You Want a Piece of Me!?

That is what I feel like saying to my four dear children sometimes. It seems they all want a piece of me all the time, all at the same time.

M&M gets me. . . well, almost any time she wants. She nurses and she probably is the one that gets most of my attention right now. I'm sure the others covet her ranking on the "totem pole" of kids here.

Bud-Jack is second in line at this point. He still gets me at nap time, diaper changing time, and in the middle of the night when he crawls into bed with J and I.

G comes next thanks to school. He gets at least an hour of my undivided attention.

Poor Teeny, the one who probably needs one-on-one time with me the most, gets it the least.

Most of the morning, G begged and begged me to go out and play catch with him (he's prepping for T-ball in May -- signed him up today). I finally got around to it this afternoon. We all went outside. G and I played catch while M&M played on the deck, Teeny searched for her friend down the stream and dug in the mud beside me, and Bud-Jack occasionally tried to join in the game but mostly climed on the yet-leafless lilac bushes/trees.

When we came in, Teeny begged and begged to help me make dinner; but first I had to feed the baby her late lunch. While I fed her, Bud-Jack begged and begged, "Baby share! Pease!?". When I offered him his leftover lunch he literally threw it across the table, cried, and forced his way into my lap. He didn't want baby to share her food, he wanted her to share Mommy.

So, after I finished feeding the baby, I took Bud-Jack up to bed and cuddled with him for a while. Then I remembered Teeny and dinner.

I finished up snuggle time with Bud-Jack and went down to make dinner with Teeny -- who, incidentally, got the credit for mixing up the black beans for the meal tonight.

So, what to do? I think M&M is good to go on Mommy time. Bud-Jack will get me at nap time; and if he misses nap time, I'll do some cuddle time with him in the late afternoon/early evening. G will continue to get me at school, but we'll probably keep practicing baseball in the afternoons for the next several months. And, since she seems interested, Teeny will keep helping with dinner prep -- I'll guard that time from the other three -- no one helps but Teeny. I'd also like to start going for evening walks with her so we can have Mommy-daughter talks.

Oh, and then there is J. He gets me after the kids go to bed!