A Long Night

Quote Du Jour:
“Relationships are hard. It’s like a full time job, and we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks’ notice. There should be severance pay, and the day before they leave you, they should have to find you a temp.”
–Bob Ettinger

It was a long night. Part of it was my own fault. The other part was due to my child.

I was determined to write last night. So at 9, I settled in with my laptop and my latest WIP to get some writing done.

Any writer with children will tell you how difficult it is to write with children. It takes perfect choreography and a determined drive to get the sh*t down despite constant interruptions.

Mine happens to be nearly four years old. Last night, he decided to go on a crying jag. Using stall tactic after stall tactic to forego bedtime.

First it was a glass of water he wailed about. Then it was medicine for his nose (he was stopped up because he had been crying…). Then he needed apple juice in his cup. Hello! It’s bedtime.

I was firm. Managed to calm him down, tell him to quit stalling and go to sleep. Then, in a very timid voice from the dark, I hear, “Mom, do you want to cover me up?”

Melt.

Okay, so I covered him up and then tromped down the stairs again.

Back to the computer, I have very little precious moments left before I have to snap off the light and go to sleep. Then the alarm will go off and the week will start all over again. But knowing there was a friend at her keyboard writing, kept me going.

So, after getting up another 40 times and getting DS settled, I got the earphones on and then blasted the music – Loreena McKennitt. I did my normal things – check email, check my favorite message board.

Just as I open up the WIP, here comes Husband. He’s packing for his trip to Albuquerque. I have to stop what I’m doing to shave his neck for him (it’s a wifely duty, isn’t it? LOL). Climb back in bed, earphones on, hands hovering over keyboard. Music blaring.

I start to type. Nothing major, just editing here and there. Meanwhile, I’m hanging out in a chat room with a writer friend. She gives me a great idea for the Black Moment for my new WIP (thanks, Lara!!). WOOHOO! I took it and ran with it. Wrote about 1600 words last night. At midnight, I finally forced myself to stop because I knew I wouldn’t be worth a crap this morning if I didn’t get some sleep.

I turned out the light, settled in the bed, and was just getting to sleep good when here comes my son. Ugh. I put him back in bed, much to his dismay, and tromp downstairs again.

I have weird dreams, though now I can’t recall them. All I remember was the feeling it left me with – disturbed and restless. At 2:30, here comes the kiddo again. ARGH! Back up the stairs I go with kid in tow. I put him back in bed. Tell him to please go to sleep. Back down stairs, it’s hotter than h-e-double-hockey-sticks. I get up and turn up the fan, knock the AC down a degree. Back to bed. I’m settling down to sleep, almost there in fact when I hear a timid, “Mom?”

My eyes pop open to the shadowy darkness. Was that my imagination, I think? Or did I really hear what I thought I heard?

“Mom?”

Yep. It was what I thought I heard. I fling off the covers and stomp (as quietly as possible) back UP the stairs. By now, my legs are starting to feel the burn. At least I’m getting exercise (and, here’s a note…I run up and down the stairs daily. So why, then, is my ass the size of Montana? [not really, but still…] I digress…)

DS is standing at the top of the stairs and when he sees me, he says, “Mom, I have to go potty.”

He got me up there for THAT? *sigh* He wants the light on in the bathroom (there’s a nightlight), but I refused. Told him to get on with it. He does his business and then I put him back in bed for the umpteenth time. I cover him up.

“Go to sleep!”

I crawl back in bed once again, pull the sheet to my neck and finally FINALLY get to sleep.

The alarm was an annoyance at six this morning. I hit snooze a couple of times before dragging myself into the shower.

The nice thing is, I don’t feel as bad tired as I thought I would. And I made good progress on the new WIP. Yesterday, I also wrote an issue of the adventure serial. So, a good writing day despite the many disturbances.