If you don't laugh... you'll cry

Today (Sunday) was a comedy of errors at our house.  More for my sake than yours, I just have to record the series of unfortunate events that unfolded.

• Robbie wakes up at 5:30am (his new habit - aargh!); Rob gets up with him so I can sleep while Ellie's sleeping.
• Robbie attempts to thwart our best laid plans to go to church for the first time in about a month by fighting his morning nap; finally get him down a little after 9am (there goes our chance to go to the 9:45am service).
  
• I have to wake Robbie from his nap (MISTAKE #1) at 10:40am in order to get us out the door in time for the 11:15am service. He is still tired and a little weepy... uh-oh. 
• Rob drops me off at the front door of our church building; I haul Ellie into the sanctuary while Robbie cries at my leaving the van without him.  Rob parks, brings Robbie into church, and we swap babies. I take Robbie to the nursery while Rob holds our seats in the sanctuary.  Robbie bursts into real-deal crying when I drop him off (MISTAKE #2 - leaving him there!).
• Rob and I get through about 1/2 of the service when Ellie starts squirming... meaning only one thing: blowout on the way. She's very gassy these days and it bothers her. I exit to change her before she makes a scene or fusses. After changing her diaper I decide that while I'm in the hall, I'll check on Robbie down in his room.
• Robbie is bawling. They were about to page us to come get him. He catches sight of me and completely melts down. (MISTAKE #3 - putting myself in a situation where both babies need me to hold them or transport them without a stroller!) They hand over my son to me, and I ask a nursery volunteer to hold Ellie (she gladly obliges - perk of having a brand new baby!) so that I can go get Rob to help me.
• I attempt to soothe Robbie enough to walk into the sanctuary to grab Rob; we walk down the aisle and I grab the car seat and motion to Rob to come with me. I bust it back up the aisle towards the door, and Rob has barely had a chance to stand up and follow me, so Robbie thinks we're leaving daddy behind.  He lets out the most hideous scream and melts down all over again.  I come as close to running as someone who just had a C-section and is carrying a 16 month old and car seat can come to running. I silently vow to exercise during any and all subsequent pregnancies so that I am not totally devoid of athletic ability in the future, as I fear I am currently.
• Our little family of 4 (I would say happy family, but that we are not at this point) heads to the cry room, which is unusually full. Thank you, kind sir, for removing yourself from the nursing mothers' corner upon our arrival. Ellie is hungry, since it has been all of 2 hours since her last feeding, and as I proceed to nurse her while using my nursing cover, Robbie decides that he wants to know what's going on under there. I attempt to appease his curiosity and avoid another fit without bringing attention to myself. 
• No amount of juice and crackers and snuggling with daddy and his blankie soothes Robbie, so we throw in the towel and start to pack up about 1/2 way through the sermon that we are barely listening to anyways.  Ellie blows out another diaper as if on cue; Rob holds Robbie up to the changing table as I change her so that he'll stop crying (he loves to watch her diaper changes!).
• Must stop for milk and other essentials at the grocery on our way home; both babies are crying when Rob picks me up at the door.
• Attempt to nap Robbie immediately upon arriving home. He is chattering away in the dark, so I go up to soothe and re-lay him down. Detect a foul odor; pull open the back of his diaper to check for poop.  My thumb is greeted by a blowout diaper. Resist urge to gag; change Robbie's diaper, give up on nap and instead take him downstairs with only a diaper on and feed him lunch.
• Daddy is enjoying an after-lunch treat of chocolate chip cookies, when Robbie decides he wants some too.  It's his new thing; wanting to taste whatever we're eating or drinking.  Cute, except for when it's not, or when it's inconvenient.  Like now. Rob breaks off a little piece of cookie and sets the rest on his lap. Before he can even get the bite up to Robbie's mouth, we both watch Robbie swipe the entire cookie from Rob's lap and start to eat it. (MISTAKE #4 - underestimating Robbie's quickness around sweets.) Chocolate everywhere, cookie-slobber making its way onto Robbie's (bare) belly, the carpet, the couch.  Rob and I just look at each other and laugh.  Clean up child, attempt to re-nap him in spite of incredible sugar intake.
• Robbie sleeps; Ellie and I take advantage of the peace and quiet and nap for 2 hours as well.  Our house becomes grand central station just as Rob is trying to nap on the couch, and we get an influx of visitors - for which we are grateful, but it's just funny... the timing... 
• Before dinner we decide we must get out and do something fun, so we meet our dear friends, the Greens, at the park for a quick family playdate.  It was the best part of the day by far.
• I make meatball subs and broil french fries in the oven. In theory, a great idea; except that the heat from the oven melted the oven knob safety covers that are made out of plastic. (How did someone overlook that design flaw? Oven knob safety covers that are not heat-resistant??)

Although it was an exhausting and trying day in many ways (so much for Sundays being a day of  rest!), and at times Rob and I each had moments of weakness, I can't help but be thankful for it.  It showed me how lucky I am to have Rob by my side as my husband and partner as we raise our family.  There is something about a husband that loads the dishwasher, picks up the house, gives up his nap so that I can take mine, and helps nonstop with the kids while he's at home that is incredibly endearing.  These 2 little ones that can be such a handful are precious and innocent; I am careful not to wish away these early days of their lives because I know that in a few years I will desperately want them back for various reasons.  

For now, I am just thankful that my mom is still coming over to be an extra set of hands while Rob is at work. I shudder to think about what I will be writing in the (near) future when I'm on my own with them!