Lundi, 19 Novembre 2012: Kids Are Manipulative

Our weeks have become kind of ritual. Every Monday, I get up at 7h30 the sound of Gregoire crying or yelling. I slowly walk to the kitchen, grab a bowl and spoon, go out to the dining room, make myself a bowl of cereal, and stare at Gregoire until he stops making whatever obnoxious noise he's making. It normally doesn't take that long before he puts his head down in frustration and walks to the couch where he mounts himself until I'm finished with my breakfast. Sometimes he walks into the bathroom while his mom is bathing, lol. I guess it doesn't really matter where he is as long as he's not fussing or doing something potentially dangerous. Most of the time it's better for me to leave him with his parents because if I try to take him away to do something else he throws a huge tantrum. He'll eventually get over this when he trusts me more. He already recognizes me as an authority figure and fears, Ahem! I mean, respects me.

Gregoire apparently asks for me whenever I'm not around and when I go to pick him up from the creche he excitedly screams out "Melinda! Melinda!" He's even started saying to everyone "She's MY Melinda!!!" That had originally started by him saying "Mon maman!" and me retaliating with "No...She's MY mama!" He would repeat that and now he's inserted my name! :-) He proudly says this to his parents and they reply with "Yes! She's YOUR Melinda!" as he giggles in that cute toddler way. The kid speaks english and he doesn't even know it. I mostly teach him through song.

I took Gregoire to the creche that morning as I do all mornings while the triplets left with their mother once again. Today was sort of a milestone because when I left Gregoire at the creche he started crying for me. I think this means that he loves me. It touched me, it really did. It kind of made me want my own children but I breathed in the cold, fresh air and my sanity came back :-P

Didier left for an out of town job as soon as I got home. I did 3 loads of laundry while everyone was gone. Whites, Lights, Darks. It's amazing what you can do with machines fit for 15 kg loads.

After my housework was finished, it was time for me to pick up my babies. I started with Camille, collected Léa and Baptiste next, then completed the circle with Gregoire at the creche. The hair dresser was on her way over to cut Léa's hair so I sent her to the bathroom to take a bath. The coiffeuse gave Léa a classic shoulder-length look with bangs. I didn't feel like it was the right hair style for her because of her face shape but whatever, if she likes it, it doesn't matter what I think.

Dinner was uneventful. Céline was exhausted so she went to bed immediately after. She told the kids to go to bed at 21h30 and not to leave their designated places. The kids were IMPOSSIBLE tonight!!! First, all of the kids were visiting each others' rooms and making each other cry so I had to go break that up. When I got the girls back to their room they suggested that they needed to stay up for another "5" minutes to make me a bracelet that they didn't even know how to make. 15 minutes later I found them all in Gregoire's room trying to play with him while he was supposed to be sleeping. I found them in there another time after he had called them back in there while crying--He's got the fake crying down. I had had it at this point. I looked at the triplets firmly, said "Laissez-le!" and "GET...OUT!!! Allez aux lits!!!"

I had planned on letting it go if they were to get out of bed another time because if they're tired in school the next day it's their own fault, but this last time was just ridiculous. Baptiste and Gregoire were finally asleep in their own beds but Léa and Camille were still wandering about. I walk out to the living room, half asleep to find the girls going through the medicine cabinet. I look at them with handfuls of medicine and am absolutely just pissed off at this point! I start yelling at them saying "Qu'est-ce que vous faites?!?" The girls look at me with no comprehension, immediately make a sick face, and say "J'ai mal à la tête" and "J'ai de la fièvre." I look at both of them with disbelief, feel their heads and turn them around to go back to bed, but then Léa turns around and says "No! J'ai besoin de Doliprane. Je suis malade. C'est vrai." I'm thinking Léa is a hyperchondriac because there's always something wrong with her. She had just drank Smecta earlier for stomach problems. I finally gave in because both of the girls were fighting me and gave Camille one baby Advil and Léa the Doliprane. The thing about Léa is that she didn't even take half of the proper dosage which makes me think that she was only looking of a reason to get out of bed. If she was really sick, she would have wanted to thoroughly get rid of her symptoms. When I tried to give her the rest of the dosage, she refused it so I scowled, said nothing, and firmly pointed to her bedroom. She stopped mid-turn, fluttered her eyelashes, and asked if she could have a bon-bon but she immediately changed that to "something to eat" to wash the bad taste out of her mouth--Freudian slip...Amateur. My visage was completely unchanged, it was possible that I could have looked even more mad, but all I said was "NO...Va...au...lit...main-ten-ant!!!" It looks like it finally clicks in her mind and she realizes that she's crossed a line with me so she loses her act, gives me a big kiss, and says in her french accent "Sorry Mélinda. I love you" and walks to her bedroom.

After getting out of bed four times and yelling at the kids for the first time, they are finally asleep by 23h00. I'm just so mentally exhausted by the girls, Léa especially. It doesn't help that I'm sick and am still sore from the hike, but that girl is seriously trying to milk it. She shouldn't think that she can get away with that. I'm putting my foot down from now on...