Thank goodness for Roofs.

After a very long and extremely exhausting day I start a bath. A bath for a very fussy baby, that somehow becomes a different person after his bath. He loves them, starts talking after his bath not remembering why for the past hour he has been screaming. Red Faced. Screaming.

I am tired. Starting from midnight last night(Sunday). I could almost give a play by play. Actually it started even earlier, but we will stick with midnight for readers sake.

Teighan up. Croupy cough. Crying hysteria. Couldn't catch his breath. AWESOME. I calmed him down, reassuring him everything was ok. Listened to his lungs, sounded clear, and let him crawl into bed with me.

Tate up. Nursed back to sleep.

2am. I get to go to bed, finally... or do I?

Teighan up again. Cant breath. Cough, hack. bark. fuss. whine. cry. Falls back asleep.

5 am. Puts his head on my shoulder, crying. worried. Do I get everyone up for a ER trip now. Can I calm him down. Knowing deep in my heart we are going to the ER later. Lets see if mommy can just have another hour of sleep.

Oh. Koda has now joined the group. Body on the bed. Legs hanging off, complete blissful sleep.  Mommy, squished, uncomfortable but peaceful.

9am. Decided to head to the ER. 5 hours later ER trip successful. Nebulizer and Steroids. He doesn't like this. He cries. I reassure him again. I worry.

I though this RAD, or reactive airway he would have grown out of by now. I worry how tonight will be, why am I still up at 2330 writing a blog...I worry how the season will affect him, or did the small about of smoke at a bbq the other night get to him. I worry.

Home. Kids are extremely fussy. Koda now has a fever too. Runny nose. AWESOME.

So we do what we do. Stuff. Little laundry etc. Dinner...bed. back to bath.

Tate went down without a fuss finally.

8pm, kids up and fussing. I don't want to go to bed. ME: ITS TIME! I start yelling again, cause we had some yelling today, and well I decided to write our bedtime rules on a piece of paper and pin it to the door.

Yes. Success. I did it. Made Rules. Rules to be broken 500,000 more times, but at least they're there. They are posted for all to see. MOM MADE RULES.

In pinning the rules to the door, I must have closed the door shut. No problem.

Sat down on the floor, did bedtime ritual of books and stories. Turned on music, off light, kiss, kiss grab the door knob.

Doesn't open.

Try again. Harder, HARDER. Doesn't open.

 Awesome. The rules got me stuck in the bedroom, with the 2 I so desperately want to be asleep so mommy can go to sleep, clean kitchen...Have a beer.

Ok. what to do. what to do. I look around for anything. Nothing. I don't bring my phone in to bed time. No phone in their room, we only have 1 house phone, the other broke...Hulk SMASH!

Flashlight!  YES!! I can do SOS. I don't know SOS, but I can try SOS.  no batteries. Note to self: replace batteries, and put more flash lights in kids room.

Keep looking. nothing. NOTHING. not even a whistle. or noise maker. Note to self: buy T drums he has been asking for. But on a serious note, put whistles and noise makers in their bedroom.

What am I doing. What is my plan. Well my plan is to poke my head out and see if Neighbors are smoking. NO. Lights off. uh OH!! Other neighbors light is on.

I start calling. Nothing They don't smoke, but they have a dog. Maybe I will get lucky and Dude will be out. Nope. No luck.

Ok. I need a new plan. I have to throw something, because if I crawl out onto the roof, and try to jump down we will be back in the ER. well, if anyone hears me fall, cause again there is no phone for the kids to call 911. Do they even know the numbers? 9-1-1...

Ok. shoes, flip flops. books. Nothing to throw, until I found it. The ball that saved the day.

I crawled out the window onto the roof, all the while telling the kids never to do this. Also telling them if we ever have a fire this is how we will get out... We were just practicing our fire drill.  I threw the ball, thank goodness, they heard it, but weren't opening the door. I heard them talking about the noise, and then I saw him and yelled again.

He came out, and looked up, puzzled. Why are you up there. Ugh we are locked out. I mean in. Locked in the kids bedroom.

Why?

I dunno, the door is locked and I have nothing to help me. Can you go knock on the other neighbors door, they have a key. Note to self, this is the 2nd time James has helped me in a pinch...give them a key and baked goods.

He comes back. They're not home. AWESOME.

James: Hey try a wire.

Me: (thoughts)Yes, of course. I didn't think of that(I did...) but I am in my kids room. With kids clothes, from kids stores. What are they hanging on? Kids plastic hangers. So he goes and gets me a hanger, and makes it straight so I can pop the lock.

Me: Nope. Not gonna do it. The house is 30? Years old, the doors and locks are the same age. The hanger wouldn't even fit into the lock let alone make it budge.

James: He gets the ladder out, and climbs up and tries.

Me: NOPE. I told you. It wasn't going to work.

James: Ok, Ill be right back...

Comes back with a hammer and a flat head screwdriver to take the door off the hinges.  Did I mention he crawled in the same window I crawled out of?

The baby is now crying. I have been locked in the room for about an hour, and the door is NOT coming off the hinges. It is stuck.

He asks, how long have you been here. I thought he meant living in the house, that is why the door was stuck.

Ugh, 7 years...

No I mean in the room. 1 hour.

I lost it. I started laughing so hard. Then finally, with a lot of giggling, and pulling the door finally came off. He put it back on and I asked him how he wanted to leave, conventional or unconventional. He chose conventional.

I realized in the few moments watching with intense anxiety for the door to open, that I was put here tonight. We Teighan, Takoda and I were stratigically put here. To spend uninterrupted time solving a problem and then letting go. Letting go of the day, or the stress and worry and laughing uncontrollably...

Thank goodness for roofs, townhouses, nice neighbors, and doors that lock...never know when you need the laugh.