Living with wonder woman

Now whilst all of us parents do fantastic jobs, I live with Wonder Woman (although she keeps refusing to wear blue starry pants and a gold headband), my wife,  Karen.

I have watched, studied and learnt how this wonderful woman relentlessly battles everyday for the minimal and at times no praise or appreciation.  Her son, Samuel, from her first marriage is 9 years old and has a disability called 22q11 deletion syndrome (please google it).  Then we have our 2 little monkeys together, Oliver (2) and Isabella (1).  Now whilst I limp along (literally since having osteoarthritis of the hip) as best I can to help my wife, my jobs are tiny in comparison.  My wife works not just a morning or afternoon or evening, but all day from dusk til dawn.

Our mornings go like this; Isabella wakes at 6-6.30 am and likes to be taken out of her cot to join mummy and daddy in the big bed!  She does this to stop mummy and daddy having cuddles (wink wink), and therefore performs toddler kung fu until we surrender and get up to serve breakfast.  Oliver is a light sleeper but sleeps solidly from 7pm to 7am if not disturbed.  He recently has moved from cot to bed and his perfect sleep has continued without any issues!  Anyway, enough gloating, so we all get up at 7am for breakfast.  Well, except Samuel, he is woken at 7am and Karen asks him to get up and shower before getting dressed for school and coming down for breakfast.  Hmmm, as we serve breakfast to the little ones still no sound of Samuel getting up.  Karen has to repeat and repeat to Samuel to get up and shower.  Eventually the cheek and back chat starts "doh I am getting up" (this is usually uttered at about 7.25am), Karen will ask Samuel to shower very quickly as his school bus comes at 8am prompt.

Quite often this is when Samuel's anger surfaces.  He cries most mornings.  He just doesn't get the wake up routine, and probably most of this is down to his 22q11.  When Karen tells him that he will miss breakfast if he doesn't hurry this is usually met with more screams and complaining of having to get up so early.  Everything becomes everyone elses fault (not the fact that he refused to sleep until 11pm).

Eventually after the battle Sid the Sloth finally appears downstairs like he has been on the drink the night before.  The lack of sleep the night before really taking its toll.  The whole refusal to sleep is where I particularly admire my wife's patience.  Samuel generally appears each evening after bed time with a whole manner of excuses why he can't go to sleep.  "Mum there is shooting outside" (we live in an OAP ridden village), "Mum I feel ill" (hmm never mentioned that whilst tucking into chocolate after dinner), "Mum are you ok?" (no, your evil step-dad is forcing me to watch football).  The list is endless, but always repeated.  Anyway, its often gone 10.30 before he is finally in the land of nod.  It may not seem late, but to some children with 22q11 its very detrimental to their behaviour as they need their sleep.

Of course each day Wonder Woman has to look after the twins of doom (our toddlers, not twins really but act like it at times), and of course wifey has to put up with me moaning about my newly diagnosed friend Osteo(Arthur)itis of the hip.  The twins of doom may look all sweet and innocent, but they have become very much daddy's girl and boy, so simple chores become difficult for mummy, and Wonder Woman doesn't have a car and our bus service is shocking, so she takes the toddlers to stay and play sessions and is also doing an early years course to help with the 3 amigo's.  On top of that she is a very proud and very good cook.  She cooks some absolutely delicious and healthy food for us all.  She also keeps the house in check and ensures that we all have clean clothes.  I feel at times I should do much much more. 

There is loads I have left out, but will come back to it in later blogs.  I truly do live with Wonder Woman, Supermum, Fantastic Wife and my Soulmate and Best Friend.  I would be lost without this woman and would like to say to my wife, Karen, I love and respect you and truly appreciate and thank you for your continuous and unselfish work for us all. x