Storm Clouds

So there has been a bit of a delay since my last post, but the following will explain why. Sunday evening (as in 9 days ago), we had one hell of a summer thunderstorm. Huge. As Chris described the event, it looked like Armageddon, with dark, super low clouds rolling in and an almost instaneous BOOM! followed by crazy wind and rain. Honestly, it was kind of fun. But then, we have no trees in our neighborhood at present. Well, the storm passed and we got ready for a regular work week. But as we drove toward Potomac on Monday morning (where the heart of the storm had hit), we realized that this sucker wreaked some serious havoc. Trees were down everywhere, blocking the roads. "Doesn't anyone in Potomac own a chainsaw?" I whined. "Or do they just wait for the gardeners to show up?" Well, 4 billion detours later, we arrived at Charlotte's day care. And there, on the front door, was a sign: Closed due to power outage. Profanity ensued, but at this point we weren't too suprised. All the traffic signals were dark, power lines were propping up entire trees, and the ritzy manions of Potomac had--get this--their windows open due to no air conditioning. That, I confess, sort of amused me. So Chris and I returned home, having to telecommute for work. We traded Charlotte duty throughout the day, and although she's a great baby, she's still a baby. The darling thing is a bit on the demanding side. I was getting further and further behind on my books for work. Chris's work tended to trump mine because he had calls and interviews and meetings to call into. Fixing chapter 16 in a book? Well, compared to what Chris had to do right now and compared to what Charlotte needed right now, chapter 16 could wait. By Monday night I was stressed and edgy. Tomorrow will be better I thought. Well, Tuesday morning we learned that Charlotte's school still had no power. Chris had Very Important Meetings that he couldn't miss. Besides, I think there's a no-kids policy at his work. My job is a little more lenient when it comes to kiddos in the office, so I brought Charlotte with me to work. I was at work by 7:45 a.m. Once there, a very sweet co-worker handled Charlotte while I made a few calls and did a conference call. Then I did what I could with my kid there. Charlotte did her best, but she was out of her element. To get back at me, she pooped all over her outfit, requiring a messy diaper change and outfit change on my office floor. I made some progress during a couple of her cat naps, but by 1:30 my baby launched a major meltdown--and she won. I packed her up and left. During the drive home, I had a small meltdown of my own. It felt like there's no wiggle room in our routine for the unexpected. I was so stressed about work. Chris's job is extremely demanding, so mine tends to take a backseat when one of us has to choose been Job Task A and dealing with Charlotte. I was exhausted and fried. I pulled it together by the time I got home, and I had Charlotte bathed, fed, and put to bed by before Chris even walked through the door. I tried to catch up on work, but I was still so behind. At 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday night, we got word that the power was back on at Charlotte's school. I teared up, I was so relieved. The rest of the week was a blur of playing catch up. My good friend Lauren from college was in Maryland, so she came over on Friday night and stayed through the weekend, providing a lovely break in the normal weekend routine. I don't know. I guess it's one week at a time. Last week was rough, but this week has gone significantly more smoothly so far (yeah, it's only Tuesday), despite Chris going to Florida for work yesterday. If I know what the circumstances are--i.e., Chris's trip--I can plan for and cope with it. But the unexpected stuff just throws me off and frustrates me--like all my effort to prepare and plan was wasted. Should I be more flexible? Sure, in theory. But how flexible can you be with a baby, two working parents, and zero family who lives in this half of the country? Chris and I can only rely on each other. Without routines, schedules, and amazing efficiency, things get out of hand so quickly. My mom said that everything will either come to a head and implode, or it will work. She's right, I guess.