feed Timmy and Floyd will dress Emily. About 6:40am in walks Zach. Typically weekday mornings are uneventful for us.

On Saturdays and Sundays if Timmy is a good boy and sleeps all night, we all are able to sleep in until 7:00am, at which time one of Timmy's nurses arrives to help out.

Here is how an all but typical Saturday morning plays out for us. I wake up a bit before 7:00am and go unlock the door so that the nurse can gain enterance at 7:00am. I splash my face with cold water to wake myself up. Emily's and Zach's radar has kicked in and they both have sensed that someone in the house is awake. They both get up. Let the sibbling rivalry begin! There is a race to the TV in the family room.

Zach: I made it here first, so we have to watch what I want this morning.
Wmily: NO, I want to watch 72.
Zach: Emily, you will like what I want to watch. Look, doesn't it look interesting?
Emily: Nooooo, I want to watch 72!
Zach: But Emily, I was here first.
Emily: MOMMY, Zach want let me watch TV!

Floyd by now has made his way downstairs and is starting a pot of coffee. THANK GOODNESS! While Floyd fixes us both a cup of coffee, I explain to both Emily and Zach IF they can't find something that they both can agree on to watch, we all will just watch the morning news or I could just turn the TV off. As I take Emily to her room to help her get dressed for the day, Zach retrieves the remote control from atop of the TV. The batteries are dead, so he goes on a battery hunt. He finds 2 AA batteries in Timmy's room, which he uses ot replace the dead batteries. Emily is now dressed and runs back into the family room.

Emily: MOM Zach want let me watch TV.
Zach: I'm trying to fix the remote control.
Emily: Why?
Zach: Because, the batteries are dead.
Emily: Why?
Zach: Because you looked at it.
Emily: No I didn't! You did!
Emily: Can I help? I wanna help.
Zach: No, Emily i can do this by myself.
Emily: (Runs into the kitchen where I am) Mom, Zach want let me have the control!

I'm sipping my coffee and have just popped myself a pop tart into the toaster.

Emily: I want some pop tarts.
Mom: You want eat them.
Emily: Yes I will. You'll see.
Mom: How about some hash browns or some cereal?
Emily: Nooo, I want some pop tarts.
Mom: Ok, but you BETTER eat them. At least 1 out of the pack anyway.
Emily: I will. (She opens the pack of pop tarts)

Enter Zach into the kitchen as Emily takes her pack of pop tarts and heads into the family room.

Zach: Mom these batteries are dead also.
Mom: Where did you find those batteries?
Zach: I got them from Tim's room.
Enter Emily
Emily: I want my pop tarts heated too.
Mom: Ok. let me have them. (I pop both pop tarts into the toaster)
Mom: Those batteries won't work in the remote control.
Zach: Why not?
Emily: I want to see.
Mom: They aren't the right kind of batteries.
Zach: Yes they are. They both are AA's.
Emily: MOVE I WANT TO SEE.
Mom: See what Emily?
Emily: I want to see my pop tarts.
Zach: I'm sure I have them in correctly
Emily: Moooove Zachary! You are standing in MY SPOT!
Zach: Your spot?
Mom: They won't work Zach. They are a different type of battery.
Zach: What? A different type?
Emily: (Extremely whiney) Mooommy Zachary won't move.
Mom: Just a minute Emily
Emily: BUT I WANT TO SEE MY POP TARTS.
The nurse and Timmy leave the kitchen and Emily follows
Mom: The batteries you just put into the remote are lithum batteries, not alkline.
Zach: Soooo
Mom: They won't work. (We have a brief science lesson on the different types of batteries.)
Zach runs upstairs to hunt for more batteries that will work in the remote control
Mom: (Yells) Emily your pop tarts are ready.
Emily: (comes running back into the kitchen) I don't want them.
Mom: Be careful they are hot.
Emily: I don't want them.
Mom: You promised that you would eat at least 1.
Emily: I changed my mind. I'm not hungry now.
Mom: Would you like some milk or juice to drink with your pop tarts?
Emily: I didn't see them, so I don't want them.
Mom: I'll place them here, so when you are ready to eat them you can come and get them.
Emily runs back into Timmy's room. It wasn't that she didn't want them or that she had changed her mind. She was afraid that she was going to miss out on something fun going on in Timmy's room.
Zach: Emily if you don't eat your pop tarts, I will.
Emily: Ok
Emily comes immediately running back into the family room and hops into the rocking chair. Zach has taken Emily's pop tarts to the family room and is sits down to watching TV.
Emily: I want to watch TV.
Zach: You were in Timmy's room.
Emily: But I was here first!
Zach: No you weren't, you left.
Emily: Mommy Zach want let me watch TV. I want my pop tarts.
Zach: You said that I could have them.
Mom: Zach, give Emily 1 of the pop tarts and I or you can fix you another pack.
Zach: Here Emily (Offers Emily 1 of the pop tarts)
Emily: I don't want it cause you touched it!
Mom: Zach, go ahead and eat both pop tarts. She doesn't really want them.

If it wasn't for this face and his contageous laughter, I would be in a psych ward somewhere! This has been a morning test of the PNS (Parent Nervous System). In the event of an actual emergency or nervous breakdown, your adrenal system would be sure to function properly. This has only been a test.