My head is pounding...

...and I'm feeling like I'm trying to get off a too-fast merry-go-round!

We got back from vacation and started laundry, etc. like normal. The day and a half of the weekend we had flew by and plopped us into Monday before we were ready. I usually organize my weeks to death, but hadn't this week because of our trip, so Monday morning I had to do a frantic dash out for groceries and last-minute school supplies. Bye-bye, Monday!

Tuesday rolled in like a bad dream. Benji and my friend Brittany's son Gavin were invited to a birthday party for my friend Sarah's son Noah. Brittany brought Gavin over early as she was on her way to her doctor's appointment (pregnant with identical twins!). She got out of her car to show me her belly because I hadn't seen her since we'd been back. I had kind of a weird feeling when I looked at her, but I brushed it off, said Hi, and she left. Turns out I'd be the last person to see her pregnant.

About 20 min. later, she called me and sobbed, "I've been in a crash!" The next part of the day was a total blur. She had been hit from behind which caused her to hit the car in front of her. Because of the accident, she went into labor. As with any birth, there is always a joyful flurry of last minute activity, but that happy pandemonium was tainted this time by the ugliness of the circumstances.

Gavin stayed here overnight that night which in and of itself was just fine. However, it was the night before Alec's first day of school and not the time for a sleepover! As Marvin struggled to put three rowdy boys to bed, I put Ava to bed and headed over to Brittany's house with Sarah and another friend to clean up the evidences of many weeks on bedrest so that the new momma could come home to a sparkling sanctuary. Hello, midnight! Bye-bye Tuesday!

Here comes Wednesday, the first day of school, what should be the beginning of steady routine, the start of crisp mornings, crunchy leaves and sweatshirts. Marvin stayed home in the morning to walk to school with us and was a big help feeding our newly expanded group of 4 children. When we got back, he left for work and I attempted to make a trip out to the store for baby clothes and to take Gavin to meet his Papa.

I dropped Benji off with another friend, and made it through Meijer for some pet food while Ava flopped around in the cart like a screaming fish, my mother in law chatted to me on the phone about upcoming family birthday parties and the smokey smell in her attic, and Gavin silently pleaded with me to buy him gum and magazines.

After I dropped him off with his Papa, I pulled into the Carter's parking lot. As I hopped out of the car, the school nurse called me. "Your son had an asthma attack at recess" she tells me, "and I think you need to take him to the doctor or urgent care right away!".

Alec has never had asthma, nor has anyone else in our family. I was um, shall we say, a tad nervous? and headed as quickly (and as safely, thinking about Brittany's accident) as I could to school. As I drove, I called Marvin, our doctor, and another friend to keep Ava so that I didn't have to take her to the urgent care with me.

Thankfully, by the time I got to school the wheezing had subsided and Alec was breathing normally. I wanted to go home and collapse, but realized that Benji needed to be picked up and I still had no new, washed baby clothes to take Brittany that evening to the hospital.

I drove back down to the store, dropped off Ava (who still hadn't had a nap) and Alec at my mom's house for a little rest and TLC, picked up Benji (who told me he didn't love me when I made him come into the baby store with me), bought some outfits, picked up Alec and Ava, headed home, put the clothes in the wash, fixed dinner with Ava hanging on my leg and crying, fed the kids and put Ava to bed twice (once because Benji screamed outside her door and woke her).

By this time, Marvin was home and the house was trashed, complete with a bowl full of Cheerios stomped into the living room carpet. In a panic, I remembered that I'd offered to host our mom's group in the morning. We made a feeble attempt to clean up the house, got the boys to bed and I packed up to go to the hospital to visit the new babes.

We had a good visit, the babies were so beautiful and perfect that it moved me to tears! Hello midnight, again! Bye-bye Wednesday!

This morning was dizzying. Get up, get dressed to walk to school and host group. Feed Alec, pack his lunch, walk 6 blocks while Benji tries to ride his too-small bigwheel and Ava cries in the stroller. Tell Alec's teacher that he's not allowed to go to recess until I talk to his doctor. Walk 6 blocks back. Arrive home sweaty and starving, inhale cereal, vaccum at warp speed, cut up fruit for snack without cutting myself, did I feed Ava and Benji? Where is Ava? Doorbell, hello 9:30, hello mom's group!

Here I sit wondering how I got to Thursday afternoon and why my head feels like it's being drilled with a jackhammer. Oh, and that laundry never got done; the pile on my bed is as tall as Ava...