Peaceful Sunday

fThe Sunday after the sleep over was a peaceful one. Lucy woke Catherine up first thing and they both played for a while in Lucy's room before they decided it was time to wake me. Catherine and myself gathered her things and soon we were all downstairs watching television and having breakfast together as we woke up. 

The morning was like so many others on a Sunday in the winter when Lucy is here. It was too cold too go out so the play was mainly indoors. Catherine and Lucy took themselves off to the family room and I got on with cooking a roast lunch for everyone. Every so often I had a visitor in the kitchen seeing if she could help and if there was anything on offer to eat. Until I got to the carving Lucy was out of luck but it seemed as soon as the chicken came out of the oven she was there to eat some skin. During this time they were both joined by Emily who just fitted in with there games.

Sunday lunch was lovely, if I say so myself, and the evidence I have to back this up was the mainly clean plates. And with Emily and Catherine helping me with the dishes it was soon time for them to return to what they were playing before lunch until the rush began.

The rush as it becoming to be known is the last hour or so that Lucy is with us. During the morning I do all of Lucy's washing making sure her blanket and clothes are all clean and ready for her to go home. What is left to do is to make sure Lucy is in a similar state. This starts with her bath with the help of Emily and Catherine. This is followed by the drying of hair which Emily does with her as I gather her things and pack her bags. When that is done I return to Emily to get her dressed before leaving.

Then come the drive to the city. It something I will never get use to. I have read so many people, not in my position say it will get easier, those that are in my position say it never gets easier and in fact it gets harder. I side with the later, but it is something we do because we love our children. It was something I did today and I will do again and again. I do feel for all my girls living this life of two halves. I know I have said it before, but that is not what I wanted for any of them. I always wanted them all to feel they were part of a family and tried to make it so.

After Lucy was dropped off safely at her mummy's we returned home. Emily and Catherine got on with catching up with their friends on Facebook and I got on with making us all some dinner. After dinner the house seemed even quieter than normal. It had be a different weekend and I guess everyone need to just have some quiet time before it became time for the remaining girls to go to bed to be followed later by myself after a fun weekend.

The next time I will see Lucy and the girls will be together is for Christmas. I have Lucy for an extra night for the school holidays. Not what I wanted, but, that was all the time I could arrange to have them here together. I was offered more nights, for which I was grateful, but by then it was too late to change the plans I had made for the new year myself and the girls just after Christmas, which had been made when Christmas arrangements to see Lucy were made back in October. The time I wanted to see her at the end of the school holidays is the only chance her mummy has to have some time with Lucy and her sister without her work getting in the way, and since that was planned ages ago I can't see her then any extra, even though I feel I hardly see her. I do understand but it is hard for me.