Hours

8:00 PM fervently hope Serenity will put down the oranges and not ask for any more macaroni
8:30 PM realize you are asking for the impossible
8:45 PM pry oranges from her hand and help the littles brush their teeth
9:00 PM lie down with kids to sing songs and nurse Serenity
10:00 PM offer up a prayer of thanks that finally everyone is asleep
11:30 PM wish for bed and remind self that in 30 minutes you can wake her up for medicine
12:00 AM try and rouse a sleepy girl
12:10 AM continue in the hopes that she will open her eyes
12:15 AM try to explain that it is time for her to take her medicine
12:17 AM try and calm her tantrum while keeping her awake
12:25 AM offer a different drink to wash it down in an attempt to bribe her into taking her medicine
12:30 AM wonder if forcing it down would have been better
12:40 AM recoil when she spits most of her chemotherapy in your face
12:45 AM re-dose the medicine
12:50 AM breathe a sigh of relief and break the news that she cannot eat or drink for 60 minutes
1:00 AM beg a now wide awake girl to please go to sleep
1:15 AM try to remain patient when she becomes hysterical
1:17 AM agree to sleep alongside her on the floor
1:20 AM agree to move to the other side of the room (still on the floor)
1:25 AM give up trying to please her and try not to nod off while she throws a tantrum
1:30 AM look at the clock and laugh that you’d hoped to catch up on sleep
1:40 AM keep one eye on the clock and know that if you hold out for another 10 minutes it’ll be ok
1:50 AM announce that she can nurse and climb into bed hoping she will do likewise
1:52 AM nurse a sleepy child
1:55 AM contemplate the insanity that is your nighttime routine