well done, crumpet - you've done very well today

So, today's adventure . . . there was one brief moment of optimism, then it all fell in a heap . . actually, things went fairly well, just not as well as they could have! I had David down and sleepy before they arrived at 11:30 - had lunch with the 2 nephews, then 18 mth old grizzled for just a few minutes before going out like a light. Story with 3-yr-old, during which David wakes up with wind - finish story while cuddling David, then send 3-yr-old to toilet and put David back down sleepy. David decides he's not going down - I can hear him grizzling while I get 3-yr-old settled - back to David and rock him and stick a dummy in, hoping for the best - he falls asleep, I check on the other boys - 3-yr-old quietly reading stories on his bed. Now I'm thinking, if he just goes to sleep, I'll lie down myself for a bit. Check again in 15 mins, 3-yr-old sitting up, looking out the blinds to the garden, still as quiet as a mouse. Then David wakes up with wind, really screams the place down for about 5 mins, after which I hear 18 mth-old awake (probably woke because of those screams). By the time I've settled David, the 18-mth-old is really awake and grizzling, and there's no way the 3-yr-old is going to sleep with that going on in the same room. So 18 mth-old sings and plays in the cot for the next half hour, with intermittent grizzles, the 3-yr-old doesn't end up sleeping at all, then David is up and crying for food, so I give up on his sleep and feed him, then get the other boys up to play. So, David and 18 mth-old got about an hour of sleep, 3-yr-old basically none, but hey, we survived the arvo and everyone was pretty happy playing. I'm sure those boys will be very overtired tonight, but SIL was just grateful I looked after them and was looking forward to an early night tonight anyway. And bonus, David fell asleep in his pram for another hour while I had arvo tea with my SIL. You know what, I know that's the life of a mum with multiple kids, but I reckon I deserve a medal that they're all intact . . . lol.

Phew! I asked DH to get home by 6 tonight - I had a feeling that I was going to be a little tired today