Routine? What routine?!

If I ever say again during some kind of vacation or holiday, “Gee, it will be nice to get back into the routine,” just hit me over the head with a bulk pack of number six diapers. This week has been ROUGH.

My almost 4 year old, who has been day and night potty trained for a long time now, has wet her pants a total of 7 times since Tuesday. This morning, as I changed her yet again, I said, “Why aren’t you doing what Daniel Tiger says? ‘When you have to go potty, stop and go right away?’ ” She looked up at me. “Well, I just–well, but my body didn’t say anything to me. Till now.”

Then I come back into the kitchen from the bathroom, and find my 2 1/2 year old next to the trash bag, surrounded by a small pool of coffee grounds and last night’s spaghetti, holding up her old advent calendar and crying. The advent calendar had contained a chocolate for each day leading up to Christmas. I had finally thrown it away.

“Chocolate,” sniffled the little trash picker, waving the empty calendar accusingly. “Chocolate! ‘Vent calendar! Need!!”

Yeah, I need chocolate, too. Especially since no longer can I confine her to the crib or pack and play while I clear away dishes, nurse #3, pick sticker remains off clothing that has already been laundered, or take a shower (but not all simultaneously…for the most part). She now either climbs out or takes off all her clothes and diaper in there. Other parents tell me I’m fortunate that it worked as long as it did.

And my beautiful almost 4 month old went from sleeping through till about 5 a.m. to being up and wanting to nurse 3 or 4 times a night again.

Vacation or no, my life has no routine. Every time I think I have managed to establish one, everything changes. Like my two year old, life just moves too fast.