Ode to January

Once upon a time, I did have a brain,

Lost between marriage and Thomas the Train.

Then along came Thing One and Thing Two,

And then came Thing One and Thing Two with the Flu!

Please go away fever this thing we can't shake,

Motrin or Tylenol which last did they take?

I am covered in throw up, saliva, and snot,

Is this what it means to be the Mamma of Tots?

Let's add fever of 104 and the croup

Means two trips to Children's for our little troup.

There must be a discount for a bulk of copays,

As we went to the doctor for seven straight days.

Then we have croup home remedies, too.

Put them in the shower for warmth and freezer to cool.

Alden awakens us for stories at 3:00

Spencer will only sleep in my room in the swing,

I love him with all of my heart and my head,

But when can we put him back in his own bed!

Dear little Spencer why pick this week

To drink milk from brother's sippy cup as your big treat?

That day brother decided to bring home disease

Two days later you, too, started to sneeze.

It is not only illness that kept us inside

January sent us a snow, no, it tried.

You promise your son a snowman in the yard

But making one from ice proved quite hard.

Thanks to Daddy this was a success

For making a snow-dog from a big, icy mess.

You must have hot chocolate on a snowy day.

Okay, it was worth the stained shirt I threw away.

Our neighborhood rocked on this snowy day,

Everyone sledding and coming out to say hey,

Our neighborhood cocktail party was the favorite for me,

We laughed at the snow tricks our son learned from T.V.

We can't go outside from sick or from weather

All toys in the world can't make it better.

Oh, my we are board! Oh, my we are cranky!

All of Mommy's activities are tanking!

Alden's new passion is puzzles and he is good

He would do them all day and all night if he could.

Two dinosaur puzzles, Thomas, Toy Story and fish,

Over and over, "Can you help me with this?"

We are so board the crib is a toy,

Big brother playing makes Spencer a happy boy.

Brother is teaching baby new tricks Mommy hates

Like crawling out of cribs and through baby gates

Like climbing up stairs to make my life harder

Like painting your face with the dry erase marker.

Like how to crawl faster when Mommy asks you to come

Or the latest fashions to cover your bum.

Baby Spencer has certainly made a new friend,

He watches our Lucy from days dawn to days end,

But no matter how much I plead and I shout,

He can open that cage and lets Lucy out!

Some games are wholesome and ones you might know,

We've pulled out the old school with a big game of Legos

At our easel we paint lots of elephants and E.T.

Alden, Spencer, and horsey make three.

It has gotten so bad that we play with dirty clothes

You know you are board when you play with those

The game is called "laundry" with clothes pulled out everywhere

They love it, so I guess that I really don't care.

Look, we are all showing Alden how much we care

Ignore that one is in a cage and the other strapped in a chair

He has a hat and a whistle that toots,

And all conductors must wear froggie boots!

Mom runs out of ideas and that is a fact,

One activity is always a good, messy snack

Crackers and Cheerios can be a savior

Why do babies like things with absolutely no flavor?

Some days they are sick and screaming, but soon...

There will be a nap in the afternoon!

So, dear January, my eldest wants to play,

Please keep away the sick and the snowy days.

My little one thinks breathing through his nose again is dire

For right now he really misses his pacifier.

Poor Baby Spencer, what a month ten

Quite a sick little boy you have been.

But I think that you liked staying at home

You are most content when we just let you roam.

January, even Spencer can now tell you bye-bye

I really don't think you even tried.

February, for you I am a pessimist

My kids are still sick and outside is nothing but mist.

At least we are together and making it just fine

Even though Mommy has lost her mind.