There's always tomorrow

Yes, we still co-sleep. It works for us - most of the time. But not all in the same bed. That would be insane. It's always Mommy and Quinn, and most often than not, Aisling in one bed. Daddy always gets Ceilidh and Devlin. Sometimes, Devlin and Aisling trade off, or I get three when Devlin is feeling the need to be close to Mommy.
Last night, Aisling  - who's had a rough week behaviour-wise - asked Daddy if he'd come and sleep with her once her older siblings had fallen asleep.
"Well, will you be a good girl tonight?" Daddy asked.
There was a momentary hesitation, and then came the answer.
"I'll be good tomorrow!"

Definitely Daddy's Girl

Ever since Aisling joined our family, Ceilidh has become a Daddy's girl. While it's Mommy who shops for her pretty clothes, and bakes her favorite cookies, it is Daddy who garners her attention. On the rare occasion Ceilidh may decide to sit next to me. But that's only when her father is nowhere neaby.
As Daddy can do no wrong in her eyes, it's not surprising that she doesn't mind taking after Daddy. On a recent trip to the hairdresser's, I noticed that Ceilidh's once black hair has lightened up considerably. Now, it's a lustrous dark brown.
"Just like Daddy's," I said.
She beamed, clearly pleased with the comparison.
Her reaction brought back a memory from a few months ago. Ceilidh and Devlin were finishing their nightly baths. It's no secret that Devlin is shorter and lighter than his younger sister. He also has much less body hair - a complete reversal from when he was first born and resembled a small primate.
"Wow Ceilidh. Maybe you should be a boy!" Devlin stated.
"What do you mean?" she asked puzzled, and not the least bit put out.
"You've got lots of hair on your legs!" my tactless son pointed out.
"Oh that, that's because I take after Daddy!" Ceilidh explained, quite proudly. "He has lots of hair too."

Lay on the guilt

It's one of those mornings - I've woken up early, exercised, packed my lunch and eaten my healthy-ish breakfast. I've cuddled with Quinn, changed his diaper and got him started on his breakfast. I've awakened the others by bribing them with some forbidden Lucky Charms for breakfast. A minor spat over "sitting rights" on the couch has been dealt with and now I'm way behind schedule. I ask Devlin to keep his younger brother occupied by feeding him some cereal so I can race to the showers.
I'm about 10 minutes late, but I figure I can make up the time if the traffic lights are in my favour.
Just as I'm balancing the coffee mug, and keys while shrugging into a jacket, I hear "Mommy?"
Quickly I bestow kisses on my offspring, and with one foot out the door, I hear it again, "Mommy?"
I look down, and there's Aisling with her eyes wide and pleading.
"Yes?"
"Mommy, could you please ask your work if you can walk your kids to school one day like you used to last year?"
Wham! The ball of guilt that she's unknowingly just lobbed at me crushes the breath out of me.
I swallow down the surge of nausea, and plaster on a smile, "Sure sweetie. I promise I'll ask."
Aisling face lights up with a mega-watt smile. My temples begin to pound, and I rush out the door.
As I race along to work, breaking the speed limit but keeping up with the flow of traffic, tears are threatening to spill over. I've no vacation time coming up this month, but perhaps a mental health day soon could be in order? If nothing else, this morning's episode is enough to topple me into the abyss of working mom guilt. (Not that I don't find myself there on a regular basis.)