Cats on a Hot Tin Roof

In "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," a whole lotta crazy shiznit happened because it was so darn hot outside.

I feel like my life is imitating that movie/play, except I have TWO cats and the hot tin roof is my entire house.

It has been like 1 million degrees here for the past week or so. It is so unbearably hot that summer camp programs have been closed and health officials have been warning people not to do anything outdoors if they can help it, even go to outdoor swimming pools. The air quality is so bad, people have been dropping dead. It is HAWT.

We have air conditioning in the house (this is something that has to be said, because many old rowhouses like ours in the city don't), but I think the heat has simmered its way into my house and melted the babies' good sense.

Those two acted like pure fools this morning. I mean CRAZY. Remember that song "Insane in the Membrane?" Yah. That's them.

It started the night before, actually, when Cary woke up at 10 p.m. and proceeded to holler -- and I do mean holler. We tried a bottle - nope. His lovey - nope. Diaper check - all clear. Orajel - smacked his lips and smiled, but went right back to hollering. Finally, I had to sit with him in the rocking chair and hold him for about 30 minutes, and he calmed down enough to go back in his bed, quietly.

At 10 after 11, he was at it again. This time, we let him "work it out," which took until sometime after midnight. Throughout this ordeal, Dean never seemed to actually wake up, but he tossed and turned and groaned a lot.

I prayed the interruption in sleep would mean Cary wouldn't wake up until at least 7 this morning, but he was wailing -- really, wailing -- at 5:55 a.m. And this time, Dean decided to just forget about trying to sleep. So he was up, too.

Needless to say, both were exceedingly tired. Lester had to leave at 6:30 a.m., which is unusual, so I had to handle both babies myself this morning and get ready for work.

Let me just say that those two tiny terrorists took meltdown to another level. There were more tears today than I've seen in weeks! They flailed about on the floor; they threw Cheerios at me; they tried to kill one another over an infant's Tylenol bottle they unearthed from a drawer they KNOW they're not supposed to go in; they wanted me to hold them and they screamed when I did; they wanted to eat, then NO! No! NOOOOOOOO!!! they HATE eating!!

It was mayhem.

At 7:45, when the soft music, the rocking, the kisses, the distractions, the snacks, the toys and the pleading with them all failed miserably, I poured them some milk in bottles, marched them up the stairs and put them back to bed.

They were out in 10 seconds.

I then proceeded to collapse on the couch, intending to rest for a few minutes before getting up to finish getting ready for work. Instead, I was in a coma until Michelle knocked on the front door at 8:30 to start her day. Needless to say, I was late for work!

I swear, it has to be the heat making them this crazy. What else could it be? Oy!

Let's pray a cold front comes in ASAP. Either that, or we're moving to Alaska.

(P.S. The boys were crazy this morning, but boy did that 45-minute nap feel good!)