I write the title of today’s post with an exclamation mark, because when nothing exciting happens, that means that the day was smooth. OK, it also sometimes means we didn’t do anything interesting, but I’ll take that as a more than worthwhile trade-off.
9:00–10:00: Monkey mostly wanted to sit on my lap and play with toys again. He’s a bit of a slow mover in the mornings, like dad. Which works out great. A certain amount of mat-time (rolling, push-ups, head bonking on nearby furniture oops!)
10:00–10:40: Monkey’s first nap. He was overdue a bit, but I didn’t force the issue. Just walked him around, sang some songs. Fed him some milk on the recliner/rocker, but realized I wasn’t going to be comfortable if he fell asleep (Winnipeg Jets hockey jersey and polar fleece-lined jeans were getting toasty). Once we got upstairs, he actually didn’t want any more milk. Which was not only odd but also disconcerting because he normally conks out better with some “mem”. However, it was smooth sailing. Bounced him on the exercise ball for about 10 minutes and he was out. I can’t say the same for myself. Despite being tired, I couldn’t sleep. Had a pretty bad headache and some serious upper-back and shoulder stiffness/pain from “computering” plus carrying him around.
10:40–11:15: Called Grammy to see if she wanted to visit. Changed his dipe. After the change, decided to give him some “nakey time”. Monkeys all need nakey time! He used the towels I lay down for exactly their intended purpose, meaning nothing got wet that wasn’t suppsoed to get wet. Nakey time occupied him almost until Grammy’s arrival; I changed him mere moments before, and we were engaged in a serious bout of “laugh at each other” when she arrived.
Speaking of which, as an interjection… the other day we had this great moment. He was being cranky, so I did this thing Alie and I do where we cover and uncover his mouth rapidly with a hand (think, “stereotyped Native war whoop” in terms of the motion, though that’s not the effect we go for) as he’s whining. The funny sound that results causes him to turn from groaning/whining into laughing. Well, he was enjoying himself so much that I just started laughing with him. His eyes widened and his smile broadened as he saw (and felt) my laughter. This caused him to amp up his laughter to a whole new level. This in turn gave me such a jolt of joy that my own laughter ramped up. It was a laughter feedback loop, and it lasted for a good few minutes. One of my favourite moments so far with him.
11:15–1:30: Grammy pretty much occupied his time, having a pretty good play and laugh while I had a shower and then got coffee and lunch ready. He wasn’t really into the food today, half-assedly eating some and then spitting it back out. Not in a “Yuck, what are you poisoning me with?” way, but just in a “meh… I tasted it… I practiced biting and chewing… not in the mood to try to swallow it” way. ‘Nother diaper change somewhere in there, and it was approaching naptime. Somewhere along the way there was a false start for feeding and napping. Mom gave it a try, but he just wasn’t all that interested. I was worried he was going to be a royal pain about his afternoon nap again, but it wasn’t so bad.
1:30–2:15: My mom walked him around a bit, played with him, then fed him some when he finally seemed ready for it. It was also past due for a nap, so she cradled him as she fed him, and then when the bottle was light enough let him hold it on his own. He fell asleep but only lightly, so when she put him down she let him keep the comforting bottle. Apparently this isn’t the best habit (as my mom herself told me), but I personally don’t mind one little bit—especially if it’s only every now and then—as long as he sleeps.
2:15–4:30: Another crappy nap over with (all 3 ended up being only 45 mins by the end of the day), I decided to get out of the house. Just a quick trip over to Princess Auto for some mini bungee cords and zip ties (for a computer-related project, oddly enough), then back home. Changed him up, gave him some Jolly Jumper time which he absolutely loved, and then tried my best to keep him consoled until Mom’s arrival. At 4:20 things were starting to get hairy, but I was extra entertaining and enthusiastic, and we made it to 4:30 (4:35, really).
I realized that I don’t “have the hang of it”, though; or at least not any more than I did as of a week ago. Some days are just easier than others. Just like adults, their moods are unpredictable from day to day. Each morning is the beginning of a new challenge. 
